NEMO is a 351 m² house in the Moscow region, conceived for periodic country living, with activity concentrated indoors. The project turns away from a heterogeneous suburban fabric to organize life around an internal atrium that mediates light, orientation, and privacy. A compact volume with a complex sloped roof defines a clear sectional identity, while industrial materials balanced with timber establish continuity between exterior and interior. Programmatically, the plan prioritizes a generous common room and a darker, lower SPA suite, creating calibrated transitions between openness and refuge.
NEMO Technical Information
- Architects: ZROBIM architects
- Location: Nemo residential community, Moscow region, Russia
- Gross Area: 351 m2 | 3,778 Sq. Ft.
- Completion Year: 2025
- Photographs: © Sergey Krasyuk
By turning the house toward its own center, the atrium becomes both compass and environmental buffer, allowing daylight to structure daily life without depending on outward views.
– ZROBIM architects
Inward Orientation and Suburban Context
The house addresses a dispersed suburban landscape by privileging introspection over outward display. Rather than rehearsing a dialogue with inconsistent neighbors, the plan and facade articulation limit exposure to the street and adjacent lots. Openings are calibrated to admit light while curating view corridors into the atrium and main hall, shifting emphasis from scenery to spatial depth.
Designed for temporary country living, the program concentrates activity within enclosed communal spaces. Entrances, porches, and screened apertures operate as controlled interfaces, moderating both visual contact and seasonal climatic shifts typical of the Moscow region. The result is a domestic interior that functions as a stable microclimate, buffered from suburban noise and variability.
The atrium acts as the principal mediator between enclosure and light. It introduces zenithal illumination and a central point of orientation that organizes daily routines. Privacy is maintained without compromising daylight quality, as high-level glazing and the vertical void distribute even light into the core while minimizing direct sightlines to the outside.
Form and Section: Roof Geometry and Atrium
A restrained massing strategy is animated by a complex sloped roof that produces a legible section and varied interior heights. The roof thickens the silhouette and introduces gradients of compression and release across the plan, establishing a strong volumetric identity without resorting to excessive articulation at the perimeter. In a cold climate, the geometry assists in shedding water and snow while enabling generous internal volumes that allow the program to benefit from height.
The atrium is the spatial and social anchor. It structures circulation by linking the entry and common room with upper-level galleries and adjacent rooms, enabling visual continuity across floors without sacrificing acoustic separation. Daylight drops into the core and fans out through clerestories and transoms, reducing reliance on perimeter glazing and stabilizing illumination throughout the day.
A central chandelier draws a clear line through the void, tracing the roof’s inclination and making the section legible from the main hall. Rather than ornamental excess, the fixture acts as a datum for scale and a means of distributing layered light, complementing skylight with warm, low-glare illumination that calibrates the hall for both daytime and evening use.
Materials, Texture, and Tectonics
The exterior combines robust industrial materials with timber to balance durability and domesticity. The harder shell establishes a protective envelope suited to seasonal conditions, while areas of wood articulate thresholds and touch points. This pairing avoids a binary inside-outside reading, instead suggesting a continuous material narrative as surfaces fold from facade to interior lining.
Interior finishes emphasize light textures and warm wood to create a calm backdrop for daily routines. Pale wall surfaces lift ambient brightness, allowing the atrium to work efficiently, and the extensive use of timber provides acoustic dampening and tactile comfort at handrails, cabinetry, and flooring. Close-range details, such as junctions at window reveals and built-in furniture, support long-term use by resolving transitions with clarity rather than spectacle.
The SPA zone shifts to a darker palette to cultivate immersion and privacy. Lappato-finish porcelain stoneware on heated floors introduces a subtle sheen that activates low light without glare, while the thermal underlay promotes comfort in bare-footed circulation. The chromatic and tactile contrasts signal a distinct microclimate within the house’s overall continuity.
Programmatic Zoning and Interior Atmospheres
The common area is conceived as an air-filled room tuned to light and conversation. Height follows the roof’s slope to open the space above gathering zones. At the same time, furniture groupings are organized around the atrium void to maintain lines of sight between seating, dining, and circulation. Warm, tactile finishes reinforce the room’s social role without overpowering its neutrality.
Spatial compression and expansion are used to differentiate atmospheres. Lowered ceilings and darker finishes intensify intimacy in the SPA, calibrating sound and light to slow the pace of occupation. In contrast, the main hall capitalizes on roof height to create layered perspectives, with the chandelier and atrium establishing a vertical order that stabilizes the expansive volume.
Material continuity ties the zones together while keeping the interior open to multiple living scenarios. Recurrent elements, such as timber species and light-textured walls, produce legibility across rooms, and the restrained palette prevents the architecture from dictating use. The result is a robust framework where daily life, objects, and seasonal rituals can register change without compromising spatial clarity.
About ZROBIM architects
ZROBIM architects is an architectural studio based in Russia, founded in 2011. The firm emphasizes modern minimalism, characterized by clean lines, expressive forms, and thoughtful spatial relationships. Their design approach often employs natural materials and restrained palettes to cultivate serene atmospheres that respond to both context and client individuality.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Client: Private client
- Photographs: Sergey Krasyuk
