A Russian Architect’s Ethereal Glass Houses Have Captivated the Internet

Futuristic, minimalist, and fantastically rendered, the conceptual houses of architect Alex Nerovnya have captured the imagination of many an architecture buff. The Russian designer, who leads a team of five in Moscow, recently catapulted to Instagram stardom with his modern glass-roofed proposal for the Notre Dame, which was devastated by fire in April 2019. However, the main focus of his Instagram feed of architectural eye candy are the glossily rendered homes he creates for clients around the world—from mirrored-glass cabins to Tesla Cybertruck–inspired dwellings—all set in sublime and remote scenes of nature. We talked with Nerovnya about his beginnings, the Wrightian inspirations behind his  designs, and the tools of his trade.

How did you become interested in architecture and 3D artistry? 

AN: I have always enjoyed the general professional sphere of architecture and construction. When I was in high school, I would spend hours watching massive construction sites in Moscow. It was not until I enrolled into one of undergraduate programs in the Moscow Architectural Institute that I managed to solidify my passions into a somewhat definite direction of architectural design. 

I began work as a full-fledged architect no more than three years ago. Before that I was essentially still in training, and was developing my own designs while performing irregular projects for local customers in Moscow. I was also running a small school of 3D graphics with my primary partner Andrey Kozyrev. Later we became cofounders of an architectural design studio, employing a team of five architects, designers, and engineers. Some of them actually graduated from our 3D school, and we were so confident in their ability that we decided to create something much bigger together.