This project is a dialogue between architecture, family history, landscape, workmanship traditions and innovations. It is a system of values based on a sense of belonging, nostalgia and memory.

BACKGROUND

The house was built in Žvėrynas, Vilnius, behind one of the 20th century wooden modernist villas. In 1935, a two-storey wooden villa was built in the middle of the site, while the back of the site had servants’ quarters. Throughout its lifespan, the villa has remained almost unchanged, but the house in the depth of the site has undergone at least several transformations after its purpose was changed to residential. This place is the client’s childhood home, so it has a special meaning for the family. Undertaking the last reconstruction, the clients decided to adapt the house to the new needs as well as to create an architecture that would have lasting value not only for themselves, but also in the context of the urban fabric and be environmentally friendly.

CONCEPT AND TECHNOLOGY

Following the intense and multi-layered urban context and local history, the core idea of the project is to present a modern interpretation of a villa characteristic of the wooden architecture in Žverynas, exhibiting and emphasizing natural wood structural elements both outside and inside the house, where these materials are also used as a final finishing surfaces. To realize the concept to the best, the CLT wooden structures technology made it possible to design the house with such care and precision as if it were a piece of furniture. The interior and the exterior in this project are visually, structurally and materially inseparable – they are a continuation of each other. The house was designed and built from one material, that is, from glued pinewood. Through this project, we subconsciously return to traditions of wooden architectural craftsmanship.
At the same time, considering the context and following the ideas of sustainability, the chosen CLT technology enabled faster, cleaner and quieter waste-free construction processes, respecting not only human but also other important needs, and radically reducing the noise produced by usual construction processes.

SPACES
The living spaces are oriented to the courtyard. The northern wall is a firewall bordering the neighbouring plots. As the courtyard is on the scale of a room, it naturally becomes a continuation of interior spaces. In order to include the closest architectural context and the chamber outdoor spaces in the scenario of the interior spaces, the large showcase sliding windows, both on the ground and the first floors, are designed. The ground level floors and those of the outdoor terrace are concrete. The boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces is blurred.
The architecture of this project is best understood through interior spaces. Each window of the house makes a frame for and is in dialogue with various environments: the living room and the kitchen with the wooden villa, whose walls seem to form a background and decoration of the dining area, the bedroom with a panorama of a pine forest, the children's rooms with historical layers of the neighbourhood’s architecture. These environments are best ‘framed’ by means of the modest and quiet mono-material interior architecture, where the walls, ceilings and furniture are homogeneous. To achieve refined aesthetics, the interior doors look as if they were wall extensions. To highlight the character of the wooden architecture, the interior shows the uncovered edges of the wooden ceiling. The skylights are not cut into the roof, but fill the spaces between the walls. All the house engineering is hidden in the furniture behind wooden and steel gratings. Thus, the spaces are not loaded with ducts, and the wooden structures remain open.

VOLUME
The composite structure of the facades is horizontal and vertical lines, which divide the facades into planes, filling them with windows or blind walls. The created composition also proceeds from the building structure and the system of internal spaces. In order to visually thin the overlay of the first floor, the projected facade system is connected to the overlay through an intermediate element. With the help of this element, not only in the exterior, but also in the interior, an authentic detail is created - the deepening of the floor at the windows. The facades and the interior are finished with the same pinewood. The facade roller blinds and lighting are precisely integrated into the partitions. Anodized aluminium windows are ‘sunk’ in the house structure. The facade protective railings are included inside the rooms on the first floor in order not to divide and preserve the possibility of having the same showcase windows and visual connections on both floors. A bush hammered (a technology that roughens and exposes the structure of cast concrete) concrete terrace is a platform that frames the outline of the house, the thinned edge of which seems to levitate, uplifting the house from the lawn and daily routine. The wooden truss columns are part of the building's identity, adding to stability and expression. They are designed to be visually more massive. They are also visible on the exterior, thus becoming part of the facade.

ENVIRONMENT
The outdoor spaces were designed to preserve the earlier environment and feel of the house without replacing the existing green areas. The fruit trees in the garden grew together with the owner of the house; some were planted with his own hands, others by his parents or grandparents. That is why they deserved special attention. The granite tiles in the courtyard were removed during construction for their protection and later put in place with a few changes in the paving composition. The green islet in front of the study window retained its place as before in order to recreate the bio-world that existed here.

FINAL
The greatest luxury in this house comes from sensible, unassuming solutions and spatial quality. The calm background created by the building elevates not only the household of the residents, but also leaves room for contextual images coming from the environment through the huge windows. The smell of wood used in the interior gives a sense of cleanliness as if you were in the fresh air, so it becomes a multi-sensory experience.

This project in Žvėrynas, Vilnius, is a thoughtful integration of architecture, family history, and environmental sensitivity. Located behind a 1935 wooden modernist villa, the house has undergone several transformations, with the latest reconstruction designed to adapt to modern needs while preserving its historical significance. The client's childhood home, this space holds deep personal meaning, and the renovation aimed to create a structure with lasting value within the urban fabric and an environmentally friendly approach.
The design concept revolves around a modern interpretation of the wooden architecture characteristic of Žvėrynas, with an emphasis on natural materials like pinewood. The use of CLT (cross-laminated timber) technology allowed for precise construction, treating the house as a finely crafted piece of furniture. The interior and exterior are visually and materially cohesive, blurring the boundaries between them. The house is constructed entirely of glued pinewood, reflecting traditional craftsmanship while incorporating contemporary sustainable practices.
Living spaces are oriented toward the courtyard, with the northern wall serving as a firewall between neighboring plots. Large sliding windows on both floors enhance the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, making the courtyard a natural extension of the interior. Concrete floors on the ground level and outdoor terrace further blur the indoor-outdoor divide. The minimalist interior architecture, characterized by homogeneous walls, ceilings, and furniture, creates a quiet backdrop that highlights the surrounding environment.
Each window in the house frames a different aspect of the surrounding landscape, from the wooden villa in the dining area to the pine forest viewed from the bedroom, and the neighborhood’s historical architecture seen from the children’s rooms. The interior's modest design, with exposed wooden ceiling edges and integrated skylights, ensures that the wooden structures remain prominent. All engineering elements are hidden within furniture, maintaining the clean aesthetic of the spaces.
The house’s volume is defined by a composite structure of horizontal and vertical lines, which divide the facades into planes filled with windows or blind walls. The facade and interior surfaces are finished with pinewood, with integrated roller blinds and lighting. The terrace, made of bush-hammered concrete, frames the house and gives it a sense of lightness. The wooden truss columns, both structural and expressive, are a key element of the building's identity.
Outdoor spaces have been carefully designed to preserve the original environment, including the garden’s fruit trees, which have a personal history with the family. The courtyard's granite tiles were protected during construction and later reinstated with slight modifications. The final design prioritizes simplicity and spatial quality, allowing the architecture to elevate the daily lives of the residents while maintaining a strong connection to the surrounding environment and the home's historical roots. The use of wood throughout the interior creates a multi-sensory experience, evoking a sense of calm and cleanliness.

Project type: Private
Status: Built
Area: 211 m²
Year of completion: 2023
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
Team: Laura Malcaitė, Dmitrij Kudin, Margarita Podagelytė, Ricardo Rodrigues, Renata Mickevičiūtė,  Laurynas Liberis.
Photos: Norbert Tukaj