Our home is as much a complex array of different spaces as it is the set of the so many different activities we live. We as a studio try to design houses with the most proper atmosphere for each one of the different spaces that compose the entire building, so that each of the activities of the house (dining, sleeping, reading, relaxing, playing, talking, etc.) can have an apt ambiance. Our houses are therefore conceived like a series of sub-spaces put together in a general composition. Though, the use is defined just for some of them, and undefined for many others. Thus this is not functionalism, as space is not strictly related to a function, but more to a feeling and to a sense of freedom in the use. At the same time all these different ambiances have to be under the same roof, so it's the structure of the house that has to give a general order to the construction. As in a good recipe you have to understand the single flavour of each ingredient while at the same time you have to perceive the plate as a whole.
Villa II was specifically born from the needs of its inhabitants, built around its internal spaces through the presence of the architectural elements, the relationship between spaces and landscape, the nature of materials and the quality of light. The plot is in an urban area of recent realization. The entire area is conceived as a series of isolated objects with no notable relationship between each other. As a consequence the house tries to refer more to the elements of the landscape, such as hills and distant significative historical buildings, rather than to its built neighbours. The ground floor is closed in a walled garden, that gives privacy from the street and adjacent plots, allowing views towards the hills and the landscape. The first floor is characterized by decks with great views through the landscape. The living room, separated from the garden through the porch and a glass wall, creates a proper ambiance for relax giving at the same time the feelings of protection and freedom. Protection and freedom are the two main feelings that inspired the design of the house.
The sense of construction is conceptually derived from a mass of masonry that becomes more excavated as it becomes more exposed to the sun. Masonry is sometimes stone and more often it is plastered. The house derives conceptually from Italian 'Cascine', the rural buildings of Po Valley. Though the outcome may seem completely different, this building, as the Cascine, is of solid masonry, with very little openings on the North facade and a great South-oriented portico. This is also strongly energy efficient. There is also a large use of local stones and wood.
This building is also provided with a complex system of home automation that, based on ABB KNX system, was designed and realized by SEPA Snc. The system allows the complete control, both on site and from remote via tablet or smartphone, of lightning, openings, temperature of different spaces, music, TV, video doorphone etc. It is extremely intuitive and easy to use and customizable.
