A white and red house has been built near the Daugava River on the outskirts of Riga. The intense colour of the façade and the distinctive triangular roof give it a bold form, while at the same time making it feel firmly rooted in the landscape. House Comet is a project by the GAISS studio, designed by Arnita Melzoba and Kārlis Melzobs, with a young, creative family in mind who wanted architecture that would encourage an active lifestyle and close relationships with their surroundings.
A white and red house – between the city and nature
The location of the house is not accidental. It combines the atmosphere of the suburbs with a sense of closeness to nature. It was the tension between urban development and almost rural tranquillity that prompted the architects to create a distinctive structure. The red body with a shiny metal roof with a triangular profile stands out among the lush greenery, and the terraces and numerous openings direct the daily life of the household members outside, towards the garden.
Simple form and distinctive detail
The 175 sq m building is based on a structure of solid wooden panels, offering durability and aesthetic value. The linear structure is clad on the ground floor with vertical boards in an intense shade of red, above which a corrugated steel sheet forms the roof. The geometric simplicity is complemented by cleverly designed details, giving the whole an interesting and original expression.
A façade that enters the garden
Vertical red wood cladding tightly envelops the ground floor, bending inwards in places to create sheltered terraces and a cosy entrance area. The same colour appears in the fence, making the boundary between the house and the plot slightly less clear. The architecture permeates the landscape, and the garden begins to function as a natural extension of the living space.
A white and red house designed to last
The interior layout of the house is designed with longevity and the changing needs of the family in mind. The children’s rooms are very compact, with the possibility of combining them in the future. This allows for a flexible response to changes in the number of household members without the need for costly renovations.
Rooms with a sequence of privacy
The spaces are arranged in a logical sequence along the axis of the building, which gradually leads from intimate to shared areas. At the entrance, there are bedrooms and bathrooms. Further on, there is a high, bright living space with a kitchen, designed as the main meeting place and activity centre for the household members.
The hall as the centre of the home
The vestibule serves as the main communication hub, connecting both floors, the front courtyard and the garden. This space reveals the entire cross-section of the building and creates a strong visual connection between the interior and the greenery behind the house, thus enhancing the feeling of space and openness.
Wood in the interiors
The interiors feature exposed laminated wood panels, which make the entire structure clear and introduce a warm, authentic tone to the home. The concrete floor flows smoothly into the wooden terraces that wrap around the south and west façades. Large glazed areas provide constant visual contact with the garden and illuminate the interiors with natural light.
The white and red house and ecology
From the outset, the design was developed with sustainable solutions in mind. The house offers a favourable microclimate and high energy efficiency thanks to the appropriate orientation of the windows and wide roof eaves, which protect the interior from overheating in summer. Wood was used not only in the construction, but also in the finishes and insulation, emphasising the ecological dimension of the architecture and its pleasant texture.
Project name: House Comet
Authors: GAISS (Arnita Melzoba, Kārlis Melzobs)
Location: Riga, Latvia
Area: 175 sq m
Photographs: MadaraKu plā
See also:Architecture | Single-family house | Wood | Ecology | whiteMAD on Instagram |Latvia
