Vladimir Zotov, a young Ukrainian architect, shared his family house with us which is located in the village of Konopnitsa. The lot was especially difficult to build on as the village lacks developed infrastructure, causing all necessary systems to be placed on site. Working within the confines of a relatively small lot size, the home’s outer skeleton is twisted and contorted, bringing a strong angular language to residence.
More about the residence after the break.
Elevated on columns to provide room for parking, the lifted volume completely opens the bottom level and increases the size of the yard. A glass wall encloses part of the first floor with a suspended fireplace, “Focus Gyro,” in the center of this space. The movable walls effortlessly open the space to the outdoors.
Inside, the house is equipped to support a family of four with a guest bedroom, a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room on the first story. The two story living space is defined by a angular staircase leading to a mezzanine. The trapezoidal shape of the stairs provides seating for watching television or reading in the living room. On the second floor, a library and the master’s bedroom and children’s bedrooms reside.
The geometric façade is governed by both panoramic views and solar orientation. The southern elevation of the house, which holds the living room, contains floor to ceiling glass to provide great views to the apple garden. Although the western elevation sits adjacent to the neighboring homes, due to the elevated ground level, the view from the windows is not ruined by surrounding spontaneous development. Since the northern elevation sits close to the neighbor’s fence, the surface contains only a fenestration for the bedroom.
The exterior is composed of three different materials: a light mate aluminum on lower part, a dark-grey zinc “Rheinzink” on upper part, and a glass on the southern elevation placed upon a perforated net.
The design incorporates sustainable strategies such as utilizing natural ventilation and incorporating a draining system that supplies garden plants with nutritious substances. The dark grey zinc allows energy to permeate the surface during the winter, minimizing heating expenses.
