Traditional dwelling house, Kurzeme, Lithuania

Text: Eszter Götz
Építész: NRJA Architects
Fotó: Gatis Rozenfelds, NRJA

Originally it was meant to be a weekend resort, but by the end of the designing phase the „8 Blacks” complex turned out to be a residential house and a whole series of associated structures built by the river Venta. Its clients, a Lithuanian family with many children settled down here for good, and saw the potentials of a changed lifestyle in the design and they could also take advantage of this. The young designers revised the model of the traditional settlements in the neighbourhood in a contemporary spirit. Uniting the ancient and modern approach, the exterior of the houses convey the deliberate gesture of taking possession of the heritage on the one hand, whilst also meeting the most modern contemporary requirements of comfort. The walls and roofs are defined by identical windbreak planks facework painted black – the complex takes its name from this –, thus the overall impression of the houses is a homogeneous one. The raw wooden texture of the surfaces contribute to this with details of natural effects.

Architects: Uldis Luksevics, Ieva Lace, Linda Leitane, Ints Mengelis – NRJA architects
Built-in furniture: GSR Group
Construction Company: Rbs Skals
Constructions: Gatis Vilks, Viktors Mitrofanovs – BICP