One House: contemporary architecture in Sicily by Atelier Iraci Architetti

The design concept originates from a geometric play, a series of interlocking geometric volumes, one hidden, another overlapping, and another set back. The symbiosis between geometric elements determines the shape, which is a very elongated form that, as a whole, also needed to be light, without going overboard and thus becoming out of scale or disproportionate, something that, in its details and very essence, was essentially defined during the design phase. We are in Sicily, specifically in a serial a couple of kilometers from Catania. This villa has a rather significant advantage. It is located in a position that allows you to see, in a 360-degree view, Mount Etna, the sea, mainland Italy, and Taormina. One house has a prominent entrance. The surprise of the entrance, when you cross this door, it's as if you have infinity before you. The moment you enter this living space, everything can be experienced in two different ways. The first is with the glass doors closed, and the second is with the glass doors open. So this space expands outward, maintaining an inseparable connection with the pool, and in this case, the design is carried both inside and outside with the same type of furnishings. From the living area, there is a transitional zone, a passageway that leads you to the division of the house by levels. The house is spread over three levels, an important main level at ground level, a semi-basement or basement at minus one, and an elevated area at plus one. From this junction, you then reach the kitchen living area, which is a somewhat more private space, because the house is divided into zones. And the intermediate area is represented by the dining room, which is centrally positioned between the private area and the reception area. The most private part is located at the end, precisely as a choice made together with the clients to ensure complete privacy. This area also has the privilege of facing the sea with a perfect orientation, including what we might call the elements of sunlight penetration that is waking up with the sun, which also extends into the adjacent bathroom that runs parallel to the sleeping area. So this room, let's say, is positioned in an ideal way, both from a logistical point of view and in terms of its size, because it occupies the end part of the longitudinal layout. It juts out a bit forward, and this projecting forward also creates a kind of privacy even outside. On one side, I go down and enter the recreational area of the whole house, where there is a large space that welcomes and brings together several elements that the client specifically requested in this case. There is a wine cellar, a second-service kitchen, a spa area, a gym area, and a social area that serves as a tasting table for the wine cellar. From the area that serves as the main passageway, we then reach a first-level area where there is an impressive view from which we can see Mount Etna, as well as the entire landscape, from the greenery to the sea and all the surrounding elements that can be appreciated from within this space. At this level, you can also easily reach it via an external staircase, an external staircase that also serves to connect the various levels. This is because there was a specific request for the distribution of spaces so that they could also be used independently. Inside, we then focused on what is our own way of doing architecture. 90% of the furniture is custom-made. We also requested the customization of some industrial elements and conducted a formal research into materials and fabrics that could be connected to each other. So there is a very deep research on both the formal and aesthetic levels, which fully embrace the intentions of both ourselves and the clients. The dominant material is stone, specifically travertine used for the horizontal flooring, but we also used it vertically. It is Navona travertine cut against the grain, so it is used on the opposite side from how it is generally applied. To this travertine, we paired another type, a brown travertine that we use specifically for vertical partitions and cladding. The important element is the hidden one, the structural element. In this house, we used seismic actuators so that with this system we could also achieve large overhangs. This allowed us to create these so-called shade coverings, which enable the house to receive the right amount of sunlight, properly adjusted according to the needs of the location and the sun's path. It should also be said that the comfort of a house depends on many factors. That is, by trying to protect these continuous glass walls about 40 linear meters from the sun or from bad weather, we were also able to optimize the internal atmosphere. So this relationship between inside and outside is strongly perceived through the projection of the sun in its vertical movement throughout the day. As for the structure itself, there are significant aspects. The structure spans from 8 meters to 12 meters on the two opposite sides. Which gives us large open spaces. The other fundamental element is the large windows, which are about 3.35 meters high. So we have a significant height with full glass panels, meaning minimal frames. And these windows can all be opened. This allows us to achieve that inside-outside relationship instantly at any time of the year. Clearly, in a house where natural light covers 60-70% of daily life, you can't help but also consider artificial lighting. That is, what happens when natural light fades? What happens with artificial light? Here too, there was a fairly in-depth study. Clearly supported by our collaborators who specialize in lighting, we managed to achieve a light intensity that matched the overall character the house was meant to have. Both when viewed from the outside-in and from the inside-out. As for the landscape, it was designed together with the clients, since they are experts in the field. And here the choice was made specifically for typological reasons at the client's request to have a subtropical garden. Almost all the greenery consists of very particular, highly sought-after species. Almost like a collection. So we have a connection between the Mediterranean world and the tropical world. And this resulted in a whole where the design and the element of the house came into complete harmony. We wanted to call the villa One House because, in our opinion, it truly represents a unique work. In the sense that, in this villa, we have expressed everything that our architecture has represented over the years. And probably also what it will represent in the future.