Dimitris Potiropoulos · CLIENT: Undisclosed
Perched on the elevated plateau of Zlatibor, amid gently rolling hills, forests, and open expanses, the Arboris Hotel complex is envisioned as a focal point within a layered network of landscape relationships and connections. Its three circular volumes take inspiration from Stopica Cave, where underground limestone basins have been shaped into naturally occurring round formations. This geometry enables continuous panoramic openings in every direction, establishing a renewed dialogue between the built form and its surrounding landscape.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The building geometry allows for uniform, panoramic openings in all directions, redefining the relationships between architecture and landscape. The three ring shaped formations develop around a central outdoor core, creating a kind of protected hollow. The circular courtyards function as vertical light wells while simultaneously extending the landscape into the interior of the buildings.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The surrounding landscape is defined by a large water surface and extensive planting. The lake acts as the primary reference point, offering a calm, natural backdrop to the overall experience, while simultaneously contributing, together with the greenery, to a microclimatic regulation. The hard surfaces of the outdoor areas, composed of natural and recycled materials, allow for water infiltration, have a low energy footprint, long lifespan, and minimal maintenance requirements.
- Tags
- architecture, hospitality, hotel, Serbia, design
- Production Technology
- The extensive wooded landscape of Zlatibor directly informed the materiality of the project. The timber louvers of the facade imply the rhythm of the surrounding forest while providing solar shading and enhancing the energy performance of the building envelope. Integrated with glazed surfaces, the shading elements reflect the environment, allowing the building volumes to visually transform and acquire an almost landscape quality.
- Design Challenge
- The dialogue between ARBORIS Hotel and the natural landscape of Zlatibor emerges as a primary experiential element, defining the way the complex is conceptualised and takes form.
- Project Duration
- Design 2025
Location Zlatibor, Serbia - Operation Flow
- Τhe green roofs of the buildings, providing outdoor lounging areas and viewing points, contribute both to the environmental performance of the complex and to the perception of a continuity across the landscape and the built forms. Although distinct in presence, the three buildings are integrated into the plateau s ecosystem, interact with the landscape and emphasize the natural character of the terrain.
- Research
- The narrative is deeply embedded in a continuous process of hiding, revealing, and engaging between the user and nature. Within this interactive and creative approach, architecture functions as a mechanism of integration between modes of inhabitation determined by the landscape, movement patterns and views, constructing a coherent experience deeply connected to its natural surroundings.
- Inspiration
- On the elevated plateau of Zlatibor, among mildly sloping hills, forests, and open flat areas, the ARBORIS Hotel tourist complex is conceived as a node within a complex network of landscape conditions. The three circular volumes draw their inspiration from Stopica Cave, a system of underground limestone basins formed in natural circular geometries. The rationale of these concave forms served as an influence on the overall scheme geometry, distinct circular units organized around an internal courtyard, shaping a clear spatial character.
- Image Credits
- Architectural Design Potiropoulos+Partners
3D Visualization Potiropoulos+Partners
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