The River House

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​Commission, Residential
Status: Completed, 2025

 

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The project is an eight-by-six-meter cabin set on a stationary pontoon along the Sava River in Mačvanska Mitrovica, Serbia. Designed for a family’s leisure and weekend stays, and adaptable for hosting larger gatherings, the structure is conceived as a single open-concept family space. The service zone—including the kitchen, bathroom, and utility room—occupies the first third of the plan, while the remaining area opens into a lounge and dining area with direct access to the river.

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Built in-situ, the cabin uses a timber skeletal system with mineral wool insulation, combined with a roof structure made of laminated teak beams and wooden façade cladding. The entire structure sits on a 10-centimeter aluminium base welded to the pontoon, creating a space for a double floor with insulation.​

 

​The views and openness to the river define the architecture. A single-pitch roof, angled against the coastline, hovers above the structure and expands the volume vertically towards the water. The north-east corner window offers direct access to the river for preferred downstream swimming, while on the opposite side, the lounge area carefully frames a scenic view of the pedestrian bridge.

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The dialogue between the river landscape and the site’s nautical heritage is articulated through combining wood and metal materialities, expressed consistently across the façade and the interior. The river is further drawn into the space through the deep-green palette of the joinery –tones borrowed from the hues of the water, while red accents reference nautical navigation markers, grounding the design in its riverside context. With textured reflective wall panels and fixtures, reminiscent of water ripples and submarine engine rooms, the bathroom becomes a shimmering, unexpected moment as lights moves through the space.

 

Photo: Ivona Petrov