Suurupi House extension / Arhitektid Muru & Pere

© Tarvo Varres

Architects: Arhitektid Muru&Pere
Location: Suurupi village,
Project Team: Urmas Muru, Peeter Pere, Anna -Maria Erik
Interior Design: Kaido Kivi
Site Area: 1,264 sqm
Project Area: 320 sqm
Project Year: 2006-2009
Photographs: Tarvo Varres

Bit by bit have extra rooms been added to the one-storey private house, designed in 1998 and built in 1999. In the first phase the house was a simple wooden “matchbox” which had to satisfy the humble needs of a young family with children, one of which being a sustainable building.

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The family grew, the children got older and the living space had to be enlarged; firstly the terrace was added as an extension of the living room, then after a couple of years the need to store things rose and an economy room had to be built, and again after a few years the thought of increasing comfort came up and the outside pool was added, and then, during 2008-9, also another floor with sauna and relaxing room.

© Tarvo Varres

The modest “matchbox” has been made bigger in time, the drawer was stretched out further and further until it came out of the box and could be placed, crosswise, on top as a first floor and could be covered with tangled matches.

© Tarvo Varres

That is how the first floor looks: a box covered with crisscrossed sticks which resembles an angular bird’s nest, a ball of hay that is pressed together, a tangle of boards, all of which glows in the dark.

Cite: "Suurupi House extension / Arhitektid Muru & Pere" 19 Jan 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 19 May 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/46980>

23 comments

  3. Thumb up Thumb down 0

    What I find interesting is that this is essentially a modernist box with a trendy, contemporary surface treatment. It could be something from the 50′s or 60′s with it’s massing and fenestration patterns.

    Reply
  7. Thumb up Thumb down 0

    Am I the only one who likes it? It seems like a novel use of the old “wood slat” idea that’s en in so much residential architecture now. I’m assuming that they just gave the installers a bunch of 1″x2″‘s, a bucketful of screws, and said “go to town.” The result seems very interesting.

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  8. Thumb up Thumb down 0

    There is a very interesting recent development called ‘aggregate structures’ which relies on the combined strength of many lengths of wood which alone arent very strong but together are exceptionally strong to act as structure.

    This takes the aesthetic of these aggregate structures uses it to wallpaper the outside of the house, without employing any of the structural principles behind it.

    Why.

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  12. Thumb up Thumb down 0

    I hope they let the timbers weather to a grey so it looks like it sits more naturally within its context. Looks great at night

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  15. Thumb up Thumb down 0

    I like the massing but that timber latticing has an unfortunate resemblance to chipboard or some other cheap particle boarding.

    Reply
  21. Thumb up Thumb down 0

    I think this is fantastic and quite original. If the idea was to evoke surprise and ,shake-up ones traditional orientations, then I must say it was well accomplished.

    Reply

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