HOUSE IN CASTELLO

Project stems from a thorough investigation of the architectural features of the place. Castel San Pietro Romano is situated 800 meters above sea level to the east of Rome, in ancient acropolis of Praeneste (now Palestrina) to 70 km from capital. Place, where the film was made in 1953 “pane amore e fantasia” by Comencini, is today a small village compact, consisting of narrow streets and houses covered with plaster. Ancient walls that surround it from a fortress dating back to 1000, allows view from the road of series of volumes builded in various ages. House is one of these entities and contains five levels. Its development in height makes a wonderful 360-degree of the landscape view. Previously ancient wall of the town was included into the wall house between a first extension and original nucleus (1900) , led to the total loss of perception of historical traces. First operation has been to read sequence of interventions over the years, through distinction between series of extensions and first old house. The design firm line between old and new is guaranteed by the presence of a long window 10 meters high and 90cm wide, allowing in this way the reading of the historical walls of village. Old house, before completely plastered, today introduced an internal coating of stone-faced, while the exterior has been restored plaster, in line with the rest of the village. Extension block (the volume of superfluous), connected to the rest of the house only through a spiral staircase, was renovated and plastered, leaving only the stone wall coincides with the center. Both volumes, characterized by a minimal intervention able to allow the reading of all the materials and construction technology used, contains a series of colored and transparent walls. Designed as horizontal and vertical crossed planes with the aim of creating a spatial perception of interior space always different, the walls sharing space in three levels a living room, kitchen and bathroom on the ground and two upper levels we can find bedroom, a living plan, a study and services. Inside house nucleus everything is visible, even the roof. A large library iron entirely visible scans all levels reaching up to the roof sheet metal and iron girders.Extension volume, always divided by glass or colored walls contains a whirlpool bath room with dressing room, a bedroom, a study and their services.