PROJECTS/ARCHITECTURE/ANNEX SH.P.K.

THE ANNEX BAU AND METAL INDUSTRY CENTER IS LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN PART OF PRIZREN, AT ONE OF THE KEY ACCESS POINTS TO THE CITY. IN TOTAL, IT CONSISTS OF AN AREA OF 3720 M2, WHICH INCLUDES A NUMBER OF FUNCTIONS SUCH AS PRODUCTION AREAS, OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATION SPACES, TECHNICAL AND WORKSHOP PREMISES AS WELL AS SHOWROOM AND SALES SPACES.

ALL THESE FUNCTIONS ARE ORGANIZED IN THREE LARGE INDUSTRIAL HALLS CONNECTED BETWEEN THEM, THUS MAKING A SOLID GROUP OF OBJECTS. THE COMPOSITION OF OBJECTS IS MADE THROUGH A CENTRAL COURTYARD (ATRIUM). THIS COMPOSITION REPRESENTS A GESTURE OF GENEROSITY, A WIDE AND BRIGHT PLACE THAT PRIORITIZES SPATIAL AND HUMAN RELATIONS.

WE APPROACHED THE PROJECT AS AN INDUSTRIAL/ADMINISTRATIVE SPACE, TAKING AS A BACKGROUND THE STIFFNESS OF SIMILAR PROJECTS AND MOVING AWAY FROM THE MONOTONY OF THE FACADES OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS.

MODULARITY AND PREFABRICATION HAVE BEEN INTENSIVELY USED IN THE DESIGNING AND EXECUTION OF ALL DETAILS OF THIS PROJECT. THIS WAY, WE HAVE REDUCED THE TIME OF CONSTRUCTION AND THEREFORE REDUCED COSTS.

AN-HOUSE IS A DYNAMIC SEQUENCE BETWEEN DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS, CREATING MOVEMENT IN A TIGHT URBAN SPACE.

THE PROJECT IS LOCATED IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA IN NORTH PRIZREN ON A PLOT OF LAND OF 375M2. THE VILLA IS A PRODUCT OF STRICT CITY REGULATIONS THAT LIMITED THE BUILDING TO A NARROW SPACE IN THE MIDDLE OF TWO ROADS. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE WAS TO DEPART FROM THE PERCEPTION OF THE CUBE TO RESPOND TO THE CLIENT'S PROGRAM AND ROUTINE AND TO FIND THE BEST WAY TO DESIGN A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING THAT REFLECTS HARMONY WITH NATURE, AESTHETICS, AND PEACEFUL VOLUMES.

THE MOST ACCURATE DEFINITION OF AN VILLA WOULD BE AN ELEGANT AND RANDOM STRUCTURE THAT EXPRESSES A SIMPLE YET IMPRESSIVE VOLUME. THE OBJECT IS CONCEIVED BY TWO OVERLAPPING MAIN DYNAMIC VOLUMES THAT CREATE THE WHOLE OF AN INDIVISIBLE VOLUME. THE CIRCULATION, EXTENSION, AND STRUCTURE OF THE HOUSE ARE ORTHOGONAL, BUT ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PERIMETER LACQUERED WALLS AND THE ASYMMETRIC CONFIGURATION OF THE PLANES AND VOLUMES CREATES A DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HOUSE AND THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE.

THE APPROACH TO THIS PROJECT SHOWS THE CHALLENGES AND EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS MADE TO ACHIEVE SATISFACTORY RESULTS FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS IN SUCH AN ARCHITECTURAL WORK. THIS PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF REVEALING OUR CREATIVITY AND THE IMPACT THAT AN ARCHITECTURAL WORK CAN HAVE ON THE COMMUNITY.

THE CHALLENGE OF DESIGNING A VILLA THAT IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT HAS BEEN TOUCHED UPON SO FAR IN THE CITY OF PRIZREN CONSTITUTES OUR FIRST CHALLENGE. THE BOLDNESS AND THE PLAY OF DYNAMIC VOLUMES IN A VERY HARMONIOUS AND INDIVISIBLE WAY MAKE THE OBJECT A POINT OF REFERENCE FOR THE ENTIRE SURROUNDING AREA. THE PROJECT IS AN EXPERIENCE THAT SEEKS TO ADAPT TO NATURE AND ITS INHABITANTS IN THE MOST NATURAL AND PEACEFUL WAY POSSIBLE.

IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THE ARCHITECT, IN ADDITION TO OPTIMIZING AND ADJUSTING THIS SPACE WITH FULL OF SHADOWS AND STYLE, INSISTS ON CONVEYING BEAUTY, COMFORT, AND FREEDOM IN ARCHITECTURE. BRINGING INNOVATION TO ARCHITECTURE HAS A LONGER-TERM IMPACT ON URBAN QUALITY AND SOCIAL EXPERIENCE IN THE CITY. FOR US, THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OFFERED TO THE CITY FOR A BETTER AND MODERN APPROACH TO ARCHITECTURE WITHOUT DISRUPTING ITS EXISTING EQUILIBRIUM.

EDITING EXISTING VOLUMES IS A REAL CHALLENGE IN ARCHITECTURE AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE THIS PROJECT STARTS. DIBA CELINA SHOWROOM IS LOCATED AT THE BOULEVARD ‘MBRETERESHA TEUTA’, ONE OF THE BUSIEST STREETS OF THE CITY OF PRIZREN, WHICH ALSO DISPLAYS A VERY NOISY URBAN AND ARCHITECTURAL LANGUAGE.

THE EXISTING VOLUME OF THE BUILDING PRESENTS LARGE GLASS WINDOWS AND VISUAL TRANSPARENCY UP TO THE EDGE OF THE BUILDING. THIS IS AN EXCITING ELEMENT FOR US TO PERCEIVE THE BUILDING IN A DIFFERENT WAY, WHICH WILL SERVE AS A SHOWROOM FOR FASHION AND TEXTILE DESIGNS.

OUR APPROACH STARTS FROM THE CONCEPT OF VOLUMES WITH THE SAME MATERIAL OR THE SAME VISUAL TREATMENT SUCH AS COLOR. CHOOSING A SINGLE COLOR FOR BOTH THE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR MAKES THE PERCEPTION OF THE VOLUME MORE POWERFUL. COLOR UNIFORMITY AND ITS FUSION INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SETS NO WELL-DEFINED BOUNDARIES OF SPACE.

TO MAKE POSSIBLE THE COMBINATION OF THE AFOREMENTIONED ELEMENTS AND ADAPTING TO THE FUNCTION FOR WHICH THE OBJECT WILL BE ADAPTED, WE NEED TO CREATE A SEMI-TRANSPARENT EXTERNAL MEMBRANE. THE FACADE WILL SERVE AS A KEY MOMENT FOR VISITORS, WHILE THE SEMI-TRANSPARENCY MAKES IT INTRIGUING WHAT IT CONTAINS INSIDE. THE USE OF A METAL GRID ALLOWS INDIRECT VIEWING WITHOUT BLOCKING THE FACADE FROM THE STREET.

THE COMPOSITION OF THE FACADE AND ITS MOVEMENTS IN DIFFERENT PLANS CREATE A NEW SEEMINGLY NON-SOLID VOLUME BY EMPHASIZING VERTICALITY AS A DOMINANT COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENT IN THE AREA.

THE ENTRANCE TO THE BUILDING IS LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FACADE, MAKING THIS A DIVIDING AXIS FOR ALL THE TREATMENT OF ITS VOLUMES. THE ENTRANCE AXIS CARRIES THE WEIGHT OF THE TWO WINGS AND DIVIDES THE OBJECT, GIVING IT VISUAL TRANSPARENCY THROUGHOUT THE HEIGHT AND MAKING IT EVIDENT FROM A DISTANCE AS THE MAIN AXIS OF MOVEMENT. THE TREATMENT OF VERTICALITY IS ALSO FOLLOWED BY THE COMPOSITION OF THE LIGHTING, WHICH EMPHASIZES EVEN MORE THE MOVEMENT OF THE VOLUMES AND DISTINGUISHES THE OBJECT IN THIS ZONE.