Villa in the fields

Area: 280 m2
Novgorod's region, 2020


The project was made for a private customer.
The site is located in the village of the Novgorod region, and it is surrounded by endless fields. The land—flat and elongated—used to be agricultural. A small river flows on its border; several outbuildings and small groups of trees have been preserved on the territory.

The villa is located on the site where once there was a barn for combine harvesters. There is an alley leading from the road to the entrance, and the project suggests not only to preserve its old poplars, but also to make it part of the composition and planning structure.
The house plan is square, its form is a laconic volume which is completely covered with a wooden plank. This form is inspired by the landscape, as well as by old rural industrial architecture which is well preserved in the surrounding area.
The wooden frame of the house is built around a concrete volume. A tower with a large round window overlooking the fields sits on it.

The main part of the premises is located on the first floor: two bedrooms with their own bathrooms, a children's room, a living room with a kitchen and various utility rooms. The living room is south-west-facing and has panoramic windows. The tower is accessed by a staircase located in the fireplace hall in the center of the house. The fireplace hall is a sacred space for conversations and reflection, it is always dark and cool.
On the second floor there is a bedroom from which a spiral staircase leads to the studio on the third floor. The studio has two round windows facing each other. Standing in the field in front of the house, in a certain weather and time of day, you can «catch» the moon through them.