Acupuncture #2 - casa f

By Francesco Pagliari - 29 October 2013

This detached residence is located in a new urban development area in Altedo di Malalbergo, a little town in the flat countryside just outside the city of Bologna, Italy. As an example of alternative residential programmes it bears the hallmark of architecture practice diverserighestudio (cf. casa m+r, acupuncture #3, viewable at
www.theplan.it in the Italian Architecture Section published in April 2012).
The building is an unmistakable statement, a distinctive volume whose solid materiality is further underlined by a wrap-around envelope of dark stone fusing façades and roof.
The sharp edged geometry creates a series of unexpected elevations. Here multiplicity of shape is the rule. Obliquely sliced walls, overhangs and recesses overturn the concept of perimeter and envelope, creating a complex volume in which the building’s vertical dimension stands out despite its sturdy density.
The programme is posited on creating an architecture whose solid bulk almost paradoxically gives rise to an interrupted flow of spaces within in a sort of osmosis between exterior and interior. Inside, distribution paths offer intriguing views and create a dynamic succession of environments that flow into each other following the logic of life’s everyday rituals. The point of convergence for this succession of liveable spaces is the large, high entrance and adjacent fireplace. It sets the tone for the whole house in the way it accommodates a multiplicity of human activities: spaces for socialization and conversation or for relaxation and mediation, each seconded by the architecture.
Double-height spaces are inundated with natural light from skylights and glazed outer walls. They give glimpses onto the different levels and the irregular angle of the staircases. The “social” functions on the ground floor are marked off - or joined, depending on how you look at it - by a few steps. Staircases proceed upwards in separate ramps...