Layering onto memory
Located in the Alpine mountain village of Bohinj, Slovenia, Vila Muhr is a project that begins from the remains of a vanished building. The history of the house dates back to 1902, when it was designed by Austrian architect Franz Ritte von Neumann as a hunting lodge for Adolf Muhr, a prominent local entrepreneur of the time. Over the decades, the building served various roles—as a royal residence, a hospital, and later an annex to a nearby hotel. Eventually, however, it fell into neglect and collapsed in 2014, leaving only its stone foundation behind. The current project takes this remnant as its point of departure, weaving the accumulated layers of time and architectural memory into a contemporary architectural language.
The design begins by respecting the original building’s position, orientation, and the atmosphere it once formed within the landscape. The new volume follows the proportions of the former villa, maintaining its long-standing relationship with the surrounding nature and the adjacent hotel. Stone salvaged from the collapsed structure is reused in the ground-floor façade, physically linking past and present. Rather than reconstructing the original form, the project inscribes the passage of time directly into the architecture itself.
Material choices further reinforce this approach. The lower level is built with reclaimed stone, while the upper volumes are clad in Slovenian timber. Instead of chemical treatments, the wood is finished using a traditional carbonization technique, enhancing durability while preserving its natural character. This method reinterprets local building traditions through a contemporary lens. The original wooden balconies of the villa are likewise reimagined, integrated into the new structure to carry both form and function forward.
The interior program centers on hospitality and dining. A restaurant on the ground floor incorporates local materials and handcrafted elements, while the second floor houses a multipurpose hall for meetings and events. Above, four guest rooms are arranged as independent suites, each equipped with fireplaces, saunas, and expansive views of the surrounding landscape. Large openings and balconies extend visual connections outward, allowing the interior spaces to open seamlessly toward nature.
An underground tunnel that once connected the villa to the neighboring hotel has been transformed into an exhibition space. Here, the history of Vila Muhr and the broader context of Bohinj are presented through curated displays. Lighting fixtures crafted from storm-felled trees and decorative patterns inspired by traditional hayrack ornamentation subtly evoke the site’s cultural memory.
In this way, Vila Muhr layers new architectural meaning onto what remains. Balancing tradition and modernity, locality and sustainability, the project proposes an alternative way of bringing architecture from the past into contemporary life—one that neither erases history nor freezes it in time.
Project: Alpine Chalet “Vila Muhr” / Location: Bohinj, Slovenia / Architect: OFIS Architects (Rok Oman, Špela Videčnik) / Project team: Janez Martinčič, Andrej Gregorič, Rok Dolinšek, Matej Krajnc, Borut Bernik, Amadej Mravlak, Giulia Sgrò, Nada Kodela, Deniz Itak, Juan Pablo Orbea / Structural engineering: Project PA / Electrical engineering: PRO-elekt / Mechanical engineering: MM-biro / Fire engineering: Lozej / Interior design: OFIS arhitekti with Drugačno pohištvo / Graphic design: Studio Klun / Unique pottery: Pia Mršek / Unique lighting: Tilen Sepič / General lighting: Arcadia / Main contractor: Tosidos / Roof and wooden façade contractors: Tesarstvo Štebe, Mizarstvo Ovsenik / Window contractor: Lesko Žiri / Interior-restaurant contractor: Drugačno pohištvo / Interior suits and congress hall contractor: Svea, Lestor / Stair contractor: Jezeršek / Electrical instalations contractor: Eurolux / HVAC contractor: MM term / Glass contractor: Steklarstvo Osenar / Interior doors contractor: Mizarstvo Kržišnik / Sauna contractor: Savne Štrus / Tiling contractor: Keramika Štupar / Metal work contractor: Juhant / Fireplace contractor: Kamini Hrovat / Curtain contractor: Eroteks / Client: Alpinia / Use: Hotel & Restaurant / Site area: 1,200m² / Bldg. area: 1,100m² / Project: 2022 / Construction: 2023 / Completion: 2025 / Photograph: ©Miran Kambic (courtesy of the architect), ©Janez Martincic (courtesy of the architect), ©Andrej Gregoric (courtesy of the architect)
