Villa Pavlović and the Dissolution of Gold

Abstract

The paper offers a theoretical basis for understanding the design methodology of the Villa Pavlović project (by the Belgrade-based architecture studio NEO arhitekti). The theoretical analysis of the design process focuses on the issue of form. The initial idea to build a 50-meter swim lane in the basement gave the house an elongated form, but was ultimately not realised. The moment the form lost its main function, its finitude became a problem that had to be overcome for the design process to continue. By reflecting on the theoretical problems of teleology and time, the text indirectly explains the applied methodology for the destabilisation of the created form. In that sense, a metaphor of dissolution of gold describes the design process, potentially understood as opposite to morphogenesis.