Stjepan Planić (Zagreb, 1900 – Zagreb, 1980) was an architect whose extensive and valuable collection of architectural designs and continuous dedication to promoting humanistic architecture made him one of the key cofounders of Croatian modern architecture. After finishing Public Technical High School in 1920 he worked for Rudolf Lubinski and later for the Ivančić & Wolkenfeld Building Company. On Drago Ibler’s invitation in 1926 he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Arts in Zagreb as a member of the first generation of future architecture graduates. In 1927 he opened his own architectonic studio. As a member of the group of progressive thinkers known as the “Earth” (Zemlja, 1929 – 1935) Planić promoted social awareness in modern architecture. In numerous professional papers he strived to convey his idea of housing culture not only to peers, but to wider audiences as well. Early in his career he edited and co-authored The Problems of Modern Architecture – One Ought to Know. The book consisted of texts by Croatian architects presenting the fundamental postulates of modern architecture. It was published early in 1932 and its introduction features a publication of the founding declaration of the 1928 International Congress of Modern Architects (CIAM). For almost half a century it will remain the only book on modernist architecture in inter-war Croatia. His second book Housing Culture was about to be published not long before he passed away. He envisioned it as a picture book bringing modern architecture and its ideas closer to the youngest audience. The book was posthumously released in 1985. His inclination to individualized expression is noticeable in all of his architectural designs and due to his use of round forms and locally available materials he is often categorised in the organic style of modern architecture.
His was of the opinion that a family house or a villa, however small, is the best type of housing and that its positioning on a piece of property should not be dictated and should be in direct contact with nature. Villa Cuvaj on Zamehof’s Street in Zagreb built in 1937 is the materialization of his ideas and his famous motto - to work and live in gardens. By placing the house on the point of highest elevation he has left plenty of space for a spacious garden toward which the main entrance, downstairs commercial spaces and upstairs living areas are oriented. Even though he used to say that he does not identify with any direction in architecture, he was inspired by the simplicity of traditional Japanese architecture and its organisation of the space, which can be recognised in this particular design as well. The living room is spacious, connected to the dining area, garden and terraces. The separate sleeping area forms a space connected to the bathroom and the wardrobe and the kitchen is small and functional. There are almost no corridors and built-in furniture is used to divide internal spaces. The spaciousness of the living room is complemented by a floor-to-ceiling glass garden wall. The minimum fence height allows a generous view of the garden. In his designs Planić often used natural cladding materials, believing that their textures and colours blend harmoniously with the surrounding nature. In Villa Cuvaj for ground floor cladding he used Sljeme stone and for the first floor he used double-baked yellow bricks. Same as in the majority of his projects, in addition to the villa, he also designed the garden and carefully selected all the plants, garden paths, benches and ornamental ponds and water gardens, making the house and its garden an indivisible whole.
Planić translated his striving to connect nature and house design into residential architecture by adding roof terraces, loggias and large windows. The Napredak Co-operative commercial and residential corner building on Bogovićeva Street built in 1937 is one of such designs. From the four-storey corner building positioned along the building line and forming part of the necklace of roof cornices with the adjacent buildings, rises a standalone four-storey structure with an ellipsoidal floor plan. The ground floor is on pillars, indented and with glass walls, while the other eight storeys are plastered and painted light blue, in the spirit of historical exterior bluestone painting. With a continuous array of windows Planić wanted to achieve maximum openness. That is especially visible at the top of the building where semi-circular south- and north-facing living rooms are located. Guided by the same idea in 1936 Planić will create an almost 360º view with his famous so-called “Circular” Villa Fuhrmann on Gornje Prekrižje in Zagreb. The Napredak Co-operative corner building, in addition to displaying the gear wheel, the symbol of the co-operative and their logotype design, is a symbolic landmark in the urban space of Downtown Zagreb.
After the 1934 fire that destroyed Tomislavov dom, the Croatian Mountaineering Association decided to build a new mountain hut in a different location on the ridge of Mount Medvednica, i.e. on the first spur west of the pyramid. At 1015 m above sea level the new hut would afford a better and wider view of the horizon. Planić designed a Y-shaped hut allowing generous views of the landscape and protection from strong winds. The main and service entrances are located on the lower ground floor built out of reinforced concrete with stone tile cladding. The three-wing building is connected by common areas (dining area, bar, entrance gate, etc.) and rooms for mountaineers are in all three wings. The supporting structure of the upper floor is made of wood, as well as its exterior cladding. There was an upstairs partially roofed terrace in the southeast wing. An interesting and original detail is that in addition to usual amenities for mountaineers the hut had a darkroom for developing films. After the 1964 fire Tomislavov dom was completely renovated, but Planić, who designed the original project, did not participate. The mountain hut was later repurposed and transformed into a hotel, an additional storey was added and the first storey terrace was closed.
Ivana Haničar Buljan, M. Arch., professional adviser, Institute of Art History
