Penthouse Right Across the Kremlin: Planning Solutions

The well-known luxury hotels chain Mandarin Oriental has decided to enter the Russian market with an entirely residential project consisting of a hotel, stores, and unique private residences. The customer has bought two apartments and wanted to create an ideal home, but the existing layout did not meet her wishes.
It was necessary to merge the apartments and divide the resulting space into a senior family zone and a younger generation zone, where the son’s family would occasionally stay. Both zones should be isolated but communicating with each other through a passageway or a room. In addition, the 460 square meters need to accommodate an office, a music room for a piano and three bedrooms with bathrooms and dressing rooms, not to mention the technical rooms.
The Japanese architect has proposed five planning solutions that take these requirements into account. All options share one point: the living rooms of both zones are located along the building facade: so both generations can enjoy the main attraction of the apartment – the view of the Kremlin.
Type A-1: the most conservative layout. It connects both areas through two living rooms, which can become one large space for receptions or home parties by pushing apart partitions.
Type A-2: area there is a study room with a view of Sofiiskaya embankment instead of the kitchen in the senior zone, and the kitchen itself is combined with the dining room and living room.
Type B: the entire parent zone has become a completely private space, consisting of a master bedroom, a large walk-in closet, and a bathroom, which took the place of the study room from the previous layout. The kitchen is united with the dining room, and the concert space is in a living room shared by the two apartments.
Type C-1: The area of the children’s apartment has been enlarged at the expense of the living-dining room, and the older generation zone can be entered through a study combined with a music room. The study room floor is elevated above the living room, so when the doors are fully open the space turns into a small stage for home concerts.
Type C-2: In this version, the master bedroom is adjoined by a truly gorgeous dressing room and a bathroom with a small sauna.