The house is located in a scenically privileged position, high on a hillside in a domestic agreement in which a small church also is a part. The dominant view and an excellent south- west exposure are a palpable presence in every space of the house.
Studio Name: studio duearchitetti
Design Team: Paolo Gelso – Nicoletta Binello architects
Area: residential
Year: 2017
Location: Varese
Photography Credits: Simone Bossi Photografer
We’ve been working on a design maintaining the firstly allowed out architectural conception including two situations in order to acclimatize the design to the steep pitch of the ground. The lower position presents a longitudinal and hypogean development integrated in the hillside as a natural gravestone sundeck. Then you’ll find bedrooms, plant and fitness zone.
Centralness and individuality characterize, on the negative, the upper position of the living area that, as a gemstone is resting on the structure and therefore remains fixed, has come the top entrance from the high- positioned road. On this position the out-of-door spaces take a longitudinal trend; towards north the pool is going out from the section of the gravestone wall, on the contrary side a large sundeck opens itself on the top of the garage.
The design challenge, which we’ve felt important from the morning, has been how to succeed in managing, in the inside of the house, all of the outside nature, the numerous types of sky with different and strong rainfall conditions, without clashing feelings.
Observation and protection have come the objects of the design.
The will to involve all the outside beauty is coinciding with the contrary approach to produce closeness and attention inside the house.
On one side you have large glass shells which as a segmented diaphragm opens the house to the scenic nature, on the other side rustic bodies and functional rudiments that are carrying us into the organism of the house, tracing flowing and nonstop passages along the glass shells for also to enter thesemi-darkness of the inner spaces.
The description of the organism has also taken shape from the appreciation of the dynamics of two persons ’ common life with different measures and characters identify and understand each person’s liberty, the areas to divide and those to cover.
This is transferred into a flowing, nonstop space without interruptions. The borders aren’t defined, the spaces are changing following
the metrical moments of the day. Big full- height sliding panels are modelling ideal apartments, creating crevices for company, light and curiosity like a dynamic play. We did n’t want it to be necessary to “ close a door ” in order to insulate a room.
A farther control of the design has been the attention to the dynamics of the natural borders of light and shadow which are drawn on the bottom at the different moments of the day. The concrete bottom of the upper position emphasises and highlights the discrepancy between light and darkness; the borders in the autumn feel sharp and precise. On the negative, the rustic bottom of the lower position absorbs and mitigates the differences; the shadow tones are softer, the atmosphere more comforting.
Outdoors near the windows of the living room the pool water is reflecting the variability of the sky. Outside, within a short distance, the fire of a brazier placed on the bottom creates heat and gives company in the cold downtime days.
