Holiday A
Holiday A is an ensemble of 12 holiday homes intended for long-term holiday rental, proposed on Gruiului Hill in Câmpulung, Argeș County. On a long, narrow plot of roughly 3,100 sqm, the project lines up A-frame houses along an access lane and complements them with single-storey homes set beneath green terraces and with shared leisure spaces.
Arh. Dan Balinisteanu
Arh. Mihnea Munteanu
Arh. Cristina Costea
The A-frame, reinterpreted
The triangular silhouette recalls the mountain cabin, but is handled in a contemporary key. The dark standing-seam metal roof runs down both sides almost to the ground, while the gable ends are closed with vertical timber slats and large glazed surfaces. Dormers cut into the roof plane bring light to the upper level.
The eight type A houses are arranged over two levels. The ground floor holds the living room with a dining area, open to the garden, the kitchen and a WC; upstairs, under the ridge, are two bedrooms and a bathroom. Each house has its own timber deck, so that holiday life happens outdoors as much as indoors.
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Fig. 03–04
The lane and the concrete plinth
The plot starts at Gruiului Street and extends in depth. A single lane along the long side of the site serves all the houses, which are rotated in relation to it: each one gains its own entrance garden, an adjoining parking space and views that do not overlap with its neighbours'. The repetition of the gables gives the ensemble a clear rhythm, set within the wooded landscape of Gruiului Hill.
Where the ground falls away, an exposed concrete plinth takes up the level difference. It contains the four single-storey type B homes, each with a living room, kitchen and two bedrooms, opening onto the garden through covered terraces. The roof of the plinth becomes a planted green terrace on which the upper-level A-frame houses stand, while concrete stairs and walkways link the two levels.
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Fig. 06–07
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Shared spaces
At the lower level of the plinth, an indoor pool with a relaxation area opens through sliding glazed walls onto a timber deck with sun loungers and, beyond it, the garden. At the end of the ensemble, an open timber pavilion takes up the A-shape of the houses and shelters a seating area around a fire.
Landscaping is a design theme in its own right: meadows, tall grasses, birches and conifers surround the houses and preserve the natural character of the place.
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Fig. 11–12
Low density
The buildings rise to a semi-basement, ground floor and one upper floor, with a cornice height of no more than 9 m. The ensemble has a footprint of 929 sqm and a gross floor area of 1,143 sqm, giving a site coverage of 30% and a floor area ratio of 0.37. Pedestrian and vehicle access is from Gruiului Street.
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The role of DRS Architects
DRS Architects is the general designer of the ensemble. The project was developed in 2020, with the documentation prepared for obtaining the urban planning certificate.
