Studio Apartment Skopje

Located in the heart of the center of Skopje, in a triangular perimeter block right next to the main city square, the apartment occupies a part of the top floor of an apartment building, built during the prime of the Yugoslavian modernist movement.

Enjoying the benefit of a double orientation, the original floor plan featured a more conventional single bedroom layout, with the primary program oriented to the south, harnessing the excellent daytime lighting and the small services arranged on the northern half of the apartment, facing towards an extensive rooftop terrace.

The concept for the renovation was to transform the conventional apartment layout into an open floor plan studio. While the main programmatic positioning of the units is left relatively unchanged, the individual cells for living and sleeping are merged into one single flexible space. To create a visual privacy for the sleeping area, a custom-designed shelving element is placed insular in the middle of the studio, enabling the space so flow around it. An overhanging steel frame is added to the south façade of the studio, extending the interior space outwards, forming a large glass screen which bathes the studio in natural light.

The small kitchen, bath and utility are packed and deceptively hidden within a compact service unit, freeing up space for a small dining area that is opened toward the rooftop terrace and the view of the Square Macedonia.

The original structure of the roof slab, composited of roughly molded, reinforced concrete jack arch beams, is left bare and completely visible, giving the interior an inherent industrial feel, while the smooth light grey wall surfaces and the whitewood floor create a warm and homey ambience.

Location: Skopje, Macedonia
Client: Private

Status: Completed

Year: 2017

Project Author:

Kostantin Trpenoski