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The building is located near the seafront of the city of Cagliari, in an area full of naturalistic landmarks. In fact, a few meters from the building, we can find the main beach of the city (Poetto Beach), the naturalistic park of the salt pans of Molentargius, and the "Devil's Saddle", a suggestive promontory that runs along the beach. The design process took into account the presence of the surrounding environment and of these three elements, which are all located towards the south, making it necessary to orient the main facade of the building towards them, also to take advantage of the view of the panorama and the sea. During the design process, it was important to respect the legal distance from naturalistic areas, so the border cutted the the shape of the building.
The proximity to the salt pans and the natural areas led to the creation of a private garden on the street front, distancing the building from the border. The strip, which clearly cuts the lot in the front, was a critical point, that was transformed into the dominant element of the project.
The building is characterized by 5 floors above ground and an attic, the standard floor is composed of two units, with the living area oriented to the south, to take advantage of the sunlight, and allowing to enjoy the view of the sea, the salt pans and the promontory. Meanwhile the night area is set in the back, who faces north. The ground floor and the attic are designed as a single apartment, with a swimming pool on the roof and in the garden.
The building became finalist on the The Plan Award in 2021 for the category "Future/Housing", with the name "Palazzo Levante".The design process took sustainability aspects into account. Photovoltaic panels are integrated into the building envelope to produce clean energy and reduce dependence on the electricity grid. Low-emissivity glass is integrated to reduce heat loss through windows and improve energy efficiency. The building is designed to allow natural ventilation of the apartments. The technological systems are also performing, ecological and certified.
The use of the view, and the deisgn of the front façade represents the qualifying point of the project, modeled by strong and contemporary lines, through its "tip" it cuts through the air and gives the complex a strong and immediately recognizable aesthetic within the city skyline. The façade is therefore punctuated by horizontal lines, strengthened by the structural glass parapets and the large floor-to-ceiling windows of the living areas.
The side elevations are instead punctuated by smaller balconies serving the units, characterized by metal brise-soleils with horizontal lines which help to give a modern appearance to the facades and to implement the horizontal trend of the complex. The dark-coloured sunshades create a chromatic contrast with the vertical walls, covered with light-coloured tiles in the infill walls.
The ribs of the slab floors, extruded from the vertical infills, push the lateral façades towards the tip and the street façade following lines that are guided by the prevailing wind, creating never banal perspective escapes.
The rear façade, on which the entrance and the vertical connection systems are located, differs from the remaining façades due to a trend that pushes on the vertical lines, emphasizing the presence of the stairs highlighted by a system of false beams and pillars that they allow a dialogue between the different elevations.
The building allows to enjoy the panorama and the nature around, the presence of the sea makes everything suggestive. The aesthetics of the architecture seeks to conform with the transformations that the city is undergoing in these recent years, a city increasingly becoming more modern, also mantaining its charateristics of environment and elevating the nature that Sardinia is known for.
Mei & Pilia Associati is an architecture firm based in Cagliari, operating since 1996 in architecture, urban planning and structures. The owners are Gianluca Pilia, engineer and founder, graduated in Civil Engineering at University of Cagliari, and Luciano Mei engineener, cofounder and graduated in Civil Engineering at University of Cagliari. The team of designer consists of six coworkers: Francesco Mulas, Francesca Zucca, Joele Loja, Daniele Morrone, Alessia Secci, Maria Candelaria Barisone. The studio works mostly for private buildings, such as residential buildings, villas, interiors, hotels, commercial, urban planning, restoration.
https://www.meiepilia.net
