Choosing an architect is the single decision that shapes everything else. A short guide to how to choose, and a few studios we recommend.
Istria has an unusual building culture. Within a few kilometres you can find Venetian town houses, Austro-Hungarian villas, stone farmhouses with their small field shelters, and contemporary houses of glass and concrete set among olive trees. Building well here means understanding all of that, along with spatial plans that differ from municipality to municipality and historic centres where conservation rules apply.
For owners from abroad, the architect is therefore far more than a designer. They are a translator between your idea of a house and the place it will stand in.
How to choose
Start with work you can visit. Photographs flatter; a finished house does not. Ask to see at least one completed project of a similar size and type. Ask who you will actually be working with day to day, and how often they will be on site during construction.
Check that the architect is licensed. In Croatia, architects who sign building permit designs must be authorised members of the Croatian Chamber of Architects, and you can ask for their membership details. Ask how they coordinate engineers and installers, whether they work in BIM, and whether interior design and furniture are part of their service or handled separately.
Finally, listen to how they talk about your plot. The best architects in Istria start with the land: orientation, wind, the view, the stone walls already there. If the first conversation is only about square metres, keep looking.
Studios we recommend
Andrej Filipović, Arhitektura Andrej Filipović, Poreč
Andrej Filipović leads an architecture studio based in Poreč, established in 2019, working across architectural design and interior design. Being based on the west coast, the studio knows the planning context of the Poreč area well.
Kim Pavić
Your next recommendation
The best architects in Istria start with the land, not with the floor area.
Bring the interior in early
Whoever you choose, ask them to think about furniture from the start. Built-in pieces, the position of the dining table, the depth of a window seat: these are architectural decisions as much as decorating ones. The Lampisa atelier can work directly from an architect's drawings, so made-to-measure pieces can be drawn into the project rather than squeezed in after the builders leave.
Are you an architect working in Istria?
We are always pleased to hear from studios whose work we should know. Send us a project with good photographs and a few words about it, and we may feature it in a future story.
What an architect costs, and what they save
Architects' fees are often seen as a cost to be minimised, but a good architect pays for themselves many times over. They prevent planning mistakes that delay a project for months, design houses that use land, light and views properly, coordinate engineers and installers, and protect you from contractors' claims for extra work. Ask for a clear fee proposal that describes each phase, from concept to permit design to supervision on site, so you know exactly what is included.
Working remotely with an architect
Many owners in Istria live elsewhere for most of the year. Good architects have systems for this: regular video calls, shared drawings or models, photographs from site visits, and clear decisions recorded in writing. If you will rarely be in Istria during construction, make sure the architect or a trusted project manager will be on site regularly, and agree how and when you will be asked to make decisions.
