Looking east and west. Concrete house by DF__DC architects
07/02/2020.
[Comano - Lugano] Switzerland
metalocus, JOAN MARSET
metalocus, JOAN MARSET
Concrete house was designed by architecture practice DF__DC architects in the small village of Comano, a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.
The team, leads by Dario Franchini and Diego Calderon, proposed a rectangular house with an interesting views towards the east and west, but with the constraint of having adjacent houses in close proximity toward the north and south.
The team, leads by Dario Franchini and Diego Calderon, proposed a rectangular house with an interesting views towards the east and west, but with the constraint of having adjacent houses in close proximity toward the north and south.
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Simone Bossi
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Simone Bossi
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Concrete house by DF__DC architects. Photograph by Giorgio Marafioti
Site plan. Concrete house by DF__DC architects.
Ground floor plan. Concrete house by DF__DC architects.
First floor plan. Concrete house by DF__DC architects.
Basement floor plan. Concrete house by DF__DC architects.
Roof floor plan. Concrete house by DF__DC architects.
Section. Concrete house by DF__DC architects.
South elevation. Concrete house by DF__DC architects.
East elevation. Concrete house by DF__DC architects.
The house has outdoor terrace on a plinth banded by an asymmetrical colonnade of columns and its intelligent design is characterized sideways by deep fins along the side elevations filtering light while preventing overlooking from the adjacent properties.
DF__DC architects designed the volume asymmetrically to make the house seem smaller towards the street. The ground floor occupies most of the available area, placing into it the most active rooms of the house. The first floor has been dedicated to the bedrooms and the basement contains the cellar, sauna and gym.
The three floors are joined by a sculptural staircase in the center of the living areas, becoming the focal point of the house.
DF__DC architects designed the volume asymmetrically to make the house seem smaller towards the street. The ground floor occupies most of the available area, placing into it the most active rooms of the house. The first floor has been dedicated to the bedrooms and the basement contains the cellar, sauna and gym.
The three floors are joined by a sculptural staircase in the center of the living areas, becoming the focal point of the house.
Project description by DF__DC architects
The Concrete Villa is a single house on the Comano hills, a small village north of Lugano in Switzerland. The plot was previously occupied by vineyards and characterised by an elongated trapezoid form, which determines the volume.
With the interesting views towards the east and west, but with the constraint of having adjacent houses in close proximity toward the north and south, the house is conceived as in inhabited wall. In order to avoid the effect of an excessively long and closed volume but also ensuring a level of privacy, the flank elevations are articulated by a series of deep rectangular fins.
The material of reference used is grey reinforced concrete, declensed in various ways depending on the case. The in-situ cast fins are alternated with infill elements with the old technique of “strollato” used in Lombard villas: a mix of pebbles and cement handsplatted with a trowel and later sanded, thus combining old traditions and new construction techniques.
The ground floor occupies most of the area available, housing the main part of the program: reception, kitchen, workshop and guest accommodation (with separate access), garage, as well as an ample terrace conceived as an extension of the lounge, thus becoming an intermediate space between inside and out.
The first floor, of smaller dimensions, contains the private quarters: three ensuite bedrooms and the children’s playroom. The asymmetrical position of this volume in respect of the ground floor makes the house to appear smaller from the street due to the perspective effect, whilst presenting the opposite effect from the pool at the rear.
Lastly, the basement floor contains the wine cellar, sauna, and gym. The three floors are linked by a scenic staircase at the centre of the living areas and as a focal point for the family.
More information
Architects
DF__DC architects. Lead architects.- Dario Franchini.
Design Team
Nicola Andreani, Nicole Vairetti, Veronica Marzorati.
Collaborators
Engineering.- AF Toscano. Landscape.- Thierry Dalcant.
Dates
2017-2018.
Area
505 m².
Photography
Dario Franchini, Diego Calderon. DF__DC architects
DF__DC architects is a practice founded by Dario Franchini and Diego Calderon. An architecture and urban design office concerned with the project of space as an interdisciplinary practice. As a group, they are interested in how scales - from the patterns of the urban to the craftsmanship of detail - interconnect and inform each other. In their work, the investigation of human-scale atmospheres is crucial. To achieve this, they collaborate with a talented network of artists, designers and makers.
They operate in a collaborative structure from their offices in London and Lugano (CH) and with ongoing projects in the UK, Switzerland, Mexico, France, Italy and Mozambique. They engage in academic research & teaching.
Collaborators
Paolo Crippa, Mathias Broniatowski, Federica Zoboli, Victor Perlheden, Matteo Fiorani, Veronica Casey Fierro, Felix Everard.
They operate in a collaborative structure from their offices in London and Lugano (CH) and with ongoing projects in the UK, Switzerland, Mexico, France, Italy and Mozambique. They engage in academic research & teaching.
Collaborators
Paolo Crippa, Mathias Broniatowski, Federica Zoboli, Victor Perlheden, Matteo Fiorani, Veronica Casey Fierro, Felix Everard.
