It is a lot overlooking the shore of the port for 12mt wide and 20mt deep with an inner courtyard of 6mt side. The will of the client was to create two housing units "intertwined" inhabited by different members of the same family, two houses in one. The pedestrian access is directly from the shore through two entrances, the first one is symmetrical with respect to the facade, and the second one is lateral. Both were retained in the project hypothesis, retaining the original function of entrance to the internal courtyard and distribution to the upper floors, and as an access for the technical rooms. The first house develops on two levels, along the overlooking harbour to the West, and on the second floor embracing the entire court; the other, smaller in size, occupies the back of the lot to the East, both on the ground floor and on the first floor and is served by an internal staircase. The distribution of both is guaranteed by a ramp door that connects the cloister from the shore and, reaching the hydrogeological safety level, allows access to a common lift that makes both units open. The renovation of the building (already the headquarters of the offices and a cabin of transformation of m Building voltage of ENEL), provides for the reconstruction of the existing facade on the shore, adapting the new project section to the dimensions of the facade’s projection. The internal courtyard of the building has been freed from the presence of some surfaces, to make it more airy and harmonious, so as to optimize its spaciousness that allows better radiation and natural ventilation of the buildings that face it (patio house). At the last level, at the level of the previous attic, a new body, set back about 3.00 meters from the facade, defines the sky attack of the facade and the possibility of a new terrace on the port that uses the frame of the existing facade as a parapet.
FACADE ON THE PORT at a glance widened on the shore you can see how the original landscape features have undergone several changes over the years. The skyline of the canal port has undergone changes in some substantial cases as illustrated by the photo sequence below.The project provides for the preservation of the typological characteristics of the existing facade on the shore, maintaining and preserving its formal appearance, and providing to rebuild the facade itself in its material elements in order to improve the state of conservation and ensuring greater durability.The original perception of the façade thread is thus preserved, through a rhythmic composition that privileges the verticality of the forometry; the raised and back body, respects this rhythm thanks to the alignment of the openings to the axes of the architectural party, in harmony with the full empty ratio of the entire facade. It is thus proposed a design methodology that while accommodating the new distribution needs and improvement of the energy performance of the building, considers the maintenance of the facade on the shore as the main theme of the project, able to qualify its morphological value and relationship with the port.
