The project is located in the surroundings of Lago d’Orta, inside the headquarters of the faucet company Quadro. Our intervention, focused on the design of the exteriors and the restoration of an old electrical cabin located inside the property, corresponds to the second phase of a wider intervention, following the redesigning of the offices and showroom occurred in 2022.

The client's desire was to introduce in the property new flexible and dynamic spaces that could be lived from Magistro’s family, owner of the company, yet used for commercial purposes or as an artist’s residence. A concrete plateau identifies as a sort of public square from which three volumes emerge, subtly and flexibly defining various potential uses of the space: the cabin, the pergola, and the swimming pool.

The renovation and reuse of the abandoned electrical cabin, given its unusual shape for an inhabited space, becomes an opportunity for spatial experimentation. A system of sliding doors almost blurs the border between the exterior and the interior, which is consequently felt as in direct connection with the outside. The interior accommodates some technical functions, such as a bathroom and a mini kitchen, which can also serve as support for activities carried out outdoors. The building thus becomes a small activator of the company’s open spaces.

The vertical dimension of the building is exploited through two mezzanines connected by a system of metal stairs. The first intermediate slab, more generous in dimensions, is made of natural wood and accommodates a bed. The second one, pre-existing and in concrete, is transported into a more domestic dimension creating an intimate space in direct contact with the light entering from a window near the roof.

The material and color choices aim to create a neutral and absolute space, almost sacred. With no additional colors, the materials preserve their natural texture and identity, flooded with light.

The pergola, located on the edge of the concrete plateau, perpendicular to the cabin, is built with tubular profiles in galvanized steel arranged in 5 spans with a regular pitch of 2.6 m. The first two spans can accommodate a lounge or dining area, while a custom-made long kitchen counter, made of stone and sheet metal, occupies other two spans and is protected by a roof made of light corrugated iron panels.

A small swimming pool completes the intervention and defines its boundary. Sunken into the ground only for part of its depth, it looks as emerging from the concrete flooring as a monolithic volume in anthracite stone, recalling the volume of the kitchen and creating the occasion for a large seat.

Team:

Design team: studio wok
Client: Quadro srl
Photos: Marcello Mariana studio

Materials Used:

Fioroni, Ardenno (SO): custom made furniture
Officine del Ferro: windows and iron carpenter
Genuit: lighting
Godi Fratelli srl: stone works
Il Giardino, azienda floricola: garden