Abstract
The 7-storey building is notionally modular, with all elements, but not all modules, being constructed offsite. This represents a radical innovation for Georgian architecture, where offsite construction is still in its infancy.
Inspired by both American architect James Wines’ collage “Highrise of Homes”, with its greenhouse style living spaces, and by architects Brodsky & Utkin’s “Columbarium Habitable”, the concept for this scheme is houses with gardens stacked on top of each other to form a single residential block. The modular living rooms are configured as alternating oval and rectangular forms that create a rhythmical vertical pattern within the grid facade. As a modification to James Wines' vision, the Garden House’s verandas offer ample space for outdoor planting.
The project celebrates individuality within collectivity — a vertical community where residents experience the privacy and openness of suburban living, but in a compact, urban form. It challenges conventional notions of apartment living, proposing instead an environment where spatial generosity, daylight, and landscape integration are paramount.
General description
The site is located to the North-West of Tbilisi, in the Saburtalo district, on a sloping hill near Lisi lake, with views over the city. A series of high-profile practices – Architects of Invention, Riccardo Bofill and UN Studio - have been commissioned to populate the masterplan with radically different, new build, 5 - 7 storey residential blocks, that will sit alongside a number of private houses.
The Garden House consists of 42 units over 7, uniquely configured residential floors, with ground floor commercial space and basement car parking. The building is vertically divided into three blocks. Each block contains a one-way staircase and an elevator cell with two flats located on each landing. The apartments on the standard floors have views both to the east and west, while the upper floors offer more luxurious, duplex apartments.
The building’s orientation captures panoramic views to the east over Tbilisi and to the west toward the hills. Most units are dual-aspect, allowing for abundant natural light and cross-ventilation. The façades display a remarkable degree of geometric precision, alternating between flat and curved surfaces to create a sculptural expression that shifts with the daylight.
Concept. Context & Strategy
The project emerged within the framework of a Development Regulation Plan (DRP) that dictated specific parameters for site use — including maximum height, footprint, and overall building volume. Within these constraints, the design team developed a clear strategy: to create an architectural form that simultaneously adheres to regulation and transcends conventional block typologies. The resulting building reinterprets the masterplan’s density requirements through an elegant stacking of modular “garden houses”, each designed to maximise natural light, ventilation, and outdoor space.
One of the major design challenges was to reconcile fire-safety regulations with spatial freedom. Georgian building codes stipulate that no single escape core should serve more than 500 sqm per floor. This led to a tripartite vertical division, yielding three distinct circulation cores, each serving two units per level. This solution not only complied with regulation but also enhanced user experience by reducing shared circulation and creating a sense of semi-privacy within each cluster of homes.
The dual-aspect layout ensures that each apartment enjoys views toward both the city and the adjacent hills. The “glass rooms” — semi-enclosed winter gardens facing the city — act as mediators between interior and exterior, enabling year-round use of the terraces. These generous balconies were the subject of extensive negotiation with the developer, ultimately becoming a defining architectural feature of the scheme.
The design strategy embraces the topography and orientation of the site, using the slope to conceal parking levels and elevate residential floors for optimal vistas. The result is a carefully balanced composition — a modular yet expressive structure that responds to both environmental and regulatory constraints while prioritising quality of living and architectural character.
Construction. Materials & Structure
Lisi Garden House employs a hybrid concrete-and-steel structural system designed for efficiency, resilience, and elegance. Three reinforced concrete cores anchor the building, providing vertical stability and housing the circulation and services. The floors are defined by a distinctive concrete waffle slab — a triangulated grid that both reduces material use and increases load-bearing performance. This structural approach enhances vibration control, reduces reinforcement density, and contributes to the building’s thermal mass, supporting energy efficiency through passive means.
The façade is composed of high-quality double-glazed glass panels set within slender aluminium frames, alternating with areas of exposed concrete. Some sections feature back-painted glass to conceal structural or service zones, maintaining visual uniformity. The balconies and terraces are finished with white marble slabs, a durable and elegant surface that complements the minimalist palette.
Sustainability is inherent in the building’s logic: offsite prefabrication reduced on-site waste and construction time, while the use of fewer materials enhances long-term maintainability. The exposed concrete requires minimal upkeep, and the façade system ensures thermal efficiency through airtight glazing and solar gain control. The structure’s simplicity and durability make it a low-maintenance, high-performance design — a modern prototype for sustainable housing in Georgia’s evolving urban context.
