ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. COUNTRY HOUSE in Lucca, Italy by MIDE architettiNovember 28th, 2015 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: MIDE architetti The project site involves an old country house, built in 1887 in the immediate neighborhood of Lucca and a most recent farmhand’s cottage. The buildings are integrated in the countryside of Lucca and maintain its typical characteristics.Specifically, the buildings are located in a hilly landscape, between gentle slopes, where oaks and chestnuts lick the property. In this background, the renovation has been directed to both the maintenance and the enhancement of typical elements of the local architecture, such as exposed brick wall, stone of Matraia and chestnut wood.Pursuing this goal, and in full respect of the typical features, the components and materials used have been revised in a contemporary way, adopting the most appropriate construction techniques, in order to ensure the achievement of the best possible result.
Inside the country house we sought to manuallyapply,using the traditional spatulas and sponges, natural lime-based plasters that highlight the irregular rocky surface of the walls. The recovery of beams and hollow tiles by sandblasting, is an explicit call to the traditional tuscan architecture, refreshed by the bleaching of the ceilings.The exterior was deliberately kept unchanged in surface and holes, in order to maintain its historicity without sacrificing the charm. Therefore, we opted for basic external fixtures made of steel.In the garden the large swimming pool isintegrated with the surrounding landscape, respecting the vegetation and the secular olive trees,leaved unaltered. The adjacent cottage has been completely renovated inside, opting forcontemporary materials and colors: the concrete floor and the black lavatory contribute to give a new identity to the building. Finally,in the hypogeum you can finda spa area consisting of a large tub and a cedar wood sauna. MIDE architetti are an architectural practice based in Venice providing urban, architectonic and interior design services. MIDE’s approach looks at the use of clean and simple volumes and lines, extreme attention to detail, finish and choice of materials. The ideas that inspire the designs arise from the functional analysis of the client’s needs and responsive understanding of the location. The characteristics of the environment and its main features are included and reinterpreted in the development of functional and creative architectonic solutions. The practice’s reputation is founded on developing projects focussing on the themes of environmental and energetic sustainability, achieved through the collaboration with experts in the sector. Contact MIDE architetti
Categories: Cottage, House, Renovation |