The retreat is located in the remote village of Kazhma, deep in Karelia, surrounded by forest and far from urban centers. Commissioned by two brothers who spent childhood summers here, the project aims to open Kazhma to visitors while bringing new life to a place shaped by depopulation.
Global Design & Architecture Design Awards 2025
First Award | Hospitality (Built)
Project Name: Zaonezhie boutique hotel
Category: Hospitality (Built)
Studio Name: RHIZOME
Design Team: Tatiana Sinelnikova, Eugeny Reshetov,
Ekaterina Rostova, Yana Demina, Ilya Belyakov, Valeria Levshankina
Area: Plot Size 1 ha, Built-up Area 1085 sq m
Year: 2024
Location: Kazhma village, Medvezhyegorsky District, Republic of Karelia, Russia
Consultants:
Photography Credits: Dmitry Chebanenko
Render Credits:
Other Credits:
The complex includes two guest houses, a sauna, and the main building – a hotel with a hall for yoga and events – all designed to blend with the landscape and offer views of the lake. Each building balances privacy and openness, with distinct silhouettes that share a common architectural language. The hotel is the heart of the complex, containing guest rooms, a restaurant, a library, and a multipurpose hall for wellness and cultural gatherings. This hall acts as the conceptual center, fostering calm and connection with nature.
On the ground floor, the hotel features a welcoming lobby, reception, bar, restaurant, and a library-lounge. Service spaces – staff quarters, kitchen, and storage inspired by traditional northern Pomor huts – are also located here. Guest rooms occupy the second floor, offering comfortable and affordable stays.
In keeping with the idea of local revitalization, construction involved local craftsmen and relied on timber sourced from the region. The material, often roughly cut and imperfect, was embraced as part of the project’s authenticity, tying the buildings to the cultural and economic reality of Karelia.
Architecturally, the retreat adopts simple orthogonal volumes with near-Suprematist clarity. These geometric forms remain rooted in northern traditions. Wooden shingles (lemekh) cover the façades, produced and installed by the same restorers working on the 18th-century churches of Kizhi Island. A band of “volokovye” windows stretches across the western elevation, echoing vernacular precedents while reframing the landscape.
Set within soft, folded terrain, the austere forms contrast with natural irregularities, allowing architecture and landscape to heighten each other’s presence. This dialogue between clarity and fluidity defines the retreat’s character.
A key principle was preserving the site’s ecological qualities. The land had been altered by earthworks, leaving mounds of excess soil. Over time, these became covered with grasses and wild plants, forming a spontaneous topography. Instead of erasing these traces, the project incorporated them, enriching the hills with plantings and making them part of its identity.
This ecological sensitivity extends to the broader setting of Kazhma, a lakeside village on Lake Onega that serves as a nesting ground for many bird species. Their presence in summer forms part of the site’s atmosphere. The project’s interventions safeguard this fragile coexistence by keeping the landscape porous and resilient, preserving biodiversity while framing a dialogue between architecture, northern nature, and the cultural legacy of the Russian North.
