The renovation of a rooftop in the center of Milan with the cration of three apartments focuses on the theme of light and its relationship with space and materials.
In the first apartment the focal point of the architecture is the entrance. Set on the symmetrical axis of the door and window, a staircase built of ash wood connects the entrance and sleeping area on the fourth floor with the living area on the fifth.
With light, the clean form and softness of the material create a play of shadows and volumes that define the space.
Following the risers of the stair, a wooden bookcase ascends from the landing to the upper level ultimately meeting the historic beam structure of the roof, creating a significant intersection.
The contrast between the contemporary intervention in ash and the historic structure is one of the key design intents.
The design of the second project is focused on the theme of conserving the historic elements of the site and, at the same time, using them as a point of departure for the design reflection.
The spine-like existing brick wall, which runs through both levels of the apartment, was restored with all of its original arches and maintained to signify the stark contrast with the new floorboards and white plaster ceilings in RAL 9006.
The original bricks, iron of the furniture and cement of the staircase and floor are the key materials of the project. To break the lines, insets of wood and hand painted tiles were inserted in the floor running diagonally through the rooms creating transversal connections.
The third apartment is now under design phase.
