The villa dialogues with the landscape of Monte Baldo and Lake Garda
Lazise is a town in the province of Verona, on the eastern shore of Lake Garda and within a natural basin formed by Monte Baldo. The villa, designed by Pier Solieri, has 2050 square feet (190 m2) of floorspace on two aboveground and basement levels. It’s located in a large residential area that’s undergoing urbanization. The building dialogues with its setting both visually, with large windows opening onto the surrounding landscape, and morphologically, with it built into, and following, the gentle slope of its site.
The plan of the house is based on combinations of geometric forms, beginning with a square, which is then divided into multiples and submultiples. With the house built on a slight slope, the ground-level living area is divided in two. This division is also functional, with the kitchen and dining area occupying the space above the living room. Although there are no dividing walls, the two spaces are visually separate, occupying opposite sides of an interior courtyard. This in turn is marked off by three glazed walls and one wall finished on both sides with marble. Adjacent to the courtyard is a minimalist staircase leading to the bedrooms on the floor above. A cellar, garage, and ancillary rooms are at basement level.
From outside, the villa is a simple volume painted white, created by two stacked rectangular prisms arranged at right angles. A section of the house is therefore on a single level, this opening the internal courtyard to sunlight and creating an outdoor area where the upper level overhangs the level below. This paved space, which the living room overlooks via a fully transparent wall, incorporates the entrance to the house and adds an outdoor section to the living area. The large windows at ground level contrast with the block of the level above. This level is more substantial to provide privacy for the bedrooms, with the exception of the main façade, which is also transparent, but set back by a terrace beneath a cantilevered section of the roof.
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In terms of both forms and colors, the architectural concept of both the exterior and interiors is all about essentiality. Set against a backdrop dominated by black and white, the wood green finish of the internal staircase wall and the earth tones of the external walls leading to the garage create striking contrasts. Several elements have been inspired by an idea of formal purity, such as the internal doors that are flush with the walls and full-height like the windows, and the circular columns arranged in pairs. The finishing touches to the project are its understated furnishings, which give the rooms character without overwhelming them, and the lighting, intended to enhance the design of the interior spaces.
Location: Lazise (Verona)
Floor Area: 190 m2
Architect: piersolieri architecture
Main contractor: Andreoli Costruzioni
Photography by Leo Torri, courtesy of piersolieri architecture