A duplex with terraces and a river view

Maxim Loskutov

• Architects

Taking up the 24th and 25th floors, a two-level flat in one of the houses in European Riverbank, Novosibirsk, has seven rooms and a floor area of 170 square metres.

photo_credit Maxim Loskutov — Maxim Loskutov

Designed as a communal space, a spacious living room with an attic floor and overhead space is central to the lower floor. The attic floor brings the ceiling height to 6 metres, compared to 2.8 metres in the rest of the apartment. The living room opens into a corner terrace and a small balcony with a panoramic view over the river. Next to it, there is a kitchen, guest bedroom, and toilet. The entrance hall contains a wardrobe and utility rooms. The upper floor is private, with a master bedroom suite complete with a wardrobe and a bathroom, a second toilet, a study, a laundry room, a balcony, and a terrace. The apartment is accessible from both the first and the second floors.

Light is key to the apartment design. With big windows in all the rooms and a double-height ceiling in the centre, the designers focused on the open-plan structure and greater visibility, allowing light movement during the day. The smart-home system controls multi-level lighting and an electric curtain rail with blackout curtains. Designed in pastel beige and grey colours, the space is highlighted with dark grey and wooden textures. The walls in the rooms are plastered and painted, engineered wood flooring is used in the rooms, while the choice for bathrooms and the entrance area is ceramic granite and mosaic tiles. Wood veneer sheets covering the walls add a decorative touch to the guest lobby. Timber prevails in furniture and decor all around the apartment, including the spiral staircase which leads to the upper floor. Bespoke interior features dominate this design.

The apartment has an autonomous central heating system and is not affected by the city heating schedule. Solar PV and domestic battery storage supply heated floors, radiators, and water heaters. Residents can control the central heating system by adjusting desired heat levels. In warm season when battery storage exceeds 100 degrees Celsius, excessive heat is generated in the water heating system, warming up the towel dryers.