The property is located on the hill from where the view stretches over Sečovlje Salina. In the East, South and West it borders with the neighbouring properties, meanwhile the Nord side of the garden is open to the surrounding landscape.
The pre-existing plan anticipated two separate buildings and the garden with views over the sea. The area would be mainly subordinated to the service areas, a service road and a parking lot. After visiting the site and discovering that the views from the ground floor over the sea do not exist, the architect and the landscape architect proposed the different concept for the indoor and the outdoor spaces: the parking lot was moved next to the access road on the lower level of the area, hidden from the views from the garden and shadowed with a pergola. The two weekend houses, which had previously already been built, were now surrounded by the entrance garden which connects the main entries to houses, the intimate garden with the wooden terraces and the vegetable and herb garden.
To keep intimacy in the garden the views have been screened towards the neighboring houses. Wherever it was possible the garden includes the external views of the surrounding cultural landscape into its own scenery. The selection of plants limited just to the native Mediterranean species blurs the border line between the garden and the surrounding landscape. So the garden visually does not stop at its border line, but opens the view until the eyes can reach.
Each of the houses has been provided with its own terrace which ensures its own piece of the garden. The vegetation has been placed in a way that helps to subdivide a larger garden space to smaller sub-spaces. The plants also screen the views from one terrace to another to ensure the intimacy of its user. Because of the rich planting it has a shadier and an intimate character. In the contrast with this mysterious and enclosed garden stands a more open, light and sunny garden with a swimming pool. The pool has been placed in the entrance garden. Next to the pool one can find two stone benches and an outdoor shower. This part of the garden has been designed as a social space, where the users can meet and gather around. In case when one prefers some private time he can move to the intimate garden.
Great attention was dedicated to the way the user experiences the space, when he moves through different parts of the garden, from the lighter and more open space to the shadier and enclosed parts and vice versa. Contrast of the dark greenery with various textures and white local stone makes a dialogue between the light and the shadow and gives the garden its unique character and identity. With a careful selection of plants, mediterranean macchia, the garden and the surrounding landscape become one.
Project credits:
Location: Sečovlje, Slovenia
Team members: Ana Tepina, Ernest Milčinovič
Web: www.at-elier.eu
Project years: 2012
Construction: 2016
Area: 1437 m²
Client: private
Photographer: Ana Tepina
