lens installation uses rhythmic timber slats to frame island’s historic churches

The Lens: a secluded viewpoint aligns Kizhi’s historic churches

Set on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia, Kizhi Island is home to the Kizhi Pogost, a globally recognized masterpiece of traditional timber architecture inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990. The 18th-century ensemble is celebrated as the only surviving historical complex in Russia featuring two multi-domed wooden churches enclosed within a single precinct: the 22-domed Church of the Transfiguration (1714), rising 37 meters with structural log joinery executed entirely without nails, the nine-domed Church of the Intercession, and an octagonal wooden bell tower. Beyond the central Pogost, the surrounding open-air museum reserve preserves over 80 vernacular timber monuments scattered across the northern lake landscape.

The Lens installation occupies the northernmost tip of the island in a secluded sector of the museum reserve. This positioning creates a rare, non-canonical perspective of the Kizhi Pogost from north to south. From this vantage point, the stepped cupolas of both historic churches visually align and merge into a singular sculpted silhouette, while framing vernacular monuments along the path, including the historic windmill and the Chapel of the Archangel Michael.

all images ©Design Wood Home

A timber Art Object Framing the UNESCO Heritage of Kizhi Island

The art object is designed by Design Wood Home Studio as a spatial portal with a bench, serving as a viewing frame for panoramas of the Kizhi Pogost. The inner contour of the cut-out echoes the recognizable silhouette of church cupolas, interpreting the historic sculptural quality through a contemporary architectural language. Placed at a viewpoint, this micro-structure works as a living focal aperture: it frames the surrounding landscape, turning it into a natural architectural composition and offering visitors a unique perspective on the historical monuments.

The object’s tectonics are rooted in the traditional wooden lemekh of the Russian North, small individual shingles that historically covered the curved surfaces of church cupolas. This principle has been scaled to the entire volume of The Lens: while retaining its basic inner frame shape, the whole object is a rhythmic structure of modular wooden slats that reinterpret the traditional lemekh. The relief surface creates a play of light and shadow and a sense of depth that changes with the viewing angle and lighting conditions. Orientation was a key consideration. The object faces from north to south and frames the Kizhi Pogost. The siting decision was verified by the shadow, which fell precisely along the axis toward the Pogost at exactly 12:00.

The Lens occupies a secluded viewpoint at the northern tip of Kizhi Island

the timber installation frames a rare northern view of the Kizhi Pogost

The Lens aligns the stepped cupolas of Kizhi’s historic churches

the timber portal connects contemporary design with Kizhi’s vernacular building traditions

modular wooden slats form the structure’s textured outer surface

The Lens combines a spatial portal with an integrated wooden bench

individual timber elements reinterpret the shingled surfaces of historic cupolas

the rhythmic slats create a changing pattern of light and shadow

the relief surface gives the timber structure depth and tactile variation

the inner contour echoes the sculptural silhouette of the church cupolas

modular wooden slats follow a rhythmic stepped arrangement pattern

project info:

name: The Lens: An Art Object Framing the UNESCO Heritage of Kizhi Island

architects: Design Wood Home

lead architect: Evgeny Makarenko

design team: Angelika Manzhiley, Alexey Ushakov, Natalia Abarinova

implementation: Evgeny Makarenko, Mikhail Shatokhin, Feodor Dobysh

location: Kizhi Island, Russia

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edited by: Christina Vergopoulou | designboom