Siberian Retreat House
The main idea for this house was to create a space where one can find refuge from busy urban life, restore, contemplate, and connect with nature.
The path to the house runs through wild and remote terrain, crossing a dense pine forest opening onto patches of delicate native flowers.
The irregularly shaped lot is roughly segregated into three functional zones:
Typology: Private residential house
Location: Tyumen
Customer: Private
Project year: 2018
Status: Implemented
The White Court: This is a welcoming space that allows you to switch over from the intense rhythm of city life to the relaxed atmosphere of a home. The court is filled with white marble chips which combined with birch trees growing in this area emphasize the airiness and special mood of this space.
The Green Court: This is a private space for residents of the house. The yard is planted with grass and serves as a place for outdoor activities.
The Wild Forest: This is the border of the forest which was incorporated into the landscape by the architects and preserved in its natural state.
The forest is alive, full of wild animals, and filled with the sound of native birds.
The inner courtyards are connected by means of a visual corridor, which is formed by the entrance and the terrace. They are all positioned on one visual axis, which serves as a window in both directions.
The terrace is the heart of this house and unites all its parts. This open space is built into the main part of the house, which provides comfortable outdoor recreation at any time of the year.
One of the main objectives of this project was to create a secluded space that looked discreet from the driveway’s side in the North and open from the South where the forest is. This resulted in the complex silhouette of the roof, along with a simple horizontally oriented composition of the house.
Looking from the North reveals an ascetic single-story building mass. The facade has a minimal number of windows due to its orientation and functionality. Looking from the South opens a two-story building thanks to the complex structure of the roof. The facade here, unlike the northern side, is very rich in detail. The large openings offer beautiful views of the forest and the sky.
The entrance unit divides the house into two functional zones - public and private. The public area consists of kitchen-dining room space and a double-height living room with a 360 degrees wood-burning cooking fireplace that provides a relaxing atmosphere and view of the fire from all sides.
There is a mezzanine recreation area above the space of the dining-living room.
The private part of the house consists of a vanity area, a bathroom, and a room for yoga and meditation. It is an ascetic space of pure form with a meditative view from the window. The second floor is where a master bedroom and a small guest room are located.
The master bedroom is a comfortable space with a beautiful view of the woods. It has roof windows, a boudoir area, a walk-in closet and a bathroom. The guest room is a small under-roof space with a balcony window, allowing you to be outdoors at any time of year with a great view from a high point.
The load-bearing frame of the house is constructed of coniferous wood filled with mineral wool insulation with a thickness of 250 mm to ensure energy efficiency.
The facades of the house are made of heat-treated birch, which needs minimal maintenance during the lifetime of the building. Over time, the color of the wood will take on a natural grey color, and the body of the house will merge with the pine woods.
