VIC
2024.03
A Secret Pavilion. Cooking among the trees
Vicenza hills, IT
Extension
28sqm
In the heart of the hilly landscape of Vicenza, among the trees of a wooded area, nature becomes the canvas for the design of an extension of a villa. What was once a simple terrace is now transformed into a glass room, becoming an elegant object that peeks out among the vegetation.
Built towards the end of the 1960s, the villa has undergone expansion and modifications over time. Its already complex structure becomes the inspiration for the design of a new volume which, punctuated by a regular module, fits together like an elegant piece of an architectural puzzle.
The new structure enjoys a strategic position, located at the back of the villa and away from prying eyes. Connected on one side to the dining room, it looks out over the surrounding park and swimming pool.
The shape of the old terrace, previously complex and articulated, is simplified to accommodate the new volume. The perimeter extends, where the steep stone staircases and planters are removed to make room for a new linear staircase.
The iron load-bearing frame rests on this base, punctuated by vertical and horizontal profiles, between which the wooden and glass windows and doors are inserted. The aluminum pitched roof completes and crowns this new object.
The new glass room gives breath to the villa. The choice to use an iron and glass structure is an act of lightness and formal clarity, which breaks with the solid complexity of the rest of the house. The trees envelop the volume and the large windows invite them to enter.
The facade comes to life thanks to metal casings which, protecting the windows, follow and follow the structure and frames of the windows and hide gutters and downspouts. The repetition of this detail, both vertically and horizontally, at the base and crown of the volume, accentuates the rhythm and gives depth to the facade.
The interior of the expanded volume houses the place of conviviality, the kitchen, in direct communication with the dining room.
The old kitchenette, now used as a service space, gives way to a bright and welcoming room, destined to be the meeting place for moments of sharing.
The wall texture of the iron structure can be seen from the dining room, then extending to the ceiling. The joints between the beams are hidden, giving the volume a simple and contemporary structural appearance.
The windows and the structure create suggestive frames overlooking the park and swimming pool, painting pictures that transform with the passing of the seasons. The room is filled with natural light that filters from every corner.
The kitchen is a suspended surface that hovers over the large windows, creating the illusion of cooking outdoors, immersed in the park, with the trees becoming an essential part of the domestic setting.
The floor of the room is enriched with small green ceramics, creating a contrast with the dark solid wood of the dining room, but a continuity with the external grassy surface. A new step covered with the same essence harmoniously connects the two spaces, creating a visual and material bond.
As evening falls, the new volume transforms into a luminous lantern immersed in nature. The interiors light up, like the souls of those who live there, reflecting on the pool's body of water.
CREDITS
Client: Private
Typology: Extension
Place: Hills of Vicenza, Italy
Year: 2024.03
Sqm: 28
Architecture Design: ATOMAA & Filippo Faletti
Interior Design: F.F INTERIOR
Design Team: Andrea del Pedro Pera, Umberto Maj, Cesare Galligani, Filippo Faletti, Sofia Badessi, Konstantinos Ballis
Photographer: Alberto Strada
Architectural model photographer: Francesco Caredda