The roots of traditional Russian architecture lies in the architecture of Kievan Rus’ and early Russian wooden establishments centered in Veliky Novgorod and Kiev with influences by the Byzantine Empire. However, the largest part of the traditional Russian architecture is characterized by national and local features. The buildings in old Russia was built in divided periods of time; Pre-Christian architecture (before 882), Kievan Rus period (882-1230), Early Muscovite period (1230-1530), Middle Muscovite (1530-1630), Late Muscovite (1630-1712), Imperial Russia (1712-1917), Post-Revolution (1917-1932), Postwar Soviet Union, and Modern Russia.
Now, in this article, we will take a look at the houses built in the modern Russia period where the dramatic transformation from the Slavic roots and Kievan Rus’ traditions has happened. People in Russia have started to build with more thoughts, materials, aesthetic, art, and many more elements. Here are 6 of the finest house designs in Russia to get you inspired.
1. Atrium Studio Gorky House
Located a bit to the west of Moscow, Russia, this house was built by architects from the Atrium on an area on the top of a hill as wide as 731 square meters surrounded by pine trees. The house was designed for a young family with a child. The couple wanted a contemporary architecture, and so the architects designed a house that would instantly catch the eyes but blend with the nature at the same time. The facade shows asymmetrical lines that connect the two-story house which also work as front porch and balcony. The windows are wide, so the natural light can flood in and the beautiful view surrounding the house can be clearly seen from the inside.
2. Cantilevered Home
Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect, was the person who first introduced the idea of this design. This type of architecture is very futuristic in a way, seen from the 21st century perspective, because it optically makes the house seem like floating and defying gravity. There are several remarkable examples of cantilevered houses around the world including in Russia. Basically, this type of house looks like two simple blocks being stacked with the top one jutting far from the bottom one. The design may appear very simple, but in fact needs a very precise calculation for safety reasons. In a way, a cantilevered home may remind you of today’s trending shipping container homes.
3. P House
Arch 4 is an architecture company in Moscow, Russia, that is specialized in designing modern houses with industrialist approach. The unique thing is, for every project they did, the house was marked with a letter. This time, we will take a look at the P-House that could represent the spirit of today’s people who need a break from the noisy and busy world. Arch 4 designed this house with Zen in mind. From the outside, the facade offers a very calm and simple look with wood and stone elements. This black stone continues to layer the most part of the whole house, including the fireplace and bathroom. The whole house is spacious with almost no partitions between rooms. The windows were built from floor to ceiling to support the idea of giving the house a bright and serene ambience every morning and afternoon when the sunrays could enter religiously. P-House is a very calming and relaxing house that is perfect for modern people who need to rest after long, stressful days at work.
4. Bernaskoni Mirror Mongayt
The name of the house represents the name of the architecture bureau that designed it and the name of the owner. Bernaskoni is known to intersect architecture, communication, and industrial design. Mirror Mongayt was built for the Mongayt family in Moscow, Russia, on a 270 square meters land. For a living space, this house is a contrary to the P-House, since the facade is very shiny and made to attract attentions. It is meant to be an art installation that would be changed every eight years to show new ideas, a landmark event, a family tradition and more. The inside of the house is very contemporary with rigid lines and neutral colors. By the time this article was written, the facade bears many squares of mirror. So, Mirror Mongayt may change its name when the time to peel the skin comes. The house would blend with its surroundings as it always reflects what is outside.
5. Lyubushkin Khutor Village
If you have seen the Stepford Wives movie, this village may remind you of it. Well, not the horrifying part, but the fact that all the houses in the village look identical. All of them were designed by the Mossine Partners, an architecture bureau in Moscow. There are nine houses in this village and all of them are made in country house design. The main material is wood with huge windows and many open spaces. The second story of the house has some kind of rooftop yard that can be reached directly from the front of the house so any type of events can be held there without disturbing the residents who choose to stay inside on the first story of the house. The whole village is very fresh and spacious with wide distances between houses, surrounded by pine trees.
6. Nezhinskaya Apartment
This may not belong to the house design section, but the interior is worth to be checked out. Compared to the old type of Russian houses, modern apartments surely offer different living experience. Nezhinskaya is an apartment with no partitions that let the entire light flood in to illuminate the whole place. Everything is made to be effective and suit modern way of living. More and more Russians think that living in an apartment is better than owning a house.
From 6 of the finest house designs in Russia above, which one suits your vision of a dream house? Given such a huge land to occupy, Russia has the advantage of building all types of houses people can actually think of.