House by the Lake is a residential area project designed by the development company Brusnika in Tyumen, Siberia. The plot is located in the vicinity of residential clusters dating from the 1980-90s, random low-rise houses and modern housing estates. It is a promising area with well-developed social, commercial and recreational amenities. 

The masterplan aims to develop the area as well as the lake. The key concept is living in the city while enjoying the countryside around. A small, shallow and boggy Tikhoye lake was much wider up to the 1970s, but affected by chaotic urban development, it gradually shrank. While designing the project, professional advice on the lake restoration was obtained from hydrologists, ecologists and dendrologists. Currently marshy parts of the shores and floor are being cleared, the area around the lake planted with new species, and the lake stocked with fish. According to the masterplan, the shores and the small park linking the quarter to the lake will also be landscaped. 

The quarter with different types of accommodation — urban villas, town houses and a tower block — was conceived as a single house, a kind of neighbourliness space focused around the courtyard and forming local urban community around the lake. 

The project architecture is in line with the natural context. The House by the Lake buildings of up to nine storeys lead to the water, while the tower is located inwards for a better lake view on higher floors.  

As work on the masterplan progressed, the number of storeys decreased — initially, the quarter comprised three-storey townhouses, nine-storey terraced houses, closing the quarter in the south and in the east by the lake, and a 17-storey tower. However, the lighting conditions analysis revealed  that the courtyard was too dark. To maximise solar gain, the height of terraced houses in the south was reduced to four storeys, and the two top floors in the rest of 9-storey blocks narrowed in perimeter. They were shifted back from the main facade, which resulted in more daylight penetrating the courtyard. Eventually, the terraced houses are 7 storey tall and with the two top floors resembling roof houses, the architectural diversity of the whole area is enhanced.

The house leading to the lake has a walk-through pedestrian arch which links the inner area to the shore. 

Inside the quarter three-storey town houses are located. Their section division accentuated by brick and metal, two different materials chosen for the facade, creates the sense of property for the residents. 

The tower is made up of two sections with the taller one facing the north. Wall piers gain volume from bottom to top crowning the building with a finial which creates its signature look. The height difference of the tower sections forms a roof terrace. All summer premises of the house have transparent metal railings opening the view to the city and the lake. 

The project colour scheme with natural shades of sandy brick, white stucco or metal, panels of wood and concrete visually divides large volumes and blends the residential area into its natural environment. 

The architects replaced old utility driveways with neighbouring pedestrian streets. Equally scaled and crossing the whole quarter to reach the lake, they encourage neighbourliness and add transparency and openness to the area. A large number of apartments with private entrances replicate family accommodation, imparting a cosy ambience to the street, while the tower acts as an architectural focus and landmark for residents and guests alike.

The landscape design of the project implies creating small pocket parks between the houses and green spaces along the road, private yards, a central public square with a fountain and cosy recreational zones. The trees and plants convey the sense of living in the countryside. The yard foliage blends into the greenery of public spaces creating a coherent green framework, which makes the new area sustainable and ecologically friendly.  

A balanced distribution of dedicated areas for walks, socialising and picnics, play and sports grounds makes the area accessible at different times of day and night. A promenade with restaurants, shops and household amenities housed on the ground floor stretches around the quarter and abuts onto the lake. 

The lake shores landscaping is focused on dense coverage with aquatic plants, shrubs and trees. A wooden amphitheatre, decking and a lawn, benches and gazebos will be installed for recreational purposes. It is planned to build pedestrian decking across the lake and along its shores. 

The lake is connected to the residential area not only by means of public spaces, but also with a system of rain gardens. They are designed as an artificial brook, which collects water in the new area but instead of discharging it into the storm drainage, it routes it into the lake or for plants irrigation. The fountain in the central square is also joined to the lake through the rain garden. Rainwater from the roofs is accumulated and automatically channelled into the lake, nourishing and replenishing it.