Combining Two Houses into One Dwelling
At first, the clients wanted to make a purely practical gallery or a passage, which would connect the two buildings – the master house and the guest house with Russian sauna. Theytried to work with several Russian architects, but each time either they did not like the planning and architectural solutions or the proposed project could not be technically implemented.
The Japanese architect proposed a fully independent space consisting of a common living room with an underground spa complex instead of a gallery. The prototype of the concept was the relatively common thing in Japan called nisetai jutaku – houses for two families, usually for an older generation and their children. They have separate entrances in different parts of the house, separate bedrooms and kitchens, but are most often united by a large living or dining-living room.
As the result, the space now is not just a place to relax after the sauna and hamam. The living room with large windows has become a space for socializing in autumn and winter, where it is nice to relax while reading a book or tasting with guests the collection of Japanese whiskey, as the customer is a keen aficianado of it.