Comet
House Comet is a dwelling for a young and creative family in a green, hidden neighborhood of Riga near river Daugava. The interaction of urban and rural scenes is the impulse for a bright home with a spacious terrace, garden and workshop for active outdoor use.
Client sketch
The spacious terrace fits into the volume of the house under the corrugated metal roof, hiding from the proximity of the street between the wooden wall sections. The light and view are introduced by a large round opening in the volume of the roof, which draws a circle of sunlight on the walls and floor of the terrace.
Both living rooms are marked by two vertical fireplaces, facing on both sides - outdoor and indoor, they extend at full height crossing the metal roof as a chimney. Solid timber panels are exposed in the interior, clearly revealing the constructive structure and materiality of the house. The concrete floor indoors merges with the concrete terraces outdoors, which surround the southern and western facades of the house, and with wide glazing ensures a close connection with the garden.
Solid timber panel construction combines structural and aesthetic quality. The building consists of a linear volume of wooden panels, surrounded on the ground floor by red wood planks and a metallic corrugated steel triangular roof. Simple basic shapes in pure materiality are combined with characteristic details.
The hallway is a movement node, where all groups of rooms - both floors, the entrance yard and the garden - meet. The room reveals a cross-section of the building at full height, and crosses the house with a view and the exit to the garden.
The layout includes the idea of the longevity of the house and the changing composition of the household. In order for the house to function fully as the children grow and move, the children's rooms are very compact, and can be later transformed for other use.
Within the linear layout of the building, the living space is arranged gradually moving from individual to common, from small compact rooms to large and spacious common areas. On the east of the building - bedrooms and bathrooms are located, followed by a large spacious full-height living room with a kitchen, which is concluded by an equally high covered outdoor terrace.
Location: Riga, Latvia
Clients: Private
Architect: GAISS
Team: Arnita Melzoba, Kārlis Melzobs
Area: 175m² interior, 50m² terace
Time: 2020 - ongoing