House in Crevenna

By Francesco Pagliari - 16 December 2009

This detached family residence designed by Marco Castelletti is located in the undulating countryside of Crevenna, in the northern Italian province of Como, an area of great natural beauty with views of the foothills of the Lombardy Alps. The architectural programme has been prompted by the sloping terrain.
The house is arranged on two levels to follow the natural gradient; the perimeter fencing is transparent, maintaining uninterrupted views of the rolling countryside and preserving visibility of the compact house; and the main entrance, on the north elevation, is a narrow flight of stone stairs climbing the slope. The building itself is conceived as a rigorous geometry of horizontal planes. It comprises two, somewhat stark volumes, their different functions evidenced by the strikingly different wall surfaces and roofs. A small, squat volume with a long strip window contains the entrance, stairs, bathrooms and plants.
The colour and texture of the flat roof and outer stone-clad walls emanate a strong materiality. This is in strong contrast to the white plastered walls of the elongated volume behind housing the living quarters. Set on a longitudinal east-west axis, the upper level is occupied at the eastern end by the living area, followed by the kitchen, separated by a glazed partition. The more secluded night area comprises one master and two single bedrooms. The building’s linear architecture exploits the natural setting to the full. The east elevation in particular looks out onto panoramic views. The day zone at this end gives directly on to a covered loggia protected by wide projections of the gable roof covering the main building.
The belowground level contains accessory functions like garage and boiler room. The ground-level area to the front, directly under the upper level loggia and part of the east elevation has been made into a ballet classroom with wood flooring and mirrored walls. A full-height glazed façade gives on to the outside...