Architects Proarh designed Issa Megaron, a modern concrete house that acts as a temporary family retreat. Instead of placing the building on the site, the architects carved it directly into the hillside, allowing the Mediterranean landscape itself to shape the home’s form and atmosphere.
Issa Megaron sits deep within the sloping terrain of Vis Island, Croatia, using the hill as both protection and structure. The site was approached not as an isolated plot, but as part of a wider Mediterranean context, where land, climate and history are inseparable. This mindset guided the decision to embed the house into the slope, reducing its visual presence while strengthening its connection to place.
The design reinterprets the island’s traditional stone drywalls, transforming them into a contemporary architectural system. Using simple construction methods, these walls stretch through the site, forming a new rural, man-made topography. Rather than creating a single object in the landscape, the house is defined by a sequence of walls that shape space and movement.
Within this system, a residential pocket is formed between the walls. The architects describe the house as an artificial grotto, recalling the idea of primitive shelters carved into the earth for protection. The result is a home that feels dug into the land, reinforcing its relationship with the hillside while remaining discreet in appearance.
Covering the roof and terraces is a green roof layered with local plants and rocks sourced from the site. This allows the hillside to visually continue across the architecture, helping the house blend further into its surroundings while contributing to natural cooling and insulation.
The interior is arranged across two levels, with the main lounge positioned on the first floor. A large concrete overhang extends outward, providing shade and shelter while controlling sunlight and heat. This passive approach reflects the project’s response to a site without infrastructure.
Also on the first floor are the sleeping quarters, all oriented toward the water. Large windows frame the views, balancing the sense of enclosure created by the hillside with openness toward the surrounding seascape.
Downstairs, the lower level opens into an open plan kitchen and dining area. This space connects directly to both covered and uncovered terraces and the pool deck, allowing daily life to flow between indoors and outdoors despite the home’s embedded position within the hill.
Issa Megaron is a quiet architectural response to its environment. Built into a steep island hillside, it brings together concrete, stone and landscape into a single system, creating a family retreat that feels timeless, grounded and deeply connected to its setting.
Photography by Damir Fabijanic and Miljenko Bernfest | Architect: Davor Matekovic/PROARH | Design Team: Vedrana Jancic, Bojana Benic | Structural Designer: Branko Galic, MSc – Radionica statike Ltd. | Building Energy Concept, Building Physics, and Building Details Design: Assist. Prof. Mateo Bilus, MEAU | Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb | Contractor: GRIZA gradevinski obrt
