In the Russian Capital of Moscow, this contemporary home, set among the pine woods on an island in the Moskva River, introduces a revolutionary outward-looking approach to the city's architectural tradition.

Designed by SAOTA, a South African architecture studio known for advancing the possibilities of 20th-century modernism, this home represents the tradition of the terrace, with its emphasis on an outdoor orientation, but in a context and climatic condition vastly different from the origin of the type.

Glazing systems have advanced to a point wherethey can effectively provide insulation in the Russian winter extremes, which solved the climate challenge. The real challenge was to mediate a dialogue between the two traditions to resolve the new approach harmoniously in the Russian context. The design addresses the urban architectural character of the capital city and the pocket of natural pine forest on the island, something of a rarity this close to the historic centre.

The pinewoods that the site overlooks are thus a significant motivation for the design's open, outward-facing orientation. Thisapproach allowed SAOTA to explore a new kind of architecture that invites as much natural light as possible during the dark winter months to compensate for the lack of sun and mitigating its absence. It's a design that makes comfortable spaces to appreciate the external conditions beauty, harsh as they may be.

The architectural premise is one of contrasts: the street frontage's heavy protective presence speaks to the capital's monolithic architectural character, built to resist the extremes of heat and cold, which can vary 70 degrees between seasons.