House Barn

Residential private house
Location: Baikenova str, Almaty
Project: 01-02, 2024
Total area: 350 m2, Status: Concept, On hold.

The house is designed for autonomous living with all necessary amenities but without excess, as the site already includes numerous buildings with overlapping functions. Despite its compact size, the house is versatile enough to host visitors for business meetings or catered events during the day. A separate entrance for staff and deliveries ensures the owner's privacy while accommodating the presence of an assistant during work hours.
Several architectural concepts were explored early in the design phase, including a barn-like structure with a gabled roof, an abundance of wood, and an airy interior with double-height ceilings. Ultimately, the design evolved into a more intimate mini-villa, drawing inspiration from the minimalist yet functional aesthetics of Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson, and Frank Lloyd Wright. The house’s rectangular form integrates harmoniously into its lush green environment, avoiding the appearance of a fortress or bunker. The external wood finishes were inverted inside, creating a warm, enveloping atmosphere.

HOUSE BARN is an unconventional project born from the client's vision to create a small residential house on the grounds of a private office, situated near the main building and adjacent to a guest residence, where the KITCHEN GD project was previously realized. The concept was to create a "shack," "cabin," or "treehouse" for seclusion, quiet work, or overnight stays when late hours at the main office block required a retreat.
The exterior is composed of natural materials in large formats, chosen for their durability and graceful aging—textured stone, oxidized dark metal, and thermo-treated wood. The architecture also integrates high-quality hidden engineering systems, alongside specific structural solutions for seismic resistance—an especially relevant consideration after recent significant earthquakes that occurred just before the project’s design phase.
Directly behind the house, adjacent to the bathroom, lies a serene pond with water lilies and a flat surface, complemented by an architectural waterfall cascading gently down the wall. This feature, along with the minimalist landscaping, enhances the sense of tranquility and harmony with nature, especially when viewed from the bath