House of Zdenka Busta
Buildings/The building was constructed in 1936 as the individual family house of Zdenka Busta and is the work of the renowned architect Jan Dubovy. The house represents a valuable example of modern architecture with elements of expressionism, highlighted through the motif of angular rounding, further emphasized by a simple semicircular ornament made of wrought iron. The main entrance to the building is from Orce Nikolov Street, set back within the plot. The building develops over a basement, ground floor, and one upper floor. It is among the rare examples in Skopje where the entire structure is executed under a flat roof.
The façade design features a refined geometric decoration, while the playfulness of the façade and the horizontal accentuation of the volume are achieved through the use of color to emphasize the volumes, such as at the entrance section, the area around the ground-floor windows, as well as the rounded roof of the flat terrace, with lighter tones used for the remaining surfaces.
Architect Jan Dubovy
Year of design 1935
Collaborators Инженер Михаил Матвејев
Investor / Owner Zdenka Busta
City / Municipality Skopje
/ Centar
Address Orce Nikolov St. No. 115
Floors B+GF+A
Original typology
Current purpose
Protection status protected
- Building chronology (project, construction phases)The building was designed in 1935. The building was constructed in 1936. The building was renovated in 2018.Number of floorsB+GF+AProgram description (floor plan details)The ground floor and the first floor contain residential spaces. The house is entered through a recessed central staircase area that leads to an oval-designed wardrobe and a hallway around which the living spaces are arranged. Vertical connection to the first floor and the basement is provided by another set of stairs. In addition to storage rooms, the basement included a room designated for central heating and a room for washing and drying clothes. The floor layouts are functionally designed with a modern concept.StructureThe building is constructed in a massive system. According to the original technical description, the structure was built of solid material intended for the residence of the owners. The foundations and basement walls are made of compacted concrete. The walls of the ground floor and the first floor are built of brick with lime mortar. The building has a standard reinforced concrete floor structure between the basement and the ground floor, while the structure between the ground floor and the mansard is a ribbed reinforced concrete slab.RoofFlat roofs and a flat terrace with insulation. All sheet metal work was planned to be executed with sheet metal No. 18-Fercink.FaçadeThe façade was plastered and painted in two tones, featuring distinctive details. The entrance stairs were executed in artificial marble.CarpentryThe interior carpentry was made of dry pine, while the exterior parts were made of pine wood with wooden protective shutters on the high ground floor.Building surroundingsThe house is freestanding within a yard enclosed towards the street by a metal fence mounted on a low concrete wall, with entrance gates made of wrought iron.Interior / Private spacesThe interior walls are plastered in two layers. The flooring in the rooms consists partly of HF board flooring and partly of parquet.ContextThe building is positioned as a standalone structure within a relatively large yard, set back from the street front line in Skopje’s Debar Maalo. With its modern and sculptural appearance, it visibly stands out from the neighboring buildings, which—although built in the same period—exhibit different architectural influences in their formal design.
- RoofRoof covered with galvanized sheet metal. Concealed gutters installed.FaçadeThe façade has a gray base finished with a cooler technique, and above the base, the walls are plastered. The façade was insulated in 2017 and treated with a ventilated façade painted in two tones.CarpentryThe exterior joinery consists of PVC window frames and PVC protective shutters.Building surroundingsThe house is freestanding in a yard enclosed on the street side by a metal fence mounted on a low concrete wall with entrance gates made of wrought iron, while on the sides facing neighboring properties there is a wall with niches. Around the perimeter of the house, as well as from the entrance gate to the front door, there are paved walkways made with outdoor tiles and a driveway paved with concrete blocks. The remaining free area of the yard features decorative greenery and trees. The yard is physically divided into a front and back section by a fence.Exterior conditiongoodExterior authenticitygoodModificationsSeveral changes have been made for which there is no information on when they occurred: -Regarding the original project, the house differs in the attic area, where the flat terrace on the southeast side, which covered two-thirds of the footprint, has been enclosed and converted into a large attic. -The roof of the north balcony has been extended to a length equal to the footprint of the house. -On the south side, changes were made to the glazed veranda on the ground floor, which has been enclosed and connected to the yard by newly built stairs, with a vertical volume added above it. -At various times, the façades have been refreshed and painted in different colors, always in two tones, with the latest state dating from 2020. -The yard has been divided into a front and back yard.
- protected Significant cultural heritage with a second-degree protection regime. The contact zone of the building falls under a third-degree protection regime.
- architectural and aesthetic authorship historical emotional
- Recommendation to the owners: The value of the building should be respected when installing elements directly on the façades, and if changes are made, they should be aimed at preserving its authenticity.
- ResPublika. (2016, January 27). The Last Single-Family Houses in Skopje. Retrieved January 2025, from https://respublica.edu.mk/blog/javen-interes/2016-01-27-12-01-31/ Konstantinovski, G. (2001). The Builders in Macedonia, XVIII – XX Century. Skopje: Tabernakul. Tokarev, M. (2006). 100 Years of Modern Architecture. Book Three: The Contribution of Macedonia and Yugoslavia 1918–1990. Kocevski, D. (2022). If You Love Skopje – Come, I Will Wait for You on the Quay. Skopje: Begemot. Cultural Heritage Protection Office. (2024). Registered Real Estate under the Jurisdiction of National Institutions: August 2024. Retrieved April 2025, from http://uzkn.gov.mk/mk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/NeDvKN-REG.pdf State Archive of the Republic of North Macedonia, Skopje Department. Arch. no. 6.1.310.50/461-509.