Deeply embedded in a Latvian pine forest, this ensemble brings together two distinct architectural positions: an existing log house with a weathered timber facade, slate roof and traditional form, and a new, low-lying extension that deliberately contrasts in its materiality. The addition presents itself as a strictly horizontal pavilion with a dark-coated steel frame and a wide, cantilevering flat roof that hovers like a quiet frame above the landscape. Among the pine trunks, ferns, wildflowers and stone slabs, the ensemble settles into the established vegetation without seeking to dominate it. Inside the new wing, dark slate, black surfaces and a substantial fireplace block of veined stone define the atmosphere: calm, grounded, reduced to what matters.

minimal windows® as the Glass Skin of the Forest Pavilion

The pavilion is resolved into glass on three sides. Continuous sliding systems by minimal windows® span between the slender steel columns, forming a transparent enclosure that connects the interior with the forest without drawing a visible boundary. The full-height glass surfaces open the space to views in every direction, while lightweight linen curtains filter the light and lend the room a soft, diffused quality. Where the sliding panels are open, the timber deck flows directly into the living space and the threshold between inside and outside dissolves. The dark-coated profiles of the sliding systems absorb the colour of the steel frame and recede visually, leaving the landscape itself to act as the facade. Between the old log house and the new glass pavilion, glazed transitional elements hold the ensemble together spatially while preserving their transparency throughout.