TALLINN, KADRIORG 2014
An exclusive double-villa in an area of cultural and environmental value in Kadriorg park. From the balcony of the villa, a view opens onto Kadriorg park and a rose garden. Close by are the Presidential Palace and the Kadriorg Palace complex with its park, KUMU Art Museum and Peter the Great’s House Museum, the representational villas built in the 1870s and 1880s as well as 21st century private houses and residential buildings.
Developer: Hepsor Kullerkupu OÜ
Contractor: Mitt & Perlebach OÜ
Sales: Goodson & Red Group OÜ
See more: property.goodsonandred.com
An exclusive double-villa in an area of cultural and environmental value in Kadriorg park. From the balcony of the villa, a view opens onto Kadriorg park and a rose garden. Close by are the Presidential Palace and the Kadriorg Palace complex with its park, KUMU Art Museum and Peter the Great’s House Museum, the representational villas built in the 1870s and 1880s as well as 21st century private houses and residential buildings. There are recreational areas in the vicinity, sports facilities, kindergartens and schools as well as public transportation access. Traditional Kadriorg style gable roof wooden houses have been considered in the design of the house – they have been raised “up in the air” to let the building blend in with the historical Kadriorg villas. The facade of the villa is covered with burnt larch cladding, a traditional Japanese technique that is being used for the first time in Estonia. The shiny contrast of two types of copper sheet with a dark facade gives a unique look to the building.
The building consists of two parts. There are more than 200 square metres of space, together with the third storey terrace opening up on the wonderful view of Kadriorg park in daytime and for the evening sun. The house was designed by architect Indrek Almann from the architectural design bureau Pluss, a winner of various design competitions in Estonia as well as elsewhere in the world. The villa was built by Lahever Ehitus OÜ. Interior design by renowned designers Urmo ja Tüüne-Kristin Vaikla and landscaping by OÜ Kivisilla under the supervision of Ülle Grishakov.
The architectural form stems from the initial task. The two apartments of the apartment building have each been assigned their own building space, visually and architecturally reflecting each other. In terms of location, one building volume has turned its back on the other. The separated volumes that step into the limestone earth come together on the 2nd floor, reaching a hand to each other like old friends, and parting again a floor higher. The archetype of the building volumes is the traditional gable roof wooden house of Kadriorg, but it has been raised “into the air”. The designed house has a flat roof. An artificial gable-roof-like architecton (37°), which is used on one of the buildings, hints at the archetype. This solution helps the building fit in better with the historic villas, blending the old and the new into a wholesome living environment. Also, the characteristic veranda volumes of the representational villas of Kadriorg have found a new approach as glass halls, marking the ground entrances to the house. The house does not interfere with the look of existing architectural monuments.
The architectural solution has been worked through, and the building has been raised to ensure maximum daylight in the living quarters and on the terraces of both apartments. A rational and comfortable interconnection between the rooms has been maintained as well as a visual effect achieved. The main entrance has been designed with an entry from the 1st floor to the glass hall acting as a storm porch for the building. There are technical facilities and rooms that functionally support the entrance on the 1st floor. The basement floor is formed by the shed space and a technical facility located 1.3 metres below the floor surface of the 1st floor. The shed space is seen as a part of the designed house; the building spaces of the basement and 1st floors are connected using a support wall and an underground HVAC tunnel. Besides the connecting HVAC tunnel, separate entrances have been previewed for the basement and 1st floors. The WCs are located below the 1st floor staircases of both apartments. The daily living area on the 2nd floor is made up of bedrooms, bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen with a dining room. The third floor is occupied by a home spa with a sauna, rest area and roof terrace in one apartment, while the other has a master bedroom with a bathroom and roof terrace.
The outer cover of the house alternates floor-by-floor: the golden/bronze copper sheet is replaced by horizontal, winding larch cladding. This solution gives an impression of vertically rising, slanting copper sheet volumes flowing through the highlighted, decidedly horizontal archetypes. The past and the present merging into one unified whole. The burnt larch cladding is handmade, it follows ancient Japanese technologies and it makes the facade maintenance-free. This is the first time that this type of finish has been used in Estonia. The shiny contrast of two types of copper sheet with a dark facade gives a unique look to the building. The form of the building is modern and playful, while at the same time it avoids being too extravagant. The indentations and rhythms of the facades aim at a compositional balance, adding simple forms to the environment. The car port has been designed with overlapping volumes of the archetype.
The building is heated by an air source heat pump, and there is a wood-burning fireplace on the 2nd floor. The house has been designed with low maintenance costs in mind; its energy class is B.
There are two parking places in the front and an underground garage with a technical facility, to ensure that any possible noise will not disturb the inhabitants.
Designed in the architectural design bureau Pluss (designer Indrek Allmann, architect Eeva Sova), the total floor space of the semi-detached house is around 400 m2. Floor 0 of the three-storey building houses the facilities with an office, the 1st floor is for living quarters and the 2nd floor includes the master bedroom with a terrace. The interior design solution of the building creates a whole, growing out of the initial architectural task and expectations of the client. The rooms are designed in a cosy style, with active splashes of colour adding character.
The floor of storey 0 is covered with large-format monochrome dark tiles. The office has a floor of natural, dark-oiled oak strip parquet.
A glue laminated wooden staircase of the same hue leads up to the second floor. The same parquet flooring continues in the living quarters of floors 1 and 2. The wet rooms have small, slip-proof tiled floors.
The walls are mostly painted, with partial tile cover in the wet rooms. The walls of the sauna room are covered with panelling, while the changing room has decorative wooden tile wall covers.
The general tone of the walls is white. On floor 0, a colour accent is added by the revolving door of the hall, the sliding door of the wardrobe and the tiling of the WC. The floors are dark in the box.
The rooms are high and a hanging ceiling has mostly been used (except for the slanted ceiling of the living room), which is dictated by communications. There is a light-shaft over the dining table, ensuring additional natural light to the area.
Cosy halogen lamps are used along with economic LED and stronger fluorescent lamps in the house fittings, wardrobes and as mirror lamps in the bathrooms. All light sources have a neutral, warmer-than-average light temperature. The lamps are light sources, and the hanging design lamps over the dining tables are used as design elements. The staircases are lighted by low wall-lamps. Floor and wall lamps with sockets add necessary spot lighting.
The window frames are dark. The inner doors are high and dark. The revolving doors are coloured. The main source of natural light for the living room is the large panoramic window, assisted by windows in other walls and the light shaft in the ceiling.
Communications and Technical Conditions
The house has underfloor heating and forced ventilation with the solution hidden behind the hanging ceiling. The fireplace has a heating function.
The furnishing has been planned according to room zoning and functionality, and there is custom made furniture as well as ready-made items. The sanitary fittings are Duravit, and there is a steam sauna in the bedroom of the 2nd floor. The interior design textiles add splashes of colour. Window covers are in the same style, giving a unified outer impression. Vaikla Stuudio has prepared a complete interior design plan.
The terrace opens to the daytime and evening sun with a view of the park, which can be reached via the hall of the 2nd floor.
