russian quintessential: suspended pipe-like house reflects the surrounding landscape

designer sergey kuznetsov has teamed up with KROST to design ‘russian quintessential’, a suspended pipe-like residential project that reflects the surrounding landscape. the stainless steel-clad pavilion was opened at the archstoyanie festival, held in the art park nikola-lenivets, kaluga region. the project takes shape as a full-fledged residential building with all modern conveniences where one can live inside, cook, shower, and sleep.all images © ilya ivanov

one of the main features of the project, designed by sergey kuznetsov in collaboration with KROST, is the seamless cladding made of a 4 mm stainless steel sheet. underneath there is a system for diverting the drum sound of rain. meanwhile, the interior is finished in a modern style using wood and metal, and the room is equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable stay. this project is an example of modern architecture which combines high-quality materials and technologies, with extraordinary solutions.

‘nikola-lenivets is a place where nature, art, and talent create real magic. I am grateful to the curators of the archstoyanie for the opportunity to become part of this incredibly exciting process. it seemed interesting to me to make a statement on what is considered perfection in russian architecture today and to show that high-quality things can be done in large quantities in our country.’ commented sergey kuznetsov. ‘this is how the ‘russian quintessential’ project was born, and I must say that colleagues helped to implement it exactly in the form it was conceived. I hope that this story will receive some kind of continuation and will be relevant for future generations’.

the pipe-shaped structure has a diameter of 3.5 meters and a length of twelve meters. it is placed on the sloped terrain, due to which the structure is literally ‘hanging in the air. to create it, complex engineering techniques were used that are usually used in shipbuilding. for example, the frame of the building is formed from supporting ribs like a body of a ship, and an impressive weight of about twelve tons is kept in balance by only six bolts.

‘the basis of the metal frame is made up of transverse frames – load-bearing ribs installed at a pitch of 500 mm relative to each other and connected by means of stringers (horizontal guides). due to the polyurethane foam insulation inside the pavilion, a comfortable temperature regime will be maintained throughout the year. this is a vivid example of when bold and original ideas are implemented by the capabilities of a modern industrial and technological complex.’ said the general director of KROST.