- Managing client relationships through project delivery
VLAD CHABAI
SOFTWARE SKILLS
ArchiCAD
SketchUp
Enscape
3DsMax+Corona Renderer
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Illustrator
EDUCATION
2013-2017
Architecture
Belarusian National Technical University
Minsk State College of Architecture
Minsk, BY
PUBLICATIONS| AWARDS
2023
Tokyo Urban Meditation Cabins
Competition - Honorable Mention
Buildner
2018
LEONARDO awards - 1st place
Graduation project
LANGUAGES
English (fluent)
Belarusian (native)
Russian (native)
single family residence
15 BTG-4
mixed-use housing
21 IRIDIUM HOUSE
single family residence
27 PODVIG PROJECT commercial architecture
33 SUPERMAHALLA mixed-use housing
39 NO SIGNAL CABIN competition project
AO VILLA
TYPE: Single Family Residence
LOCATION: Astana, Kazakhstan
AREA: 1800m2
PROJECT YEAR: 2021
STATUS: Under construction
AO Villa is situated in the Akbulak Riviera quarter, designed by the Level 80 | architects team. Collaborating closely with three generations of the family who will call it home, the design introduces a clear division into blocks interconnected by the main hall. Complementing the living spaces are additional recreational areas including a gym, workshop, cinema room, home office, and spa.
Reflecting the internal layout, the facade of the building features blocks finished with granite tiles and metal, adorned with wooden bars for decorative flair. Notably, a prominent element of the facade is a wall adorned with slabs of locally mined natural stone sourced near Astana.
±0.000 -0.450
CROSS SECTION
FIRST FLOOR
Bedrooms / family room
GROUND FLOOR
Living space / dining area / kitchen/home office / guest bedrooms / spa complex with swimming pool
BASEMENT
Entertainment area, gym, movie room, showroom for car, workshop, utilities.
BTG-4
TYPE: Residential housing
LOCATION: Astana, Kazakhstan AREA: 24000m2
PROJECT YEAR: 2021
STATUS: Under construction
BTG-4 stands as a residential complex in Astana’s burgeoning new district, adjacent to the forthcoming park. The project’s goal was to revitalize the morphology of housing in the city. Here, urban villas seamlessly blend with the park surroundings, while penthouses grace the uppermost floors, alongside charming townhouses.
TYPICAL
In this neighborhood, urban villas feature spacious apartments up to 200 square meters and penthouses spanning 400 square meters on the top floors. Each standard floor hosts only three apartments. Responding to the customer’s request, we incorporated closed kitchens instead of open spaces, reflecting the traditional Kazakhstan lifestyle.
CONCEPT
For the dark volume, a calm, classic structure was chosen, serving as the street-facing side while providing a backdrop to the yellow buildings. This façade presents a contemporary interpretation of classical proportions, with its main feature being fibre concrete panels featuring a wavy surface reminiscent of drapery.
The yellow volumes, distinguished by their form and colour, serve as striking accents within the composition. Their complex and memorable shapes define the block’s character. The facades are intentionally kept simple to complement the distinctive forms, with windows arranged in a straightforward grid and balconies emphasizing the design. Aluminium composite panels with a bronze tint were selected for the finishes, creating harmony with the overall aesthetic. Furthermore, bordering the park, the metal facade will create an intriguing interplay with the surroundings and atmosphere.
The main idea of the project revolves around a dialogue of distinctly different volumes, just like the interaction between man and woman. The approach aims to uncover local cultural traditions, mirroring the essence of the location. Kazakhstan’s rich multicultural and multinational identity, coupled with its breathtaking natural beauty, serves as inspiration. The goal is to harmonize and balance the diverse forms and materials of the buildings while contemplating the interplay between the West and the East, reflecting the country’s multiculturalism.
IRIDIUM
TYPE: Reconstruction/addition
LOCATION: Minsk, Belarus
TEAM: Vlad Chabai, Kirill Skorynin, AREA: 302m2
PROJECT YEAR: 2020
STATUS: Built in 2022
IRIDIUM House accommodates a family of three, located just twenty minutes from Minsk. Originally an unfinished structure, the customers were drawn to its picturesque setting near the forest and convenient transport connections to the city. The house underwent reconstruction, featuring an insulated structure with wooden windows and a sturdy folded roof.
Extensive reconstruction work was
undertaken, alongside additional requests from the customers for landscape design. This included the addition of a two-car canopy, a fire pit area, a sauna with a veranda, and retaining walls to reinforce the terrain in areas of elevation change.
FIRST FLOOR
Upon entering the long hallway, guests are greeted with a glimpse of the living room, creating an immediate pleasant impression. Adjacent to the hallway are a large closet, a guest bathroom, and utility rooms.
The hallway showcases a colour palette that seamlessly integrates the exterior with the interior. Dark shades give way to white plaster walls, ash batten panels, and microcrete flooring. The main space on the first floor serves as a communal area, connected to an outdoor terrace, kitchen, and spa.
The living room forms the primary section, featuring a comfortable seating area for gatherings and cozy fireplace evenings. Nearby, a study, guest room, and playroom are provided for added functionality.
In 2014, an architectural monument, the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, was demolished in the central square of Minsk. Our primary task was to offer an alternative to the existing building project designed in its place.
Our team conducted historical and
urban planning analyses. After that, we designed three alternative concepts for the square development on the site of the Great Patriotic War Museum building.
URBAN PLANNING SITUATION
It is not a good idea to consider the museum site separately from the area and the surrounding buildings. The neat and careful interweaving of a new object into the fabric of the city and square was our primary task. It was not only about the architectural image but also about the urban planning situation, the ability to liven up the square public space, bringing it closer to human-being proportion.
FUNCTION DIAGRAM
PUBLIC SPACES
A large amount of pedestrian transit traffic falls on Oktyabrskaya Square in the city center. Although, there are many public buildings on the square itself and next to it. All of them are designed only for specific events at certain times of the day. There is no public space on the square with free access where you can relax or hide from bad weather.
The planning of Oktyabrskaya Square was close to a certain symmetry. The volumes of the buildings that framed it balanced each other and closed the square. A kind of compositional failure was formed after the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War was demolished. The spacious area began to seem even bigger. The Palace of the Republic ceased to be the center of the composition, despite its symmetrical facades.
It was essential to consider the highaltitude and compositional components of Oktyabrskaya Square in the design
process. These components developed historically. The new volume should balance the building of Beltelecom, and on the other hand, not conflict with the Palace of Culture of Trade Unions. The planning of Oktyabrskaya Square was close to a certain symmetry. The volumes of the buildings that framed it balanced each other and closed the square. A kind of compositional failure was formed after the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War was demolished. The spacious area began to seem even bigger. The Palace of the Republic ceased to be the center of the composition, despite its symmetrical facades.
It was essential to consider the highaltitude and compositional components of Oktyabrskaya Square in the design process. These components developed historically. The new volume should balance the building of Beltelecom, and on the other hand, not conflict with the Palace of Culture of Trade Unions.
SUPERMAHALLA: URBAN RURAL LIVING
TYPE: Residential architecture
LOCATION: Kokand, Uzbekistan
AREA: 19.010m2
PROJECT YEAR: 2023
STATUS: Under construction
Supermahalla is a mixed-use building. Mahalla in Uzbekistan means a neighborhood or local community but originally the word “mahalla” came from the Arabic language translating as “locality”. In Uzbekistan, mahalla is a separate self-governing public organization and basically each Uzbek is a member of a mahalla. The role and importance of mahallas have always been invaluable in carefully preserving the multi-ethnic Uzbek people’s national and universal human values, culture, way of life, thoughts and spirituality that have been passed down
for generations. On assignment for the design was to be 4 separate blocks with separate towers. But as we analyzed the city and the design area, it became clear that there must be something different. The project concept is based on the established tradition of housing development in the region.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
1. Plot area - 3.6 ha. Building area - 2.8ha;
2. Organization of courtyard spaces;
3. Implementation of breaks and arches;
4. Establishment of private spaces and pedestrian connections;
5. Creating underground parking lots. Parking area - 13.270 m2
Number of parking lots - 265;
6. Filling a constructed area with standard blocks;
7. Corner block design;
8. Definition of construction stages;
APARTMENT FLOOR PLAN
Photo of Uzbek traditional mahalla
Entrance hall - 6.5m2
Corridor - 4.9m2
Bathroom - 5.1m2
Bedroom - 13.2m2
Bedroom - 18.8m2
Bathroom - 4.6m2
Living/dining/kitchen - 41.1m2
Corridor - 2.1m2
Bedroom - 17.2m2
Walk-in closet - 3.6m2
Bathroom - 3.4m2
Home office - 10.7m2
Balcony - 1.6m2
Terrace - 23.5m2
1. Mountain landscape as an element of identity. Something eternal and meaningful.
2. Creation a regular modular grid. 3. A unique volume with a lot of gardens on the roof.
NO
SIGNAL
TYPE: Competition project
LOCATION: Tokyo, Japan
AREA: 6m2
PROJECT YEAR: 2022
NO SIGNAL meditation cabin is an embodiment of simplicity. The cabin provides space where you can communicate with yourself and nature. Its size is 6 m2; and it’s completely free from electronic devices and artificial lights, which is such a rarity in a busy, rapid city life. The minimalist structure has only one opening on the ceiling and a small gleam of light from the bottom. The absence of windows in the walls prevents you from distraction by life outside of the cabin while it encourages you to spend a quality
time with yourself and with the main inhabitant of this space - a natural element. A natural element, such as a stone garden or a planted tree, that would be planted during the installation; it’s the main detail of the space. While meditating in front of a tree, a visitor can build its own relationship with it. The tree becomes a unifying symbol for all the people that have experienced the cabin in private. Even if the cabin is once demolished, the tree will remain and after 50 years you can visit it as a friend, as someone you knew close.
The cabin interior consists of two parts. The part to the left from the entrance is a minimalist cubicle 1,6 by 1,3 meters and 2 meters high.
The front door consists of an outer panel and an inner one which is constructed as a box. The box is adjacent to the outer door panel, it has a locker for personal items in order to keep the seating area clean and free to move.
During meditation a person sits facing a natural element in the second half of the cabin.
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04. Steel roof sheet with 2% slope
05. Door with a locker
06. Internal plywood finishing
07.
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09. Soil bed with a tree
10. Timber frame base made with 50*100 timber planks
Wall top plate made out of steel
Shou sugi ban outer finishing
50*100 timber frame outer shell
100mm. Hemp flax nature insulation
Timber frame main structure made with 50*100 timber lambs
