House of Mr.R, Moscow ~ netra

House for Mr.R' by Za bor Architects, Moscow, Russia

Design intentions

The building is located in a historic village not far from the center of Moscow. The work was hampered by a small plot and a large number of old trees that had to be maintained. In the village, houses are fairly close, so the entrance facade has virtually no windows – the main rooms are facing the interior of the site where the two wings of the building form a cozy courtyard. The premises, are located along the southern facade for maximum direct sunlight. Above a double height living room, there´s a roof garden. In this garden there is an exit connecting to the corridor on the second floor (bedrooms). Below, on the first floor we find the public areas (living room, dining room, ancillary buildings), and on the second floor the master’s and children’s bedrooms, and an office. Skylights on the roof bring natural daylight to the interiors.

the home's plan skirts around and incorporates the existing trees on the site

Technical data

Construction The house has solid-cast reinforced concrete frame with piers and bridging and walls made of brick. One wall is sloped (hacking brickwork). There are two apartment floors and a basement storey deepened to 1,20 meters below ground level (the only thing deeper is a wine cellar). The services: water pumps, blowing wells, an emergency diesel-generator and a fuel storage tank are located in the basement storey. A sanitary piping, gas and electricity supply are also arranged in the basement. The rooftop is made of one-piece and has the maximum slope of 12 angle degrees. It is provided with clerestories to lighten a stair shaft and a dormer. There is an accessible roof area for sunbathing or picnic located between the house wings. There are two balconies and one recessed balcony on the second apartment floor. The recessed balcony adjoins a closet and is sheltered from rainfall by glass shed with a metal frame. Outflows made of thin stainless pipes are being raised above the rooftop level and sloped against the house space to intensify an aesthetic impression. Built area: 300 square meters (560 sq m floor area) Location: Moscow, Russia Finish material Walls outsidec plaster and exterior house paint, paving tiles Walls inside: gres, wooden panels (wenge, oak), paint Flooring: gres, marble, river pebbles (decorative covering), glass, wooden floor (oak) Ceiling: paint

slopes and recesses create a dynamic exterior

Despite its deconstructivist sensibility, the imposing faceted gray structure 'house of mr. r' in moscow draws its forms from a deep sensitivity to the greenery of site. za bor architects were given carte blanche to design the single-family home, albeit with the stipulation that the architecture respect the existing trees on the 1800 square meter plot. The plan skirts around and incorporates birches, oaks and pines and the design team even went so far as to create and embed a special concrete pipe into the foundation to preserve a tree root.

pipes and pragmatic building systems are worked into the design

While the volumes grew from the layout of the foundation, the home is carefully composed into public and private areas, emphasized by way of material and color. The monochromatic reinforced concrete exterior counters white marble interiors dotted with channels of pebbles and black built-in furniture. A wine cellar is expanded with tinted glass mirrors and wrapped in a pattern of corian and dark wood. contrastingly, the more private areas are swathed in warmer materials-- oak paneling and cream-colored textiles work in conjunction with band skylight to create airy bedrooms and bathrooms. The sloped roof is actually a single faceted piece, accessible for sunbathing and or picnicking while providing choice apertures to bathe the home with interior light.