A Mediterranean Micro-Village

Location: Primošten, Croatia
Programme: Wine retreat, hospitality and residential units
Status: Location permit application submitted
Year: 2025–ongoing
Scope: Architecture, interior design and landscape concept
Gross floor area: approx. 2,000 m²
Client: Morsko vino d.o.o.

KAAMEN is conceived as a small Mediterranean settlement rather than a conventional resort. The project is organised as a sequence of narrow lanes, shaded courtyards, gardens and communal spaces, creating a gradual transition between public, shared and private life.

Landscape and Climate

The architecture draws from the spatial logic of Dalmatian villages without reproducing their historical forms. Simple mineral volumes rise above a continuous landscape of local stone walls, while vegetation, pergolas and deep openings provide shade and climatic comfort. Views towards the sea and surrounding landscape are revealed gradually through passages, courtyards and framed openings.

A network of small public and semi-public spaces forms the social structure of the retreat. The central piazza, the pool garden, the stone terraces, pocket gardens and shaded seating areas provide places for encounter while allowing each residence to maintain privacy. Existing and newly planted olive trees, aromatic Mediterranean vegetation and permeable landscape surfaces integrate the buildings into the site and contribute to a distinct microclimate.

The architecture is defined by mineral surfaces, deep openings and a restrained material palette. Local stone walls establish continuity between buildings and landscape, while lime-based finishes, concrete and carefully placed timber elements create a quiet and tactile atmosphere. Pergolas, vegetation and recessed terraces provide shade and reduce direct solar exposure during the summer months.

Wine as a Social Centre

Wine and food form the social and atmospheric centre of KAAMEN. The wine pavilion, tasting room and communal kitchen are conceived as a darker and more monolithic counterpart to the bright residential spaces. Integrated into the landscape, they create an intimate setting for gathering, tasting and cooking, connecting the architecture to the local culture of wine production and shared meals.

The project combines contemporary hospitality with the spatial qualities of a village: proximity without loss of privacy, density balanced by gardens, and luxury expressed through proportion, materiality and atmosphere rather than decoration. KAAMEN proposes a form of Mediterranean living based on shade, landscape, community and a close relationship between interior and exterior space.