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. Villa G in Lugano, Switzerland by NG architectsFebruary 9th, 2016 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: NG architects The G family home in Sorengo, on the edge of Lugano in Ticino, is the category of villa that Palladio-1 put forward as a contrast with the town house. The site, a long narrow strip of land on a steep slope, is part of a hilly area, bordered on its short sides by a private road and another property.
On the long sides it is fringed by another site being developed and a wood that is legislatively bound. To enjoy the fine view of the mountains and part of the lake, the ground level must by raised by three metres. Iñaki Abalos-2 would define Villa G as the product of pragmatism. The spaces are articulated according to the client’s precise requests, such as the fact that all the main living spaces on the ground floor, with a second floor devoted only to a games room, guest area and the solarium with a heated pool. As a house, it is neither too large nor too small. There is room in it for all that is needed for each member of the family to live life autonomously. The plan involves an interchange of open glassed areas and enclosed volumes to house the technical and service zones as well as the closed rooms such as the study. From the entrance, positioned just over two metres from the road, a long corridor crosses the entire main floor, broadening as it reaches the sitting room and dining area. The house is a system that is reflected in the spaces. Villa G has been designed so as to permit all the internal areas to open onto the wood: allowing architecture to become an environmental filter. A central patio increases further the important relationship between inside and outside. The volumes, made up of load-bearing partition walls, are of different heights and emerge at the upper level to construct an artificial landscape that contrasts with the natural landscape of the mountains. The choice of materials is intentionally restricted; the walls are in pale cement treated with reflective paint both for aesthetic reasons and to protect them. Inside, the insulation is covered with white plaster. Externally the house has been clad in local stone. Opaque aluminium fittings bring a contemporary touch to the project as a whole. Particular mention should be made of the realisation process. The pragmatic method ties together technical aspects and nature. From a technical point of view there is a merging with Swiss artisanship. The metal sheet subtly working, resolves details related to dripping water. The formworks, thanks to a system created ad hoc for the house, hide the join marks so that the aesthetics of the cement walls are not compromised and to allow the parquet floor to be recessed without the need for a skirting board. SCAPE IS AN ITALIAN ARCHITECTURE FIRM WITH OFFICES IN ROME AND PARIS THAT HAS MADE INTERNATIONALISATION ITS MAIN STRENGTH. Conceived as an idea in May 2002 by Ludovica Di Falco, Francesco Marinelli and Paolo Mezzalama, the firm SCAPE s.p.a. was concretely established in 2004. Alessandro Cambi joined as fourth partner in 2005. Since opening, SCAPE has oriented itself towards both Italian and foreign markets, taking part in numerous architectural competitions in Europe and often beyond the confines of the European Community. The first point of arrival for the company’s strategy of openness was setting up an office in Paris in 2008 and the foundation of a French architecture firm, OffSCAPE s.a.s., in Today SCAPE works mainly in Italy, France and Switzerland and is organising itself to engage with new markets in a consolidated manner. The word SCAPE refers to a broad notion of landSCAPE, a point of view ranging from the near prospect as far as the horizon. The basis of SCAPE’s mission is the determination to retrieve the twentieth century Italian tradition of architecture and engineering; to return to a type of project design that respects formal research, maintains a dialogue with history, is aware of technical and constructional aspects and of context. Research that encompasses different scales and involves, as the name indicates, the various meanings of panorama: from land SCAPE to city SCAPE. To achieve its objectives SCAPE is fitted out with, on the one hand the most sophisticated digital tools, indispensible to compete on a global scale and, on the other a mode of organisation that favours on-site presence and working with local firms: medium size concerns that are therefore well-established in the context. The firm’s techno-digital efficiency is mainly manifested by the adoption, four years ago, of the BIM philosophy (Building Information Modelling): it stands as SCAPE’s affirmation of its desire to bring construction back to the centre of the design process. Over recent years SCAPE has distinguished itself in numerous national and international competitions and has participated in an equally large number of shows and exhibitions. In 2006 the firm was selected for the Young Architects Prize (Premio Giovani) by the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. In 2008 the French Ministry of Culture and Communication awarded SCAPE with the “Nouveaux Albums des Jeunes Architectes.” In 2010 the firm received the “Romarchitettura 4” prize for best First Work (restoration of an Art Nouveau villa in Rome), and in 2013 the “LEAF AWARD” for best Work-in- Progress, the National Museum for Italian Judaism and the Shoah in Ferrara (Special Mention). Since 2005, SCAPE’s management system has been certified according to the norm: UNI EN ISO 9001:2008. Contact NG architects
Tags: Lugano, Switzerland Category: Villa |