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Hillside House 2010
Hillside House 2010
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Hillside House 2010
Introduction, by Ciro Coatiti.
The history of this project is rather peculiar. Originally based on a pavilion theme, it was created from scratch, entirely in a computer aided design environment, without any preliminary sketches.
A first version of the project, inspired by Philip Johnson's Gatehouse in New Canaan, Connecticut, went through several iterations but was eventually abandoned, and left in a drawer for nearly four years. As it happens, sometimes an opportunity present itself when one least expects it: the project was recovered from storage and reworked into its present, more definitive shape.
The project was conceived as one might say, entirely in-house and as such it is our first project created entirely in the digital domain; not a single scrap of paper, nor a particle of graphite, nor a drop of ink was expended in its creation.
After long years at the drawing board, we have now arrived at a point where computer graphics enable us to represent our work in ways no one would dare to even imagine during the seventies and eighties. To use a familiar analogy, it's somewhat akin to spending long hours in the photographers darkroom and then discovering that image manipulation software can do the same job in mere minutes. For those of us who belong to a generation split between analogue and digital, manual craftsmanship and gigabytes, idealism and apprehension, the leaving behind of all traditional methods certainly represents somewhat of a shift. Nonetheless, we continue to experience the dissociation between the affection for the material quality of artwork made with pastels or watercolours where each stroke is committed and correcting errors is difficult, and a certain unease with the potential for perfection of imagery that is infinitely tweakable. However this conflict also puts us in a position where we can attempt to obtain the best of both worlds. Thirty years ago, one might have said that one's life could be more or less clearly divided in two parts: one in which one learns, and one in which one makes a living with that which one has learned. However, for most architects who have worked through the last quarter of a century, this no longer holds true: the breakneck speed of technological innovation now forces us to learn and re-learn in a constant cycle, and we believe this will become a rather interesting challenge in the near future. That said, we think that the present project appears somewhat unusual when compared to most projects that make up our body of work. The fact that it has been created entirely in a CAD environment might have contributed: detailed exploration of more articulated shapes with such a tool is easier, and certainly quicker, than when done with pencil on paper.
Project description
The project is situated on a hillside lot with a significant slope, and therefore requires ample terracing such a part of the external space around the house be usable. The hillside facade encloses a bedroom and associated bathroom. It is composed of three segments reaching up beyond the line of the roof, with different inclinations, the resulting gaps being filled in with glass. Large glazed cut-outs have been applied to the corners and to the central segment of the hillside façade. These intersect with the line of the roof, which thus becomes a visible demarcation between interior and exterior space. At the base of the façade a pool, extending beyond the façade on both sides, reflects its discontinuous surfaces. In the side of the pool, which doubles as the house's perimeter wall, a number of glazed slots allow an underwater view of the pool from the house's basement level. The downhill façade is surrounded by a spacious terrace and faces the sea, its glass surfaces enclosing a large living room which runs the full length of the structure, screened by vertical shades. Its optimal exposure towards the north-east avoids an excessive greenhouse-effect. The main entrance is located on the glazed corner of the south-east façade, and gives direct access to the living quarters.A basement level provides utility space and a garage, the latter accessible from the public road through a short tunnel.
The history of this project is rather peculiar. Originally based on a pavilion theme, it was created from scratch, entirely in a computer aided design environment, without any preliminary sketches.
A first version of the project, inspired by Philip Johnson's Gatehouse in New Canaan, Connecticut, went through several iterations but was eventually abandoned, and left in a drawer for nearly four years. As it happens, sometimes an opportunity present itself when one least expects it: the project was recovered from storage and reworked into its present, more definitive shape.
The project was conceived as one might say, entirely in-house and as such it is our first project created entirely in the digital domain; not a single scrap of paper, nor a particle of graphite, nor a drop of ink was expended in its creation.
After long years at the drawing board, we have now arrived at a point where computer graphics enable us to represent our work in ways no one would dare to even imagine during the seventies and eighties. To use a familiar analogy, it's somewhat akin to spending long hours in the photographers darkroom and then discovering that image manipulation software can do the same job in mere minutes. For those of us who belong to a generation split between analogue and digital, manual craftsmanship and gigabytes, idealism and apprehension, the leaving behind of all traditional methods certainly represents somewhat of a shift. Nonetheless, we continue to experience the dissociation between the affection for the material quality of artwork made with pastels or watercolours where each stroke is committed and correcting errors is difficult, and a certain unease with the potential for perfection of imagery that is infinitely tweakable. However this conflict also puts us in a position where we can attempt to obtain the best of both worlds. Thirty years ago, one might have said that one's life could be more or less clearly divided in two parts: one in which one learns, and one in which one makes a living with that which one has learned. However, for most architects who have worked through the last quarter of a century, this no longer holds true: the breakneck speed of technological innovation now forces us to learn and re-learn in a constant cycle, and we believe this will become a rather interesting challenge in the near future. That said, we think that the present project appears somewhat unusual when compared to most projects that make up our body of work. The fact that it has been created entirely in a CAD environment might have contributed: detailed exploration of more articulated shapes with such a tool is easier, and certainly quicker, than when done with pencil on paper.
Project description
The project is situated on a hillside lot with a significant slope, and therefore requires ample terracing such a part of the external space around the house be usable. The hillside facade encloses a bedroom and associated bathroom. It is composed of three segments reaching up beyond the line of the roof, with different inclinations, the resulting gaps being filled in with glass. Large glazed cut-outs have been applied to the corners and to the central segment of the hillside façade. These intersect with the line of the roof, which thus becomes a visible demarcation between interior and exterior space. At the base of the façade a pool, extending beyond the façade on both sides, reflects its discontinuous surfaces. In the side of the pool, which doubles as the house's perimeter wall, a number of glazed slots allow an underwater view of the pool from the house's basement level. The downhill façade is surrounded by a spacious terrace and faces the sea, its glass surfaces enclosing a large living room which runs the full length of the structure, screened by vertical shades. Its optimal exposure towards the north-east avoids an excessive greenhouse-effect. The main entrance is located on the glazed corner of the south-east façade, and gives direct access to the living quarters.A basement level provides utility space and a garage, the latter accessible from the public road through a short tunnel.
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