Fluid Residence / Alessandro Isola
Fluid Home / Alessandro Isola
Text description provided by the architects. A country family home where flexible spaces and multifunctional services respond to daily life’s requirements. Going through a challenging era, this project is designed to transform and adapt to ever-changing needs.
The overall design consists of an architectural rear extension, as well as the revitalization of all the interior and outdoor spaces. The main space, on the ground floor, is a mixture of functions, inviting the family members to interact and spend some quality time together.
The television is no longer the focus of the living room, and the kitchen becomes not only a place where they eat but also a place where one can work, socialize and study. This concept is enhanced with a three-meter-long timber table cantilevered from the kitchen island that appears to float, becoming an integral part of the cooking area.
Indoor and outdoor pivoting panels as well as indoor sliding screens allow space reconfiguration and trigger different ways of inhabiting spaces. A 14-meter long double-height oak timber wall (from the certified forest) incorporates different functions: staircase balustrade, mezzanine balustrade, display unit, hidden storage, hidden pivoting door, and hidden kitchen area to serve as a support to the main kitchen island. Unexpected moments are also part of the project, like the ‘peeling off’ of the wall to create the fireplace at mezzanine levels.
Almost everything is done through local independent craftsmen who, that over generations have perfected a particular craft technique. this bygone artisan know-how and timeless quality are sensitively paired with advancements in technology.
For example, the steam room area and the bathroom are encapsulated inside a metal cube. A parametric design perforation made by a CNC machine allows controlling the visual permeability between spaces and the natural lights filtrating through.
A journey through materials and textures. Natural materials such as timber and porfido stone rough cut or split cut, travertine and orsera stones + metal are the few materials utilized in this project. All materials are treated in different ways to bring out their inner beauty.
