Casa Sumar

By Francesco Pagliari - 3 July 2017

This holiday home is located on a flat clearing among tall trees, with far-reaching views out over the Pacific Ocean on the visual horizon. The volume follows a concept of horizontal linearity, placing a strong emphasis on the tension created by the roof that projects out over the north-western and north-eastern prospects. Grounded in the founding and expressive value of linearity, the pavilion is a compositional articulation that manifests itself through the regular rhythm of its dark-hued glulam beams, offering a highly visible set of lines. It is possible to make out the sequences of pillars and open longitudinal main beams, accentuating the series of glulam wood secondary beams that transversally support the flat roof, open to our view both in the projections over the façade and the internal slab floor intrados. This architectural approach highlights a form of self-expression rooted in the combination of construction technique and the quality of its spaces, outlining a constituent principle - how the linearity evolves - that formalizes the architecture. Two living levels are available. The home rises in a clearing, in the midst of tall vegetation, combining different approaches to living within the same volumetric silhouette by bringing together different potential approaches to sub-division within a single identity. This overlap caters to preplanned objectives - some of which are functional - while elegantly separating the different living spaces: the main living area, the upper level; a space for activities that is open and may be crossed without barrier between interior and exterior in the middle of the ground floor; a residential block that groups together spaces for welcoming guests, without erecting topographical hierarchies or creating barriers in the geography between one living space and another. It is about separating the spatial setup clearly, yet without generating distance. This design-led precondition is perhaps most evident in a unity...