Sliding Doors Opening onto Water

Erasing boundaries between inside and outside or creating a visual link between architecture and the surrounding space are increasingly popular and contemporary compositional themes that create a recurring challenge for today’s architects. Plus, when the home is set in a truly magnificent location, the goal has to be to minimize any sense of distance. Carminati, a company that has been producing high tech, high performance doors and windows since 1894, offers a wide range of solutions to help architects find the ideal balance between practicality and esthetics. Projects in which Carminati products are used possess great evocative power, such as Villa Livorno and the Floating Villa, both made with the company’s elegant frames.
Nestling on a cliff above the Tyrrhenian Sea, Villa Livorno’s openings have been designed with the environment in mind, optimizing the amount of light that gets in while ensuring sweeping panoramic views from every vantage point. Structurally, the building is based on small terraces, allowing the villa to have several floors, each with windows overlooking the sea. To make it possible to open the interior completely to the outside, the Skyline Sliding lift & slide model, with two sliding panels, was chosen, taking advantage of the Skyline Minimal Frames system to minimize the thickness of the white lacquered fir-wood profiles – at a mere 37 mm, they become a discreet and essential, almost invisible presence. Similarly, in the more secluded bedroom area, the same model provides unobstructed views of the landscape and connects the room to a large terrace. Skyline Sliding doors and windows also play a key role in enhancing the views from the Floating Villa designed by Lab Architects and moored on the banks of the River Thames, becoming the stars of the wooden slatted façade sections. The latter are not only a decorative element, but also an efficient shielding system for light and privacy. Upon entering the floating home, you are greeted by a living area where the golden fir color of the Skyline system blends with the rest of the furnishings to create a perfect dialogue. 
In both houses, thanks to these solutions, the architecture has a dynamic relationship with the landscape, finding a discreet, respectful balance. Plus, the use of glossy paint and a special anti-corrosion and anti-salt treatment has made it possible to keep the excellent technical performance of the frames in both projects, maximizing their resistance to moisture and sunlight.