Capital Hill Residence
The project is located on the north- face hillside in Barvikha, Russia, where natural vegetation such as pine and birch trees grow up to 20m high. Within this stunning location the programme of the villa is divided into two main components. The first one is strategically placed to be merged with the sloped landscape, while a separate volume oats, 22 meters above the ground to bene t from the dynamic views of the Barvikha forest over the trees.
The form for the villa comes from the natural topography. With its fluid geometries, the building emerges from the landscape, remaining partially embedded in the hillside, in order to articulate the existing surroundings with the artificial landscape.
The program is organized vertically on four levels. The lower level or basement is envisioned as leisure space; the programme in this level includes a living room, massage and fitness areas as well as sauna and hamman baths. One level up, main living room, dining, kitchen, entertainment, indoor 04 swimming room and parking spaces are located on the ground floor. The main entrance lobby, study/library, guest room and children’s room are distributed on the first floor while the master bedrooms and a lounge with exterior terrace occupy the upper level.
The two main components of the house are articulated by three legs. These concrete columns establish a strong dialogue between both levels while functioning as structural elements. Within the interior space of the legs are the vertical shafts required to place all mechanical elements and services connecting to the upper level. Incorporated within the space between the legs is the vertical circulation of the house where a transparent glass elevator and staircase are situated, providing a direct connection between the lower and the upper levels.
The main entrance to the house is located on the first floor. Within this space, the three concrete columns intersect the main roof, proposing skylights and a double- high space. The view from the living room, following the grand staircase located in the entrance lobby, is framed by two-curved in-situ cast concrete structures. These concrete structures serve both a structural purpose and the function purpose creating of the divisions between main living room, dining room and indoor swimming pool.
The major materials proposed for this project are pre-cast and in-situ cast concrete, steel and glass. To give the interior spaces a sense of fluid continuity, these materials are repeated throughout the whole villa.
The general concept for the design of the villa responds to a strategy that extends the exterior topography to the interior of the building, while its geometrical definition is derived from the surrounding environment of owing terrain levels that are stretched to generate the new landscape, proposing a continuous integration between interior and exterior spaces.
