The Best Wooden Houses of the 2021 ARCHIWOOD Award. Shortlist for the Country House category

Looking at the 11 contenders that came closest to winning, you can spot some common trends. There is a move away from gigantism, and the houses are small, one to two stories. Black is a frequent choice, both charred and simply painted wood on the facade, along with panoramic windows and a desire to blend the house into its surroundings.

The striking facade of Roma House is made of sheet metal and vertical wooden slats. One of the walls is built entirely of energy-efficient glass. The facade strongly evokes the trunks of the pine trees that surround the house.

D.O.M.+ by ARCH.625. A frame house with exterior trim in larch boards, but resembling folded zinc panels. The outer box projects strongly outward, forming a kind of terrace.

The Black House in the village is something between a traditional Russian hut and a chalet. It has wide overhangs and sturdy post-like columns, with windows set opposite each other that bring in the lightness it would otherwise lack. In contrast to the dark facade, the interior is finished in a light palette.

Note the unusual shape of the DomBro house and its hilltop location. The main facade has panoramic glazing, while the side facades are clad in thermo-modified wood. Unlike Roma House, the slats here are arranged horizontally. The resemblance to D.O.M.+ lies in the way the glazing is recessed, which creates a terrace.

White House over the mountain follows a minimalist concept, its outline recalling a house made of shipping containers. The main theme is openness. The house is small, at 105 square meters, and has three terraces.

We have already written about the Siberian Retreat House. Its concept is to be as closed as possible on the outside, northern side and as open as possible on the opposite, southern side, which faces the forest.

This house has a terrace too (which seems to be a defining feature of all the finalist projects), and here it serves as a backbone, the main artery of the house.

This project is the winner of the public online vote.

A summer house by architect Rustam Kerimov is the most unusual of the shortlisted houses, from its distinctive charred-plank facade to the stairs leading up to the usable roof. It is a very compact project, but with well-thought-out scenarios for using the space.

We considered this house the closest to winning, and it was. The jury chose Rustam Kerimov's summer house as the winner in the "Country House" category.

Igor Markin's house is a modern chalet of laminated veneer lumber. The panoramic glazing of the main gable does not look groundbreaking, but it suits the concept well. It would be a shame to block the light coming through the panoramic glazing, so inside, in place of massive beams, there are almost invisible steel ties.

The corner joints between the timbers use a "Tyrolean lock" technique, similar to a dovetail. This avoids thermal bridges in the most problematic areas and needs no concealment, since it looks attractive on its own.

An example from Carton Group of how to build on a very narrow lot.

The Black House looks unique from every angle thanks to its asymmetrical silhouette. Its combined roof allowed for different ceiling heights in the interior rooms.

The board facade is painted black, against which bakelite plywood stands out as bright accents at the main entrance and the exit to the terrace. The house has relatively small windows and a strong sense of privacy.

The recognizable signature of the studio Le Atelier: a skillful handling of volumes and a combination of dark and light wood. Take a look at their House Kino project. Do you see the resemblance too?

In this house, the technique of setting the inner and outer walls at an angle is very interesting. It is done for better sunlight exposure and more pleasant views.

We would also like to highlight the Barn House by Nefa architects.

This project comes from the shortlist of another category, "Wood in Finishes." Here the star of the show is the use of century-old reclaimed boards, brought from the north of Russia, on the facade. The color gradient, with its noble gray tones, turned out beautifully.

ARCHIWOOD is the annual national award for the best architectural structure made of wood.

Held annually since 2009, it has quite a few categories: private home, public building, small and art object, interior, reconstruction project, and more.

The main requirement is that the structure must be built in Russia.

One of its key goals is to promote wooden house-building.