House and the River

The site for the house is located in a suburban area in Lithuania. Bordering a local road on the South, squeezed in between two neighbors, the plot marked a piece of landscape, a fragrant suburban meadow descending to a lush creek on the North.

The two opposing conditions the site is facing resulted in a volume as if sliced in half-filled with a layer of grasses sheltering living space underneath. Aiming to compensate the local biodiversity, the North facing sloping roof is blooming with herbs and flowers for surrounding bees and little insects creating a continuous green vista from the banks of the river. Together with that, the sliced volume makes sure the river-facing backyard on the North gets undisturbed sunshine all day long.

The volume is interrupted by the large wooden terrace that creates a feeling of solitude and frames the river as if another room outside the house. The spacious terrace naturally induces many indoor activities to take place under an open sky bordering a lush vegetable garden to be accessible on barefoot.

White interior space acts as an ascetic background for living, filled with a mindful selection of most important furniture and objects, each carrying its own unique story. A spacious living area faces the river with a large opening enhancing nature as the central figure of its interior. The North oriented windows provide maximum views with no overheat during hot seasons while on the Southern side the big upper-floor opening ensures quality light and warmth throughout the cold months.

A rather pragmatic elevation towards the road is covered with rough brushed plaster enhancing the inclination of the slope and reacting to a more urban setting of neighboring houses. The House and the River refuse to fence off becoming open to the surrounding context, a continuous part of the nature it is placed within. Freeing itself from worthless things it aims to inspire a lifestyle of cherishing the experience of living instead of possessions.

After Party
Lead architects: Giedrius Mamavičius, Gabrielė Ubarevičiūtė
Structure Engineer: Architektura ir konstrukcijos