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House A12, born from the renovation of a building between the sea and Mount Etna

PULEO ARCHITETTURA

Renovation  /  Completed
PULEO ARCHITETTURA

An existing building made of mixed lavic stone masonry, with one floor used as a manor house and one underneath as a storage room to support the original agricultural activity, is largely replaced by a building made of fair-faced concrete both inside and out, into which stone block walls are incorporated. This is a renovation in which the panorama and the surrounding garden play a major role. The windows are positioned in such a way as to create precise photographs of the landscape and give different emotions depending on how people move around the interior. The design idea comes from the intention to keep a strong link with the surrounding area, to encourage total immersion in nature. The land is set on a volcanic hill where typical Sicilian vegetation prevails.

Thanks to the large windows, the dialogue with the outside is fluid; there seems to be no real separation between inside and outside. Moreover, the windows, opening wide in summer, let in the sea air that expands throughout the villa. Even in the large living room on the mezzanine floor there are two windows with a double view: the sea on one side and Mount Etna on the other. The garden, however, does not lose its prominent role: in fact, from this environment one can also enjoy a view of the villa's greenery. One of the highlights of the house is the wonderful bedroom made in a transparent cube cantilevered over the sea. Here the light enters overbearingly, enhancing the brighter colors of the walls and the concrete fifth placed behind the bed, which in turn delimits the bathroom behind.

The severity of concrete contrasts with the irregular, angular softness of lava stone, which alternates with large glass walls to create a succession of solids and voids capable of delimiting spaces and creating perspectives focused on the panorama. To ensure optimal thermo-hygrometric comfort, the infills are made of a double skin, concrete and stone, the window frames are thermal break and often protected by thick vegetation. The gabled roof form of the main body reworks the Sicilian pitch and modernizes it with a continuous cladding that evokes the materiality of concrete. Above, photovoltaic and solar panel systems for hot water production find their place.

The entrance is through a corten gate from a secondary road, from which a ramp bordered by dry stone walls leads to the house. It is distributed on three levels for a total of about 500 square meters. The construction has a contemporary taste, made of volumes at different heights open in the round to the surrounding Mediterranean scrubland that meets the blue sea. The C-shaped outline of the footprint of the dwelling identifies an interior patio, which houses a tall palm tree, through which access to the dwelling takes place, in memory of the old Sicilian manor houses. This conformation allows some rooms to open onto shaded areas sheltered from the hot summer sun. The ancient well located to the north, subject to recovery, fits perfectly into the new conformation of the building; all around, local essences enrich the ground connection of the building, which on the west side is buried to accommodate the garage. A pertinential swimming pool with a small beach and infinity edge on a lava stone wall embellishes the garden on the more intimately intimate side of the house. Here a large olive tree creates a pleasant shaded area, while tropical plants beside the pool lend a typically exotic denotation to the entire garden.

The connection created between interior and exterior is spectacular, where light enters in a disruptive manner, jagged by tropical foliage creating a particularly striking atmosphere. The right mixture of local and classic building materials enhances the place precisely because of the skillful use of raw materials, while still ensuring great harmony with the surrounding context.

Credits

 ACICASTELLO
 Italia
 Confidential
 RESIDENZIALE
 11/2022
 600 m2
 Confidential
 ARCH. PULEO SALVATORE
 ARCH. PULEO CARLOTTA - ARCH. CATANESE ANGELA
 PLZ SRL
 LOS PROJECT
 SICILCIMA SRL -
 MANUELA MINALDI - GIORGIO BOTTITTA

Curriculum

The Sicilian architect started his career in the 80s as an interior designer of commercial spaces in most of the Italian territory. After several work experiences founded Studio Puleo Architettura, focusing his attention on the detail and the meticulous materials choice at the base of his design philosophy.
The result is a rational architecture that stands out for the harmonious combination of aesthetics and functionality, balancing between local craftsmanship and contemporary taste, respecting the context of the work. The studio operates both on a national and international level and develops hospitality, residential, retail, health, urban and interior design projects.


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