Location

Facilities

Description

Viens no Maestro, arhitekta Modra Ģelža pēdējiem veikumiemThe detached house in Riga, takes a special place in Modris Ģelzis (1929-2009) life: it became the one but last work i the Master's to-do list. The building was finished while the architect was still allive, yet he did not want to take a picture of it because the accentuating interior element, the central furniture piece designed by him, was not finished. Now the glazed show-case made in the form of half-circle encompasses the building's core containing a sauna. Stair entwines this cylinder and leads to the first floor, towards the sunrayscoming from a skylight. First floor's hall is organised as a small amphitwhere where the area at the stair range inckludes entrances to three bedrooms, each with its own dressing facilities and a specios common bathing area. From the amphitheatre the interior space continuesoutside and opens to a visually well-open roof garden. Its lawn is evergreen, yet artificial; ideal plans and practical considerations had to be reconciled here. A functional architecture is tehnological. It may be observed in kitchen made to from a single block with laundry room, the latter is connected to the first floor with a shaft for direct laundry feed. Sliding door separates and at the same time joins living room and kitchen; door size is almost like that of a sliding wall. There are neither spare or unnecessary details, nor forms. A true form leads to a pure style - these words said the Master may be referred to this last villa where Ģelzis tried to polish up his favourite motifs. One of them is kitchen as an especially important part of home in terms of technologies. This part is again being somewhat detected, even underlined on the background of others, putting it apart from the rest of the volume. The second motif is bathroom and other rooms designated for hygienic activities. These areas are designed with an accentuated skylight which is made too seem as part of the firmament. The third motif is a discreet mark-up of room's borders by a hidden lighting along its perimeter. As always, the architect has paid special attention to the meeting points of height and two dimensions of walls, and as a proof to this is a delicate shadow seam at the junction of ceiling and walls. "God dwells in details" - this saying may be attributed to the detached house in Riga and is prowed by fireplace accessories made according to Master's sketches. In the well-tended Latvian detached house gardens thujas sometimes create a somewhat mannered impression, especially near "Latvian-style" houses designed in a national romantic style. This time, thujas do not intrude with the overall landscape and even suit the building reminding Le Corbusier's White Villa surrounded by cypresses. Boxes of flouers and ewergreen plants draw the building's contour. The area of terrace is proportionate to the size of the house and the garden, and the difference of levels is small enough. Several old apple-trees embellish the garden and serve as good sign of the place. Jānis Lejnieks Dr.arch. "God dwells in details", Latvijas Architektūra.Read more