A modern artist decides to build a villa on a rather small sloping piece of land located in a forested area to spend some time in peace and quiet away from the city. To create a sensational atmosphere and capture the interest of our client the most important thing in the design process was to create a connection between the interior and the exterior. What matters in this project is not merely the formulations of composition and proportions, but creating a rich appreciation of the atmosphere.
It was essential to design this building in a way that the artist unconsciously could obtain his lived experience from the interaction of the villa and the surrounding nature; from symbols that could intensify the inner sense of suspense and the dynamics of the landscape. The silence of the building along with the pleasant sounds of the countryside, originating from the infinite nature, can be a metaphor of inner peace and the presence and integrity of the artist’s spirit with the outside world, as the artist must hear to create and silence is the most important prerequisite for hearing.
As usual, we tried to not only consider the qualities of a work of art in this structure, but also create a powerful atmosphere that impresses the client through a well-adjusted combination of form and content. We intended to initiate an interaction between the building and the site. A kind of give and take, a kind of reciprocal care and support. This structure is similar to an encompassing object in the environment.
In order to emphasize the interactive qualities of this structure, it is necessary to examine the design foundation and the connection between the outside and the inside. In this project, any sequence of architecture that somehow impresses the client and includes novelty is considered essential. In the entrance sequence, the purpose of the extensive reflection of the building in the pool constructed in front of the villa, next to the preceding entrance is showing a clear contradiction, as if an invisible hand or a hug invites visitors to stay and start a dialogue.
The Japanese garden, next to the artist’s bedroom and in the corner of the building, forms a peaceful environment. The entrance corridor which is like a stretched gallery interrupts the depth of space. Subsequently, there is a fireplace with forest view: the contrast between the calmness of the building and the crackling sounds of fire builds an appropriate atmosphere for an artist.
The relationship between the built space and the sky visible through windows and ceiling openings consistently continues. Besides all the common spaces in any building, next to the kitchen, here we have a play area which is located in the coziest part of the house and is specially made for the artist, a kind of personal studio that, while being solitary and cozy on the inside, overlooks a shallow pool, reflecting blue sky and the surrounding trees.
As if there is an ongoing dialogue between the inside and the outside; an inner conversation between the artist, the sky, the water, and the trees.
With walls sitting on lines like snakes and crawling back and forth, we considered a new lived experience so that an artist could be safely surrounded by a secluded space in the modern age and get surprised by its tranquility absent in urban life regarding materials, a combination of cement and paint, one of our most favorite choices, was used.
Although moss and algae will most probably affect the facade after a while, the use of paint on cement can always keep the building exterior fresh looking. Glass is also largely used to provide a vast direct view of the outside. The juxtaposition of such materials can add a mysterious quality to the villa also resulting from the relationship between transparency, rigidity, and fluidity.
The presence and weight of the elements are significant and by their combination, we tried to create a new experience. We believe that architecture is meant to complete spaces in the best way possible, systematically arranging the surrounding objects in space, and not merely creating places to be filled with furniture.
Undeniably, regarding the climate of the location, seasonal changes and the elements used in the building, time will definitely leave its trace.
Therefore, we have tried to provide the best possible view for the audience by contrasting inside and outside and through intertwining framing lines; a view associated with tranquility that can deceive time. In fact, we meant to show architecture as part of the surrounding environment, and to do this, the level of familiarity of the structure as an object was important to us. The density of the building’s volume, the interior space, and the balance between the mass and space along with the interaction of all the other elements, contributed to the communication of the villa with its surroundings.