Къща #3

The dream of the owners of this place at the foot of Stara Planina is a vacation house that will become their main residence in old age. The plot is steep, accessible from the upper level to the street. There is a vast view of the valley and piles of stones – traces of an old building. The house is symmetrically open to the north and south with floor-to-ceiling picture windows, inscribed between two trapezoidal walls built from the stones inherited from the old building. The contrast between new and old is achieved, and the function is clean. In order for the house to be used all year round, an approach of equalization of the north-south orientation is chosen, in accordance with the climate. The windows to the north lead to a narrow courtyard with running water and the shade of an old walnut tree providing natural ventilation and coolness on hot summer days. Then the southern facade is protected by white cotton curtains. During the rest of the year, the house opens towards the warmer, spacious and wind-sheltered southern courtyard. The large unevenness of the terrain must be overcome. The clients want a completely horizontal house (they live only on the first floor, the second is for guests), easily accessible, without an abrupt level changes, without door-sills and stairs. The result is a house that is open and welcoming – to the impaired mobility of the old age as well as to the current lifestyle of the owners with their many friends, multi-culture dinners (it’s a Bulgarian/French couple) and numerous pets.