Art and glamour in a show-stopping SAOTA-designed home in Moscow

In Russia’s capital city, Moscow, this contemporary home, set among pinewoods on an island in the Moskva River, introduces a revolutionary outward-looking approach to the city’s architectural tradition. Designed by SAOTA, a South African architecture studio known for advancing the possibilities of 20th-century modernism, this home represents the tradition of the terrace, with its emphasis on an outdoor orientation, but in a context and climatic condition vastly different from the origin of the type.

The pinewoods the site overlooks are a significant motivation for the design’s open, outward-facing orientation and open fragmented glass walls that blur the distinction between what is outside and what is inside. SAOTA’s architectural premise is one of contrasts: the street frontage’s heavy protective presence speaks to the capital’s monolithic architectural character, built to resist the extremes of heat and cold, which can vary 70 degrees between seasons.

The public character of the house provides a contemporary interpretation of the city’s architectural character. Surrounding the main entrance is a sculptural buckle. This backlit bronze-clad feature not only acts as a visual prompt towards the entrance opening on the otherwise relatively featureless facade but also communicates the promise of luxury interiors in the private spaces beyond the threshold. It heightens the experience of crossing from the public realm to the private domain with its predominant treed landscape.

The outdoor terraces and the faceted, angular façade create courtyards and external rooms that facilitate an interaction between landscape and architecture that is a departure from local tradition. During the summer months, it is possible to live outside as you might in South Africa. In winter, the interiors, which are nevertheless warm and cosy, can celebrate the beauty of the snowy landscape and pines in an altogether new approach to the harsh conditions. Even in winter, the focus remains on the terrace rather than the hearth.

The heavy, protective quality of the facade, particularly that of the street, gives way to a warm, lively interior in the way the outer shell of a geode might reveal a warm agate or shimmering crystal interior. It imparts an exquisite, jewel-like quality to the interiors, which have a somewhat whimsical, playful quality in contrast to the exterior.

Inside, natural materials predominate, from exotic marbles, some backlit, to metal and timber surfaces that bring softness and warmth. A swirling sculptural staircase contrasts playfully with the angular architectural elements where they converge, resolving them in an organic flourish and signalling a subtle change of character between the sociable living space and the bedrooms.

This project between SAOTA, Okha and ARRCC, both interior design studios, and Max Kasymov, a Moscow-based interior design studio, is the first completed SAOTA project in Russia. ARRCC proposed the concept idea for the interiors, and Max Kasymov developed the project further and oversaw its realisation. Supervising and coordinating the contractors and suppliers on the building were carried out by the Moscow studio, and selecting materials, furniture and lighting.

The villa’s overall experience suggests SAOTA has mediated a new relationship between Russian domestic architecture and its landscape and climate. The modern villa’s life-enhancing potential, realised in more temperate climates, is made possible in this more extreme setting.

Words by Graham Wood