Villa
Pinia
Jurmala,
Latvia
Ark-house
Architects
Pentti
Kareoja, arkkitehti / architect SAFA
kuvat /
photos: Jari Jetsonen
When
designing abroad the lack of knowledge of the foreign culture must
partly be replaced by empathising with and throwing oneself into the
genius loci. Jurmala in Latvia has a fabled past as the laid-back
summer resort of the upper classes during the Soviet era. The beach
atmosphere of the spa town conjured up images of the Functionalism of
the Baltic States during the 1920s and 1930s and the optimism
associated with it.
Villa
Pinia was designed for a four-person family. It is situated on a
pine-forested plot near the sea with great natural beauty. The design
task was based on a workshop-format competition, held at the end of
2001, in which nine architects or offices from different parts of
Europe were invited to participate. My sketch design was chosen as the
basis for the final implementation. The main idea behind the design of
Villa Pinia is a dialogue between a levitating white rectangle and the
dark trunks of the pine trees. On the south side the straight line of
the building becomes a free broken line.
The
timber weatherboarding of the latter facade has been given a reddish
brown tone. The colours and materials strive for an imagery derived
from boats and ships, a gesture to the preferences of the client and
his background as a sea captain. The scale on the yard side is intimate
and the interiors continue out as sheltered terraces. All three floors
in the interior are also linked by long vistas. A tree has been placed
in the internal garden visually linking together all the floors.
The
building awaits its first summer – the wait is shared in the
neighbourhood by, among others, the former club building of the Soviet
writers’ association and the former summer camp premises of
the
cosmonauts’ trade union.
Pentti
Kareoja |
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