The Sestra House

Project idea

The project explores how a contemporary single-family house can reinterpret the carved timber heritage of Sestroretsk while responding to the ongoing loss and alteration of its historic wooden fabric. Located on the embankment of the Gulf of Finland, the house becomes an architectural statement about local identity, cultural continuity, and the preservation of wooden heritage.

Project description

The building is conceived as an asymmetrical, segmented volume whose rotated cantilever and expressive roofline act as key compositional accents, emphasizing the value of historical wooden architecture. Reinterpreted carved facade panels, derived from traditional window surrounds.

Technical information

The massing is based on the prevailing urban grain of Sestroretsk, including the typical building width, height, and proportions of openings found in the surrounding streetscape. The plan tends toward a compact square layout for improved energy efficiency, while the internal spaces are oriented according to solar exposure and insolation.