SALON: The construction of half-timbered houses has centuries-old traditions, while the buildings themselves have a characteristic appearance. What is modern fachwerk and are there any peculiarities inherent to it?

Nikolay Antonov: The technology by which this house is built in the suburbs of St. Petersburg is called modern fakhverk. It was developed in the 60s of the last century. Outwardly, modern fachwerk, of course, resembles the traditional, but in fact it is a completely new ideology, a new style. Due to the absence of diagonal elements (diagonals) characteristic of ancient buildings and the emergence of energy-saving double-glazed windows, it became possible to simulate the volume in a modern manner: regular geometric shapes, to large open spaces, continuous glazing. Glass facades make the house transparent, the surrounding landscape becomes one with the interior.

S: This requires territory ...

 - Of course, these houses suggest privacy, they are built on large plots. But this is not a dogma. With the help of the landscape, you can beat the situation so that even with a relatively small area of ​​the plot there will be a complete illusion that the house is in the forest.

S: Are there any immutable principles that you follow when designing?

 - Yes. We have built about 15 such houses, and although each project is individual, each of them has traditions that we adhere to. First of all, this is a single space of the living-dining room-kitchen, openness to nature, the presence of a second light.

S: Tell us more about this project.

 - Since the site is located in a wooded area on the bank of a picturesque river, far from the villages, the customer wanted the house to be as open as possible. Therefore, all the facades are with panoramic windows. It turned out very impressive, especially in the evening, when the light comes on. The house itself consists of two volumes. The main two-story, connected by a gallery - a gym with a one-story, in which there are a pool, Turkish bath and showers. The layout of the public area, as I said, is traditional for our projects. This is a single, viewable living room-dining-kitchen space. In addition, on the ground floor there is an office, home cinema, dressing room and guest bathrooms. Second floor - private rooms: a family living room, the master bedroom with its own dressing room and bathroom, three children’s with a common dressing room, bathroom and bath. As for the interior, this is minimalism - the style most appropriate to the architecture of the house.

Project author Nikolay Antonov: "The supporting structure of the house is made according to the technology of modern half-timbered houses - from laminated veneer lumber and glass. This technology is based on the traditions of classical half-timbered houses, but is reinterpreted from the point of view of today. The customer of this house chose the most interesting option with glazed all facades. Such the decision involves an appropriate lifestyle, when you want to move away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to be alone with nature "