The project is about a small existing three-level villa overlooking Lake Muzzano, just above Lugano in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland for a family with three young childrens. A renovation of the entire property aimed at expanding the outdoor spaces of the terrace and the basement as well as the re-design of the interiors.
PROJECT TITLE: Dans le noir
PLACE: Breganzona, Lugano, Swittzerland
DATE: Jenuary 2019 – July 2020 / gennaio 2019 – luglio 2020
CLIENT: Private
ARCHITECTS: ITCH sa
ENGINEERING: Cattaneo M. sa and Casanova Ingegneria sa
PROJECT TEAM: Giulia Castelli, Alessandro Mingolo, Marco Corazza, Daniele Torresin
COLLABORATORS: Norbert Matter (Construction Supervision)
BUILT UP SURFCE: 250 m2
COST: ChF 400.000.-
PROGRAM: house
The whole project revolves around the scenographic and very theatrical relationship between interior and exterior and the constant dialogue between the large terrace and the interior spaces and the creation of a domestic exterior that can be used from spring to late autumn. The large terrace is designed to have two areas, a smaller one for the more private and ‘intimate’ dining area and in direct contact with the dining area of the interior space.
The largest part, on the other hand, is the flexible one and to be equipped as a lounge area. The domestic exterior of the terrace is surmounted by a pergola made of very slender brick red metal profiles and divided into different fields. On each field the tents run so that they can adapt to the various phases of the day and the season, protecting the different areas from the sun according to different needs. They protect the dining area during spring and summer lunches but they can also cover part of the pool to protect children during baths in the hottest preheated ones. When the curtains are removed in winter, the metal structure remains to delimit an ideal space that frames different views of the landscape; from the mountains to the lake with their different shades.
The three levels has a living area whose living space has been furnished with a large bookcase in black iron and canaletto walnut to recall the shades of the surrounding nature and for continuity the materials of the outdoor terrace. The master bedroom on the first floor directs the double bed towards the view with the lake and the mountains using red metal tubular profiles and lacquered wood panels to obtain the headboard and bedside tables. The children’s bathrooms, in colored resin, are more playful and fun, while the parents’ one is more ‘institutional’ and uses a mixture of marble and resin on the floor and shower cladding. The basement, completely recovered from the existing house, has a large playroom for children as well as a study and another bedroom with bathroom.
All the colors and shades of the finishes recall the seasons and blend with the various scenarios they create, from the coldest winter grays to the warmer tones of autumn foillage to the pastel colors of summer evenings.
Dans le noir is the painting by Ben Vautier that dominates the living space above the sofa and was conceived for the 1972 Paris expo and exhibited inside a cinema (therefore not visible except in the absence of projections). As in Vautier, the new house lives on the relationship with its own natural context which finds its space of view and reflection in it.
