Villa near Tallinn
type: Private villa
location: Vaela, Estonia
year: 2025
status: Competition
authors: Oleksii Pakhomov, Hanna Pikovska, Yelyzaveta Romaniuk
The plot is situated in a forest near Tallinn, along the highway. Its configuration is a long, narrow strip extending deep into the woodland. The house is set one hundred meters into the site, creating distance from the road and ensuring privacy, while a green buffer remains in front of the faсade.
The client’s primary request was the seamless integration of his car collection into the house. The layout was designed so that the vehicles are visible from as many rooms as possible.
Spatial structure of the villa
A central open space showcases six of the owner’s cars as an integral part of the architectural composition. The villa is organized as a square with two functional side wings. The central core - a double-height foyer, staircase, and living room on the ground floor - connects the leisure wing with public and guest functions on one side to the private wing with sauna, cinema and utility spaces with basement access on the other.
The basement, located entirely beneath the utility wing, accommodates technical and auxiliary spaces: a laundry, storage rooms and a security room with a separate external exit.
Spatial and functional zoning
The longitudinal arrangement of the building defines the degree of privacy: facing the road are the entrance area, kitchen, and service rooms; facing the forest are the spaces requiring seclusion - the living room, billiard room, and sauna.
The villa’s architecture is thus structured on a dual principle of zoning - transverse and longitudinal, which extends through the entire height of the volume, uniting both floors into a unified spatial system.
Villa layout
At the core of the house are the entrance group, the double-height foyer, and the living room with panoramic view of the forest and access to a terrace and barbecue area. Four of the owner’s cars are showcased here: two positioned in glass garage boxes directly connected to the entrance zone, and two displayed in the open part of the living room, where they become part of the open space and are perceived as art objects. This fulfilled the client’s request to make his cars visible from the living room, dining area and lounge zone.
From the foyer, a large spiral staircase and an elevator lead to the second floor. At the owner’s request, the plan allows views of the cars from
the bedroom and gym. The central double-height zone with the car exhibition is surrounded by the guest bedrooms block and the private block of the owner with a master bedroom, master bathroom, and home office. In addition, the central zone also provides access to a small rooftop terrace, while on the opposite side are a spacious gym and a photo laboratory. The car exhibition on the second floor is placed on lifting platforms, which allow replacing the exhibited cars at the owner’s discretion.
Exterior and materials
The client’s main requirement was for the design to be modern, yet harmoniously blend with the forest landscape, using dark tones of concrete, glass, and wood.The villa’s structure is made of monolithic concrete. The volume combines massive, sculptural forms with extensive panoramic glazing. Movable facade elements (garage doors, entry doors), as well as service and transit rooms not requiring glazing, are clad with perforated panels, further emphasizing the monolithic character of the building.
