4M Group

BM Kabana House

BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj

BM KABANA HOUSE

4M Group

ARCHITECTS
4M Group

CLIENTS
Bujar and Shkurta Musa

CONSULTANT
Argjend Kepuska

LANDSCAPE
4M GROUP

ENGINEERING
Metali-ks, Feti Selmani

AREA
170 m²

MANUFACTURERS
Graphisoft, Guardian Glass, Mitsubishi Electric, M-technologie, Metali, Mobileria Iliria, Sharrcem, Twinmotion

DESIGN TEAM
Perparim Rama, Bujar Musa, Fitim Mucaj, Gezim Radoniqi, Perparim Rama, Bujar Musa, Fitim Mucaj, Gezim Radoniqi

COLLABORATORS
Shkurta Musa, Ilir Gashi, Yll Hoxha

PHOTOGRAPHS
Fitim Mucaj

LOCATION
Prishtina, Kosovo

YEAR
2020

CATEGORY
Houses

BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj

Text description provided by the architects.

Awhile back I was asked by my friend to propose an intervention to the back of his house. There were a series of concrete structures standing tall and proud in semi-rectangular alignment.

BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj

It was clear that the deterioration of the structures had begun, and the function they were intended to fulfill was secondary to the immediate needs of the main house to expand into this zone.

Standing there, in front of these concrete pillars, the information they shared was understood, their history was understood.

BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj

One could sense communication, an ongoing conversation amongst each other, and the house. Do we interrupt their dialogue, and end it there?

They huddled in the garden as if shielding something sacred, each with their own story to tell.

BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj

Demolition of these underutilised structures would have been the answer in most cases, but time was needed to listen and shift into quiet, to move beyond the chaos of thought and to be present, sur-rounded by concrete pillars in order to understand that the soul of the house was there.

The rest of the house looked like any other suburban house, it was a result of a copy-paste culture that reigned supreme for many years after Kosova’s war, a pursuit for an American-styled house in an international village.

The interior was well dressed, my friend had chosen a tasteful palette of stones and woods, art, and furniture, but the space felt frustrated, pent up with an energy that had nowhere to go. Today, the pillars live on.

BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj

Left abandoned, and awaiting their fate, the protectors of the story needed protecting.

There were minor interventions, for example, the thick concrete walls of the existing house were dividing blocks that had to be removed and replaced with glass sliding doors in order for the outdoor natural energy to be welcomed inside.

Space and energy were conserved and utilised to recharge its inhabitants and anyone else that is fortunate enough to experience this space.

BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj

Architectural interventions impact us, either positively or negatively, they are never energy neutral.

How can we be sure that our interventions are energy giving and not energy take?

The difference between what we see and what we feel often stands in stark contrast, when the two merge, the story unfolds…

BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj

In this instance, the concrete pillars stand as architectural ruins, not as dysfunctional structures; they have a story to tell, they are the protectors and the enablers of the energy flow that had been locked out of the house, isolated and ignored.

The answer to what we were looking for had been there, right before our eyes, hovering over our heads in the garden. Trust is key to a happy partnership.

Thank you to my friend and his family for the belief that they placed in us during this transformative process.

BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj


BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj
BM Kabana House
© Fitim Mucaj


BM Kabana House
Plan
BM Kabana House
Plan
BM Kabana House
Roof Plan
BM Kabana House
Section


BM Kabana House
Elevation
BM Kabana House
Elevation
BM Kabana House
Elevation

4M Group
T +44 20 36648939 F +44 20 70210122
4M Group
18 Greek St, London W1D 4DS, United Kingdom