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House Made of Glass and Concrete in Sicily by Architrend Architecture

By Eric Meunier

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Sicilian studio Architrend Architecture has completed the Villa T project, a stunning house made of glass and concrete.

Located in Ragusa in Sicily, Italy, this 3,330 square-foot single family residence sits on a rural lot and was completed in 2007.

Villa T by Architrend Architecture:

“The context is agricultural, a plateau with sandstone walls to divide the various portions of property. Once marked by the productive outposts of the “masserie”, farms with cultivated fields and cattle, today the Ibleo territory has changed its look. Instead of scattered farmhouses, isolated and divided by farmlands, construction has gradually filled spaces, erasing the network of isolated architectural complexes gathered around courtyards, like ‘pacific forts’. Nevertheless, the site of this project has partially conserved that precious idea of ‘isolation’, and the whole design comes to grips with this context, constructing a direct relationship with the landscape, faced openly on two sides, while emerging from it thanks to an eloquent contemporary design.

The program of the compositional process is that of a large single-family house, alone at the center of a meadow, bordered by the free, linear horizon of the plateau. Here, in the midst of the grassy terrain, treated as virgin land for construction, the architecture stands out clearly as a complete entity with definite limits. But its borders are not ‘introverted’, they are open to visual enjoyment of the outside world, through the creation of outdoor living spaces, rooms without walls that become parts of the overall solution. The relationship with the context and the sequence of the three stacked floors relies on a sort of continuous architectural ribbon that reinterprets the flavor of the Mediterranean home, developing, bending to form rooms and the roof, outdoor zones raised from the meadow like platforms, porticos and overhangs, balconies and terraces.

A solid façade clad in stone, to the north, is flanked by the harmonious antithesis of the southern and eastern façades, fully glazed and open to the greenery. They reveal the two-storey height of the living area, with the mono-beam staircase leading to the first floor, containing a studio zone and a bedroom. The daytime area is joined to the kitchen, located in the lower volume, while the luminous living and dining area emphasizes the double height of the construction, with its large pitched roof. The master bedroom zone with bath and closet is located behind the living area. The sequence living-dining-kitchen encounters two outdoor spaces: on one side, facing the living room, a terrace at ground level connects to a recessed patio faced by the underground spaces, with two bedrooms and a den, shaded for cool comfort. Behind the kitchen, connected by a full-height glazing, an external portico is like a room without walls, open to the surrounding lawn.

The white stucco and stone facings that wrap the forceful geometric design, highlighted by a red floor marker that interrupts the high corner glazing, the planes that combine, in a dynamic way, around the sloping roof, reveal the pursuit of a ‘possible Mediterranean style’ that pays attention to local history, but without copying, ready for experimentation with new possibilities.”

Photos by: Umberto Agnello
Source: ANP

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About Eric Meunier

Currently the Owner and Chief Executive of HODYO Design, Eric Meunier's expertise in the design industry spreads over 20 years. He was the driving force behind HomeDSGN's early success, founding this website in 2011. Today, he loves to channel his passion for design into remodeling houses and transforming interior spaces with his keen eye for detail and architectural finesse. Learn more about HomeDSGN's Editorial Process.

3 thoughts on “House Made of Glass and Concrete in Sicily by Architrend Architecture”

  1. Thank you for presenting your fine project. Of interest for me: The matched slope of the stair and roof as well as the tapered rake of the roof which introduces a dynamic of forced perspective. Also an interesting minimal lighting design.

    A glass house of course introduces privacy issues which are not acceptable to everyone. Particularly since living spaces for this project are visible from neighboring homes. Even when there are no nearby neighbors, the glass surfaces become mirrors at night which is a disturbing effect. Possibly there are concealed window treatments which I do not see.

    But of course you have made some spectacular spaces. I see great care in your control of this complex structure.

    Reply

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