Residential House in Kaunas | Architectural Bureau G. Natkevicius & Partners

The modern residential house is located in a picturesque part of the city of Kaunas, in the old district of Žaliakalnis. This area has always been the most prestigious and desirable area for private houses, it was a good example of expensive, prestigious, private construction. This place is attractive because the plots are located on a hill, with the valley of two rivers at the bottom.

Žaliakalnis is characterized by narrow streets and a rather dense network of them, which is built with private houses of various eras.

Many of those houses were built before the Second World War, the first Lithuanian emigrants bought plots here, some of the wooden houses rotted and burned, meanwhile, many different brick extensions were built during the Soviet era, so the history of this block of private houses continues for quite a long time.

The plot has a narrow entrance from Seinai Street, but, unlike Žaliakalnis plots, this plot is very large. The plot is interesting because it is in the middle of the block, while all the neighboring houses are located around the perimeter.

Since the main facades of the neighboring houses face the street, this plot in the center of the block seems to look behind them, at the farm side of the yards of those houses, without seeing the good facade, but looking at storage rooms, garages, greenhouses all around the perimeter. But that thing has one positive aspect - all those storage rooms, that small scale that is visible from the yard, those tomatoes, the greenhouses have the mood of the old environment, there is a lot of romance in it. Therefore, the idea was to build a house inside which it would be possible to move around the perimeter, so that all rooms and premises look in different directions. So, there is an entrance, a lounge, a common space, a living room, a kitchen facing the best orientation, and a sauna is designed at the end of the perimeter of that snake.

One-story, large enough house with many rooms idea came because the owners wanted their three children to have a place to return to. Being family loving, they really wanted the connection to remain, and that when the child returned, even if he was already returning with his own children, he would not return to a hotel, but had a place, a room as he left it.

The fact that the owner himself is one of the most famous champagne experts adds piquancy to all of this, so in addition to all that, the house is designed to store wine and champagne in a certain climatic humidity regime.

The composition of the house is like a sheet of paper lifted at the corners and lowered into the middle of the plot. The inner courtyard provides the versatility of light and at the same time a completely private yard. Since the object is bordered by neighbors, the courtyard always remains private, an oasis of peace.

The ability to move around in a circle creates a sense of shared space: there is a living room, children's rooms, a sauna, a wine cellar, a corridor running around the perimeter, which exhibits paintings specially lit in the evening, and illuminated through the courtyard during the day, and relics brought back from travels, and through which you can see an inner courtyard with a landscape elements. There are many layers in this house. It is rather paradoxical being at home to see your own house. Moving from a different angle like being in a dream you see yourself, there is no need to go outside to see what the house looks like.

Lead architects: S. Kundrotaitė, E. Savodnikatė, A. Rimšelis, G. Natkevičius
Project managers: A. Sapkienė, M. Jucius, T. Jūras
Sructural engineers: A. Sabaliauskas, A. Palavinskas