House | Villa by Studio GYZA.EA

This contemporary residence situated near Vilnius, Lithuania. It was completed in 2014 by GYZA.

The design’s main tasks were to retain the existing trees near the house and design an environmentally friendly house so that, even when you stay indoors, you will have the impression of living in a forest on the bank of the river.

The design was influenced by the trees and river and the road’s quite steep natural terrain at the entrance to the plot down to the treeless land parcel on the riverside. The building site at the foot of the treeless natural slope is embedded in the main part of the house in the current relief and focuses the windows toward the sunny side of the river.

In order to preserve the trees and eradicate slippage during the cold time of the year, the access to the living house was designed by descending the curvy slope path between the trees. From there, you enter the representative patio overlooking the river, which is equipped above one of the deepened parts of the building. The terrace has the parking lot, the building’s main entrance, and the garage’s entrance and is designed to protect the dining room and kitchen from the noise and visual pollution emanating from the side of the road.

After entering the building, you have access to the mezzanine overlooking the river and forest with the kitchen equipped with a dining area. The stairs lead down to the guestroom with a tall showcase to the forest and river. From the guestroom, you will access the bedrooms recessed into the slope with views of the surrounding nature.

Deepening the majority of the premises into the soil allowed for the maximization of the building’s thermal insulation via the walls and roof. According to the local climate and minimization of heat loss mentioned above, along with geothermal heating and smart natural air supply systems, we were able to optimize the building’s operating costs with a large window area, which was inevitable in order to accomplish the basic design.

Exterior and interior finishes are made with natural materials, mainly concrete, wood, and metal, with the gray tones of birch stump to replicate the color motifs.

— Studio GYZA.EA