The house is like an alien residence

One of two houses designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid, Capital Hill Residence is likened to an alien base.

During his lifetime, the late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid devoted himself to the development of modern architecture. She has a series of works of a lifetime, creating icons in many cities such as Galaxy Soho Beijing, London Aquatics Center or Guangzhou Opera House. She won many competitions including the 2004 Pritzker Prize, known as the Nobel of Architecture.

However, Hadid designed only two houses in his entire career. One of them is Capital Hill Residence owned by Russian businessman Vladislav Doronon. The building was described by Architectural Digest magazine as more like an alien dwelling than an ordinary house.

Located in the woods in Barvikha near Moscow, Capital Hill Residence consists of two main blocks. The ground block is built on the sloping terrain of the natural landscape and the aerial block is 22 m above the ground for a view over the treetops. As Zaha Hadid said, the block is designed with curves inspired by the terrain of the pine forest here.

The building has a total of 4 floors, 3,200 m2 wide. The basement is an entertainment space, including a living room, massage room, gym, steam and dry sauna. The ground floor includes the main living room, dining room, kitchen, entertainment area, 4 indoor swimming rooms and parking space.

The study and library, guest room and children's room are located on the second floor, while the master bedrooms and lounge with outside terrace are located on the third floor. The aerial block, the fourth floor, is connected to the ground block by three concrete legs. Between the legs is where the elevator and glass stairs are located.

The 4th floor looks like a spaceship with glass walls, two balconies also have glass balustrades. This is where Doronin's bedroom is located. When he woke up every morning, he saw nothing but the blue sky he wanted.

The room of the house on the 4th floor overlooks the treetops.

At the ground block, wide roofs with irregular edges protrude from the glass walls of each floor. The main materials for the project include precast in-situ concrete, steel and glass. These materials are repeated throughout the villa.

The idea for the project was first conceived more than a decade ago, when Doronin met Hadid in London. "I said to her, 'I want to wake up in the morning and just see the blue sky. I don't want to see any neighbors and I want to feel free,'" Doronin recalls.

When she heard the order, the female architect asked: "Do you realize that you have to be in the treetops?". She then sketched the design on a napkin. Photos of the project were first released in 2008, and initial photos of the project appeared in 2011, before Hadid's death in 2016.

Commenting on Capital Hill Residence in a documentary made by Dezeen magazine in memory of Hadid, British architect Norman Foster called it an "extraordinary" project. "This is a masterpiece. It has Zaha features in terms of organizational complexity, spatial arrangement. Lots of surprises, as well as skill and beauty," he said.