In Slovenia, Two 1950s Terrace Homes Trade Tiny Rooms for Light-Filled Vertical Layouts

Small, stacked spaces are now more open to one another with a reworked central staircase and a series of skylights.

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Project Details:

Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Architect: Dans Arhitekti

Footprint: 3,660 square feet

Photographer: Miran Kambič

From the Architect: “The terraced houses designed by Marko Šlajmer and his colleagues were built in 1957 as one of the first cooperative housing developments, reflecting the active initiative and optimism of a generation of young architects. The ensemble is characterized by rational construction, efficient use of space, and a high standard of living culture, while at the same time standing out for its innovative spatial concept. Compared to today’s open and bright living spaces, the original apartment layout is characterized by small rooms and limited natural light.

“The main challenge of the renovation was how to open up the existing spatial structure and visually enlarge the interiors, while carefully preserving the defining elements of the architecture: structurally fixed load-bearing walls and a clearly articulated central staircase. The original vertical layout was strong in idea but very rigid, with many small stacked rooms. Within this framework, the two terraced houses were reconfigured into two distinct residential units: a larger family dwelling spread across seven levels, and a smaller, more compact unit organized over five levels for a single resident. The vertical division was reinterpreted rather than expanded, allowing new spatial relationships to emerge within the existing structural envelope.

“Within the tightly defined spatial conditions, the project explores subtle interventions that fundamentally change the perception and use of space. The central staircase becomes the main spatial and visual connector, linking all levels of the house and acting as a vertical void through which light is distributed. New openings introduce daylight both from the roof and from the perimeter facades, creating diagonal and vertical visual connections between rooms. Interior boundaries are carefully perforated, allowing views to extend across levels and transforming the house into a continuous spatial system rather than a sequence of isolated rooms.

“Although the interventions are precise and relatively small in structural terms, they create a strong change in space and atmosphere. The sequence of rooms unfolds like a continuous story, where each space has its own material character, light, and sound. Instead of a uniform interior, the house becomes a series of different spatial moments connected by vertical continuity and visual links.

“Terraced houses are protected as architectural heritage. When renovating, we take into account the uniformity of the facades of all the houses in the settlement, facing the street and the garden. A large two-story window on the final facade of the set is the only intervention that expresses the renovation externally.”