House Alva
House Alva stands in the Upper Carniola region, at the foot of the Pokljuka forests. The village center is made up of typical Upper Carniola farms and houses, surrounded by gardens, orchards, and wooden farm buildings covered with traditional concrete roof tiles.
The house is placed on the plot parallel to the road, with its roof ridge following the orientation of the neighboring buildings. The layout is organized in bands across the site, from the public road toward the private garden, which opens views over the fields and orchards into the valley. The sequence includes: the entrance courtyard in front of the house, a service zone with the entrance and woodshed, the living area with kitchen, the terrace, and the garden. Upstairs there are two bedrooms and a bathroom.
The house takes high-quality traditional architectural elements from its surroundings and reinterprets them in a contemporary way.
The building is made from traditional natural materials: a concrete ground-floor volume with a wooden attic structure placed on top, all wrapped in a wooden façade.
The ground floor is solid and concrete. The walls are reinforced concrete. The polished concrete floor continues from the interior through a large window onto the terrace, while the kitchen counter and fireplace are made from the same material as part of the overall volume. The attic is wooden, built from a timber frame structure and wooden roof construction, with spruce paneling inside. The façade cladding, windows, and doors are made from untreated larch wood, while the roof is covered with traditional concrete roof tiles.
