Valley Villa designed by arches is situated just a few hundred meters away from an active city street in Vilnius, Lithuania, in a regional park. It is located in the sunny part of a slope next to the forest area. The existing slope and all the trees on the site were preserved. The concept of the building was to ,,hang“ it over the valley and open it towards it through continuous glazed surfaces. The ground floor is partly hidden in the slope. Due to its black finish, it disappears into the forest’s shadow, while the first floor volume, dressed in natural wood, is visible. A divided volume, varying forms, human proportions and a harmony of glass and wood, all create the impression of lightness. The interior spaces follow the forms of the exterior. An integral natural wood finish of the facades and roof creates an impression of solidity.
By dividing the volume, micro-spaces such as courtyards were created. All the main interior spaces have access to the courtyards that are arranged on different levels, creating a sensation of wholeness and privacy and enabling the enjoyment of both the morning and evening sun. The hanging volume of the first floor naturally creates the terrace. The windows on the ground floor are partly covered with the vertical wooden lamellae that serve as protection from overheating and become a part of the interior. The surroundings are planted with grass and the path to the entrance is made of granite tiles in order to minimise the intervention to the nature.
For the facades, natural finishing materials were selected exclusively. The main one was pine wood manufactured through the ,,Kebony“ technology and it was selected for being a typical tree in the area. Using the unique ,,Kebony“ technology, the wood becomes particularly resistant, stable, durable and there is no need for any additional maintenance. With time, it will turn gray and fit into the environment even more among the fading pine trunks in the background.
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Images © Norbert Tukaj
