Casa Nuda
The apartment is located at the last floor of a XIX century building in Prati, Rome. The pre-existing organization of the apartment is very rigid: a comb-like distribution -a corridor along a wall serving the different rooms from one side- very common typology in that area of Rome. The corridor, on the north side, connected the different spaces while three transversal load bearing walls divided the space in four areas, each with a window on the south face, open towards a courtyard with no particular interest.
The project proposes a space rich of spatial variety with different ceiling heights as well as more flexibility in the circulation; an additional bathroom and an open room that occasionally can be closed and transformed in a guest bedroom with sliding timber panels. The original corridor is offset from the north wall to create a longitudinal slot that accommodates the new bathroom and storages. Additionally, the insertion of a second longitudinal corridor along the south side allows for each room to keep its autonomy while being all visually and physically connected. The spatial variety is obtained by a series of pitched ceilings that cover the different spaces generating heights that span from a minimum of 1.9 m to a maximum of 3.2 m; embedded in those folds is the heating and cooling system. These articulated sequence of sections recall the archetype of rural house attics, instilling a sense of home in an otherwise anonymous attic. Finally, a series of screens conceal the view to the courtyard and the vis-à-vis with the neighbours, softening and diffusing the strong southern light. In unison, natural light, the white lime finishing of the walls, the geometry of the ceiling and the delicate timber floor diagonally laid, collaborate to create an atmosphere of serenity, background for the everyday life.
