HILLSIDE MONTENEGRO

Client: Montenegro Investment and Land Holdings

Role: Masterplanning, Architecture and Landscape Architecture

The Hillside, Montenegro, is located roughly 1,000 metres from the coast in the Budva District- Cadastre Area Kuljace. An existing road forms a natural east to west divide and separates two very different gradients. The lower western end consists of an average 1:7 gradient (9 degrees) and the eastern end slopes much more steeply at a 1:1.8 gradient (30 degrees). The combined site area covers approx. 15,400 sq m.

Our initial site investigation has led to two distinct house types responding to the variation in the terrain and the site boundaries. The lower part of the site (the western zone) contains the single family detached dwellings, or Villas, and the apartments, or Villa Blocks, are located on the upper part of the site (the eastern zone).

Resident and visitors parking is located directly off this road and access to the apartments above the parking is via stairs and a private lift. All access to the remaining Villa Blocks is via stairs or external lifts to the main upper levels then via private lifts within each block. These upper levels were determined by section so that no views were obstructed by the Villa Block in front of it.

A communal piazza includes an open square, water feature (pond and waterfall fed from the ‘potok’ to the north of the site and dropping from high level to piazza level via a series of landscaped pools) and café/shop/restaurant (2-storey) with indoor and outdoor seating.

The upper terraces include an outdoor swimming pool with ‘infinity’ edge directed towards the sea, a Gym/Indoor pool which is available to all residents (and guests) on a membership basis, and an outdoor tennis court.

The lower region of the site has an outdoor ‘infinity’ swimming pool with decks and changing facilities. Stairs lead from here directly up the centre of the site to the resident’s office and upwards to the Piazza and accompanying facilities.

There are 12 Villas, 3 with private outdoor swimming pools, and 33 apartments within 5 Villa Blocks. The overall character of the development will be very much that of a local hillside village with a ‘contemporary’ attention to detail and a high quality specification. Planting/water features and external lighting will be distributed across the site.