树屋公寓丨波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那萨拉热窝丨Projekt V Arhitektura

Architects:Projekt V Arhitektura

Area:100m²

Year:2025

Photographs:Shantanu Starick

Manufacturers:Artisan,Gazzda,Krivaja Homes,Zanat,prostoria

Category:Interior Design,Apartment Interiors

Lead Team:Vernes Causevic, Lucy Dinnen

Design Team:Projekt V Arhitektura

City:Sarajevo

Country:Bosnia and Herzegovina

Text description provided by the architects. This sustainable 100m² retrofit by Project V Architecture transforms a Sarajevo apartment—set in an Austro-Hungarian-era courtyard block—into a warm, immersive world crafted from natural materials. Designed for a young family, the home features cherry wood linings, clay-painted walls, stone worktops, linen curtains, travertine, and minimalist detailing. Its most surprising element: a bespoke prefabricated children's Tree house, made from spruce glulam. The apartment evokes a sense of timelessness, building on a rich history of minimalism and 20th century modernism from Sarajevo, and hosts a curated selection of contemporary Bosnian craft and artwork throughout.

Central to the project is the concept of groundedness, expressed through a continuous cherry veneer wall element that rises from the floor and wraps around the entire apartment at varying datum heights. Resembling a horizon line, this seamless wood element evokes a miniature forest, connecting the inhabitants to the ground and nature—merging utility with poetics—and creating a calming environment. The hallway acts as a threshold, a space to pause, lined in clay paint and flush cherry cabinetry rising to a datum above the doorways. Each doorway is a cherry-clad portal into rooms with subtly distinct characteristics, unified by a common materiality.

At the west end of the apartment, a whimsical yet refined Tree House emerges—a sanctuary for play and imagination. Overlooking the courtyard, as if perched in a tree, it is constructed with locally sourced pre-fabricated spruce GLT working with Krivaja Homes, a Bosnian mass timber construction factory. The Tree House is miniature architecture—a cross between large furniture and a small house—scaled to a child's perspective, utilising the apartment's tall ceilings; with multiple levels, a lofted space, built-in stairs, and CNC'd openings that filter light and views, encouraging movement and interaction.

Built with precision and care, its construction connects to Bosnia's rich wood-building heritage, offering both a playful retreat and an inspiring early encounter with sustainable design.

Architect's Quote: "This space is for the children and their friends—the future of our society. We hope it inspires a deep appreciation for wood, craft, and sustainability."

The apartment showcases a curated selection of handcrafted furniture and art, celebrating contemporary craftsmanship from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Including Zanat and Artisan, as well as working with independent craftspeople and ceramic artists to create bespoke pieces and in-built features. Artworks by Bosnia-based artists Muhammad Bajramovic and Kemil Bektesi are integrated throughout.

The kitchen and living room have been merged into one large space, filled with eastern light. Floor-to-ceiling linen curtains allow for varied levels of intimacy and openness between the two spaces—while offering a sense of theatricality, in which the space can adapt fluidly for everyday use or entertaining. Here, the cherry ribbon climbs up to form sculptural wooden columns that meet the ceiling and frame the dining area. Functional elements are hidden within the surrounding cabinetry, leaving a clean, minimalist space.

Project gallery