Residential building in Vilnius

About object:

In 2015, a modern single-family house emerged in the neighbourhood of Žvirgždyno street in the prestigious Užupis district of Vilnius. The building, sitting on the edge of an incline on the upper terrace of river Vilnelė valley, finishes off and decorates the cul-de-sac. It was quite a challenge to place the building in the complicated L-shaped lot but the architects managed to overcome it by designing a building that follows the shape of the lot in its plan. The architects designed the building in a way that leaves space for a cosy garden behind it, overlooking the eternal peace of the Bernardinai Cemetery. In designing the surrounding environment of the house, the architects also took into account how difficult it can be to manoeuvre your car when parking it in front of the house, as well as how the younger residents may wish to be able to play outside with a ball, which is why a universal tiled area was designed in front of the house. The ensemble of two intersecting gable volumes quietly and harmoniously blends into the context of nearby buildings both in terms of its silhouette and its volumetric composition. The house is divided into three separate volumes which echo the typical modular scale of Užupis, as well as its often playful, bohemian, almost chaotic arrangements of buildings within the lots. Despite all that, the architectural style of the house breathes Scandinavian minimalism. Wooden parapets, carefully matched with the roof finished in the same type of wood, create a sense of continuity and eliminate the visual boundary between the facade and the roof. The windows in black frames and tinted glass panoramic glazing echo the double gable shape of the facade and ensure that strangers will only see the reflection of nearby trees in them.

The entrance follows the axis of Žvirgždyno street, cutting at an angle into the first volume, which accommodates a garage for two cars and a studio with its own bathroom. The second volume has a spacious combined kitchen, dining room and living room area. The third and tallest volume acts as a functional and volumetric culmination of this architectural piece. Its cellar features wine brewing and storage areas, the ground floor has a guest bedroom, a technical room and a bathroom, and the top floor has the master wardrobe, bathroom and bedroom with a view into the ground floor area.

Greta Trapikienė