CASA SAVY
The achitectural works were meant to restore and consolidate the structure of a small abandoned building in the centre of Locri.
The building before the restoration was in very poor conditions due to a fire that various years before had destroyed the entire covering and all the inflammable elements, leaving only the perimetral walls, built in stone.
The building has a regular, rectangular plant, and it is situated between two other buildings. By its long sides it is adjacent to the mentioned buildings, whereas the two short sides face respectively via Rodi, where the main entrance opens, and a small yard, belonging to the building itself.
At a first analytical glance it was clear that the building had a good architectural potential. Although the surface is limited, its altitude had never been fully exploited. Therefore we decided to develop the space on a multiple-layer project. The position between two other buildings however made it imperative to find apt solutions to naturally illuminate and aerate the rooms and halls in order to provide a healthy environment.
The restoration project was designed considering the above-mentioned priorities, analysis and the relationship between the new and the pre-existing elements.
The project was based on an important consolidation procedure, by means of a new reinforced-concrete structure inside the existing building.
The existing building was structurally consolidated and raised by two levels, maintaing the original volume. As far as the aesthetics are concerned, the perimetral walls were exasperated in their intrinsic materic character so that they could relate to the essentiality of the new elements. This relationship was the main theme of the whole project.
The new spacial distribution allowed a rationalisation of the layout. Night and day areas were distinctly separated. The day area lies on the ground floor, including the yard, while the bedrooms and bathrooms are on the floor below the roof. The two floor interact through two important structural elements that characterise the project: a double ceiling crowned by a glass wall that lights up one of the bedrooms, and the new stairs that connect the two floors.
The double ceiling serves the purpose of making the project lighter, and simultaneusly distributes light and aerates naturally the space, rendering it fluid, luminous and healthy.
The stairs, the other highly-characterising element of the project, was designed not only to be functional, but also as a coordinating factor to the whole project, in connection with the materials and the lines that are its distinctive trait.
The 60-square-metre apartment is made of kitchen, sitting room, bathroom and utility room on the ground floor, while on the first floor there are two bedrooms, one with its own bathroom, the other with a shower room. On the first floor, there are two small boxrooms for clothes.
To meet the the personal tastes and needs of the owners, the aesthetics of the project focused on simplicity and functionality. Essential and coordinate elements characterise all the environment, which aims to be welcoming but refined, with a mediterrenean touch, and neutral tones that can easily integrate with the furniture and decoration.
Another important element is the use of light, both natural and artificial: the project was meant to use natural light as much as possible. Large openings in the short sides of the building and windows on the ceiling render the space illuminated so that the interclusion effect of the building is overtaken.
As far as artificial light is concerned, led strips strategically placed near the new elements point out the materic texture of the a-vista stone, giving it a perspective thrust both horizontally and vertically, and defining the lines of the new structural elements.
The achitectural work created a functional space, tailored on the needs of the owner and conceived as a unique volume pierced by the continuity of light, matter and colour.
