A concrete canopy with circular rooflights has been suspended from the back wall of this house in Lithuania, contrasting with the building’s timber exterior.
Named Residence in Vilnius, the residence was created by neighborhood studio Aketuri Architektai for a couple with two youngsters, who had travelled extensively but wanted to develop a base for the family in the Lithuanian capital.
The developing occupies a sloping web site that was formerly portion of the neighbouring home’s garden, in an upmarket suburb of the city.
“The house is created with a humble type and expression in contrast to the prestigious spot, where several properties are like mini castles from The Sopranos,” architect Lukas Rekevičius informed Dezeen.
The owners originally wanted a Provence-style property, with a stone exterior and classical columns, but the architects convinced them otherwise.
“We spoke with them a great deal, questioning the sense of having a Provence style outside of Provence, and classical columns when we have already lived via the 19th century,” mentioned Rekevičius.
The two-storey layout they agreed on, which has a footprint of roughly 150 square metres, was created with concrete and clad with Finnish ThermoWood – wood that is heat-handled to improve its sturdiness and will flip a silvery-grey colour more than time.
Connected story: Aketuri Architektai clads woodland house in Lithuania with shale tiles
“The residence stands in a specific context, with outdated properties and pine trees, so the wooden exterior is like a graceful dance with the surroundings,” mentioned the architect.
At the back, a concrete canopy has been suspended from the rear wall to give a shaded location on the terrace, with circular rooflights to lighten its visual appeal.
“We desired to create a counterbalance with the timber, but we also wished the canopy to truly feel like it was floating in the air, and develop nice shadows,” added Rekevičius.
Inside, the home’s concrete construction was left exposed on the ceilings, but mosaic tiles and herringbone-patterned timber had been used for the flooring to ameliorate its harshness.
“The interior reflects the nature of the owners – pure, wise, difficult-working people who enjoy top quality things,” stated Rekevičius. “No materials seemed greater than concrete for this.”
The ground floor has an open-program dining room and living space that opens out to the rear terrace, and a separate kitchen-diner at the front close to the entrance.
The initial floor contains a master bedroom with a dressing space and en-suite bathroom, as nicely as 3 bedrooms for the youngsters and visitors, and two shower rooms with toilets.
Doors frames for the bedrooms extend up to the ceiling and characteristic glazed panels at the top, to each accentuate the height of the upper level and produce a better flow of light all through the circulation region.
“The glazing at the top of the doors is also a great way for the dad and mom to inform no matter whether the kids are sleeping or not,” stated Rekevičius.
The residence took 27 months to total from the preliminary brief, like six months for the design, 3 months to acquire creating permission, and 18 months for the development.
The layout staff also integrated Milda Rekevičienė and Alda Tilvikaitė, who each collaborated with Rekevičius on yet another residence project at the exact same time – a shale-clad property in the lakeside area of Trakai.
Photography is by Norbert Tukaj.
Internet site strategy – 
Ground floor prepare 
First floor plan – 
Segment Dezeen
