Simple lines and authentic materials define the space of this architecture designed for a family, a single house on two levels plus an underground level.
The house is spread over a single, contained lot which generated the new volume. This lot belongs to a former rural area that underwent a significant transformation during the seventies, becoming a residential neighborhood. The existing house contained in the lot was built in that years, but it did not have the features to harbor this new family anymore and presented some important issues that could be solved only with its total demolition.
The concept behind this design is simple yet effective, with a square plan where spaces and functions are distributed thanks to a cross principle. Concrete plays a central role in the developing of this design, giving a precise character and identity to the building’s primary elements. This identity is proposed again on the outside, with a big canopy and a dividing wall collaborating to create a well-defined outdoor space surrounded by the garden.
The central wall, casted in place, is structural and at the same time has a central organizing task, becoming a side scene of the everyday life happening inside the house. It sharply divides the living area, opens up where necessary to create connections between the different areas of the house an dynamically transforms itself to accommodate various devices: for instance, a big opening is made at the ground level, allowing a concrete fireplace and sitting spot to take place between the dining and living rooms; hosts the stairway that connects all the house’s levels; at the first level it develops some empty spots in order to create overlooks on the double height of the dining room; at the underground level this wall, characterized by a slats texture, becomes the backdrop of a concrete bench.
The project develops the living area at the ground level, with an entrance from the street defined by a black colored emptying of the facade. The entrance leads to a hallway that ends into the living area, highlighted by a double height and wide windows that overlook the garden. The kitchen, the living room, a bathroom and service spaces are located on this level. At the first level three bedrooms and another bathroom find place, linked through a wide hallway equipped with a glass parapet (guard) that allows to look out into the double height opened on the lower level of the house.
The underground level hosts the thermal power plant, a bathroom and a room with a kitchen overlooking a cavedium, which takes advantage of a great exposition that contributes to make the underground room well illuminated and welcoming.