Team: Serhii Makhno, Olha Sobchyshyna, Oleksandr Makhno, Ihor Havrylenko, Maryna Hrechko, Oleksandr Bokhan, Serhii Filonchuk (Sergey Makhno Architects)
PR: Tatiana Vakula, Maria Fedko, Daria Sushko
PM: Maryna Vasylishyna
Visual design of the case: Ihor Havrylenko
Area: 2 280 m²

The task: to create a cozy and safe home in the depths of the earth.

This is a look at the simple above-ground exterior of the house from the vantage of the graveled driveway flanked by lawns on both sides and a background of tall trees in the distance.

The graveled driveway leads to this spacious front courtyard and the basement entry of the house.

This is the spacious foyer of the underground house with a large glass wall on the side showing tall trees on the other side.

A few steps from the large foyer is this massive hall that houses the living room area on one side and a large terrarium in the middle with a tall tree.

This is a closer look at the living room area on the side with comfortable chairs and a large built-in structure following the lay of the curved wall complementing it with shelves that reaches high.

On the other side of the terrarium is a modern grand piano with a sleek and unique design topped with a large dome pendant light.

The curved wall across from the bed depicts an outdoor nature scene paired with a modern fire pit in the middle.

The platform bed has a cushioned frame that extends to the large cushioned headboard. This is then complemented by large decorative lights above.

On the side of the bed is a couple of unique modern armchairs facing the outdoor scene of the wall.

At the corner of the bedroom is a large statue that stands out against the wall with its dark tone. You can also see here the large area rug underneath the bed.

This other bedroom has a minimalist feel to its gray concrete floor, curved walls and tall ceiling. These match with the gray cushioned bed in the middle of the spacious room.

The gray cushioned bed of the bedroom is topped iwth a large tall ceiling that has small recessed lights.

Across from the bed is this large curved wall that is adorned with hanging vines. There is also a simple chair on the side for a reading nook.

A few steps from the bedroom through the narrow entryway of the wall is the bathroom with similar gray concrete tones to it.

This bathroom has a shower area, sinks and a bathtub embedded onto the floor.

This is a view of the bathroom from the narrow entryway. You can see here the embedded bathtub at the far corner by the wall that is adorned with hanging vines.

This is the spacious dining room with a large dining set adorned by the row of glass window depicting shrubs on the other side.

This closer look of the dining room showcases the large glass-top dining table with wooden legs that match the surrounding chairs. These are then topped with a thin modern lighting.

This is the home theater room with a large curved wall of projected screen across from gray sectional couches and daybeds combined to create a comfortable cushioned space surrounded by a dark curved wall.

The kitchen has dark brown cabinetry that matches with the kitchen island.

These cabinetry are then complemented by a textured wall of details enhanced with lighting to set as background for the floating shelves.

These floating shelves flank the central structure that houses the cooking appliances.

This is the other side of the kitchen with its own countertop lining the wall that has a pot rack across from the kitchen island.

This is a closer look at the pot rack lining the space above the counterop of the cabinetry. You can also see here the large ent hood of the kitchen island.

This is a look at the indoor pool of the house adorned with a couple of decorative structures that look like large green glass buttons.

The indoor pool of the house glows with a green lighting from within and it follows the curvature of the wall.

At the edge of this pool is a home gym with a complete set of machines.

The pool area can be isolated from the gym with a tall set of curtains.

This is a look at the meditation room with a rock in the middle of falling water.

The ceiling of the meditation room could be changed into a cloudy sky scenery.

The ceiling of the meditation room can also be changed into a rainy sky scenery.

The ceiling of the meditation room can also be changed into a starry sky scenery.

This is the area of the house that is pet specific like walking and playing. This area has a grass lawn, decorative rocks and a tree in the middle.

This is the underground greenhouse of the house with rows of potted vegetables and herbs.

These rows of potted herbs and vegetation are lit with lamps that simulate sunlight.

These are placed on large metal structures that have three tiers of shelves for the plants.

This is the floor plan of the house depicting the different sections of the house.

“If you don’t listen to the world with an open heart and mind, if you don’t pay attention to what’s going on around you, what the air smells like, what people say, the world starts dictating its cruel, cruel rules,” says the founder and creative leader of Ukrainian design, architecture, and ceramics studio, Serhii Makhno.

We offer you a short trip to a depth of 15 meters and below. There is an autonomous house, which competes with ground residences in terms of comfort and equipment.

From the outside, Plan B resembles the entrance to a museum of modern art, or even to a military base. We tried to create a simple and concise form, which in all its perspective would speak of reliability, but also be aesthetically attractive, it would not intimidate and lets you in from both the ground and from the air.

The massive concrete structure is equipped with three entrances and a helipad on the roof. It occupies only 172 square meters and can be placed either near the main house or, in our case, somewhere in the woods.

Technological “pie”

According to international recommendations, the upper floor is at a depth of 15 meters. Penetrating deeper our “pie” has the following layers: a living space, a floor with a water treatment system and generator, a layer of electrical equipment, and at the very bottom — a well.

The Plan B bunker has three exits, and the fire-resistant evacuation “ring” can be reached from almost anywhere. This is done in case of the event of danger inside the bunker, its inhabitants do not spend time getting out (especially given the floor area), but can immediately get to the evacuation route, for example, from the bathroom or gym.

Of course, all systems in the Plan B underground building are autonomous. Water supply, sewerage, closed ventilation system with recuperation, intake, and air purification. Whatever happens on the Earth’s surface, life in Plan B will continue.

The systems will be developed in detail at the project stage together with specialized contractors. At present, we have developed a design proposal for the bunker, our own vision.

The main building mass is reinforced concrete, the strongest duo, and the optimal cost. The doors are automatic but have the option of manual control. Directly next to the entrance to the bunker, there is a disinfection shield, behind it — a quartz zone.

The main spiral staircase and elevator lead to the underground building, as well as two flights of spiral staircases for staff and loading stocks — so the flows are distributed and do not interfere with each other.

Resource

Let’s start with the fact that we have arranged a fish pool. In a separate room, there is a garden with Phyto-equipment, where you can grow vegetables and some fruits. Also on the living floor, there is a large warehouse of food. Staff rooms are grouped in a separate area.

In the underground building Plan B, there is a separate room for medical care, with an isolator and a closed area for storing stocks of medicines.

“Security comes first. My priority was ensuring comfortable sleep, temperature, quality food, water, and air. The rest is just for comfort,” says the studio’s chief engineer Olha Sobchyshyna.

Apartment with a view

The project proposal provides comfortable living for two or three families with children and staff with their families. If necessary, the project can be redesigned for a much larger number of people, but at this stage, we are interested in experimenting with the underground space in such a way as to create the illusion of being above the surface — as if you could look out the window and see the blue sky.

Plan B has two master bedrooms, which consist of a sleeping area, an enclosed storage area for things, and a bathroom. The main task in designing both was to change the awareness of space and its boundaries.

Master bedroom “Mickey”

At first glance, these apartments are no different from the terrestrial. A minimalistic and calm space, where a Kaws guards your dreams, and above the bed, are the author’s KHMARA clouds from Serhii Makhno, which never rain. But if you pay attention to the architecture of the design, you will notice the lack of sharp angles — the shape of the room is almost cylindrical. This technique is not often used in terrestrial architecture, but here it immediately helps us to create the illusion of infinity, as if the walls do not exist.

Opposite the bed, there is a stone garden, which ends with a highly sensitive screen-window, the view of which can be changed at a touch of a button on the control panel of the Smart Home system — for example, snow-capped mountains or a sleepy morning street in Kyiv. Moreover, you can “open” the window and feel a light breeze or a smell of freshly cut grass.

Master bedroom “Ivy”

Again, we do not divide the space by walls in the usual way. Between the thematic areas — only weightless partitions, which are as part of a maze that begins far beyond the horizon and ends

somewhere on the other side of the world. On a physical level, it feels like there is something behind them, leading into infinity.

In this room, for the first time in our project, stainless steel appears. When we thought about which of the materials we would like to take with us underground, this was one of the first. Concise, practical, suitable for different types of premises. Here it simultaneously divides and connects the wardrobe and the shower room.

The second trick we used in this room was a game with several levels of light. The design of the ceiling provides an allusion to a light lantern: in the ceiling, there is a dome with a LED-system, which gives the impression that above us there is the floor with windows and in these windows, there is the sky.

The space is as empty as possible, it is a place of peace, where there is nothing to be bored with during a long stay in these walls. Of the decorations, there is only quiet ivy, which does not need the sun for happiness.

“Modern people are too accustomed to freedom and lack of restrictions. Life in a bunker, even a very comfortable one, is life within frames. We tried to design the space so that people could feel them minimally, ” says a co-author of the project, architect Ihor Havrylenko.

Family values

Places of common use are as close as possible to how we used to live on earth. Here is a large dining table where all inhabitants can gather together. A library where you can stay alone, but where you will not be alone. A cinema with comfortable chairs, powerful acoustics, a 5D system, and a collection of the best films of all time.

“We decided to make the kitchen professional — cooking can become a great new hobby. In any case, residents will be here quite often. And in general, I think that stainless steel for kitchen surfaces is a great solution not only for restaurants but also for living spaces,” says a co-author of the project, designer Oleksandr Makhno.

The decor here is again a green wall, author’s KHMARA clouds, and chrome Tetrapods around the perimeter.

“For us, the task was extremely simple and difficult at the same time — to make the bunker a modern, cozy house,” says architect Oleksandr Bokhan.

A living room with a large sofa is like a cozy metropolitan apartment. And outside the window, there is a real picture of daylight as it should be on the surface. It is created so that biorhythms do not get lost and there was no substitution of the feeling of day and night.

Healthy body, healthy spirit, and future

We paid a lot of attention to the areas for sports, recreation, and recovery. The physical and spiritual bodies are an integral unit, and when one feels bad, the other cannot feel good.

Let’s start with the pool area. It is separated from the general sports zone by a screen and due to lighting it strongly differs in the mood. There is no daylight in the pool, the main source of light here is greenish

lighting at the bottom of the pool. Bluish walls, islands of “earth” — it seems like you are swimming in the night sea, not in a soulless sports pool.

The area of exercise bikes is filled with the same drive of disco halls: lighting and acoustics are appropriate here. The zone of multifunctional simulators is already a classic gym with daylight and concentration on achieving the set goals.

Thanks to such solutions, we create different scenarios, anticipating different moods: from meditatively drifting by in an imaginary sea to a hardcore workout on the back muscles.

And once more we meet the rounding of the space, it doubles in the mirrors, the flow of walls into the ceiling — all in order to create a feeling of lightness, infinity.

“We sought to create a space in which we would like to live, even when there is no apocalypse. Natural materials, the most preserved smells, textures, fibers,” comments an architect Maryna Hrechko.

In the center of the cylindrical meditation room, there is a powerful beam of light, which allows you to change the light schemes on the ceiling. It can be a starry sky, rainy sky, or even sunbeams.

“For comfort”: bike path and walks with a pet

Plan B did not forget about possible pets, equipping a special area for walking dogs. Here everything is at a maximum as on the street: wood, stones, grass. The evacuation circle can also serve as a place for long walks and for cycling.

We tried to convey the physical world as much as possible at the expense of materials and simplicity of decisions. And the intangible world — at the expense of architectural techniques, technologies, and human imagination.

“This project is a release from emotions, a reflection on the continuation of human life under any circumstances, and any attempt to find an answer to the question of whether architecture can create the impression of life at the surface while being in its depths,” sums up Serhii Makhno.