House in Žvėrynas

Located in Žvėrynas, Vilnius, behind a 1935 wooden modernist villa, the house is a contemporary reinterpretation of local wooden architecture. Designed for a family returning to their childhood home, it harmonises memory, craftsmanship, and sustainability. Built entirely from CLT, the structure blurs boundaries between interior and exterior, integrating with the historic urban fabric and surrounding greenery. The project embodies a dialogue between past and present through material continuity and spatial clarity.

The main challenge was to adapt a small, historically layered wooden house to contemporary living standards while preserving its emotional and architectural identity. Located behind a 1935 villa in Žvėrynas, the site demanded sensitivity to context, scale, and material continuity. The client’s wish was to retain the memory of a childhood home while creating a durable, sustainable dwelling. The strategy combined respect for heritage with innovation: the use of CLT construction enabled precision, structural integrity, and environmental responsibility. By merging structure and finish, the architecture achieves spatial and tactile unity, while large openings connect the interior to the garden and the old villa, maintaining a sense of belonging. The house was conceived as a crafted object within the urban fabric—quiet, modest, yet deeply rooted in place- balancing memory and modernity, private life and its surrounding landscape.

The house is built entirely from cross-laminated timber (CLT), chosen for its precision, structural integrity, and low environmental impact. This single material defines both structure and finish, creating visual and tactile unity between interior and exterior. CLT technology enabled a fast, clean, and nearly waste-free construction process, minimising noise and pollution. Concrete was used only for the ground floor and terrace to provide durability and thermal mass. The façades are finished with Accoya wood, selected for its close visual and structural match to glued pinewood, ensuring material continuity and stability. Accoya’s high resistance to moisture and long lifespan reduce maintenance needs while allowing the façade to age naturally. Regular oil treatment preserves its tone and texture. The project demonstrates sustainability through renewable materials, energy efficiency, and simple, long-term upkeep integrated into a coherent architectural expression.