44 DIGS.NET | 6.17.2022
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P R O F I L E | T E N S T U D I O
PATCH OF land on Avala Mountain in rural Serbia sets the
stage for a gridded, steel-frame structure by TEN Studio.
Dubbed Avala House (and narratively named "The
House for a Craftsman"), the single-story construction
was built from modest means and local skill, the result
of a collaboration between the Zurich- and Belgrade-based
studio and its owner to create something that is, if not entirely
new—few of us remain unacquainted with the residential
glass box—then novel enough. Presenting as a paper-thin line
between indoors and out, with exposures and points of capture
throughout, Avala House is, as TEN defines it, "a case study on
how design effort can turn sufficiency into a desirable form for
living." With much to covet, and more to observe.
As a communion with nature, "The open structure embraces the
immediate landscape while setting a new clear geometry and
strong architectural outline," TEN explains. Built over an inclining
orchard garden, the house rests on top of thick concrete forms
meant to mimic boulders in the landscape—an arrangement
that, in addition to creating space underneath the structure for
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