Casa Cinera

Otranto, 2014 (draft project)

Situated on top of a terraced slope that opens onto stunning sea views, this house came about thanks to a desire to create a close relationship between guests and the surrounding landscape. The main building is composed of a reinforced cement podium supporting a lightweight Cor-Ten steel block with large windows that frame the view of the valley below that leads down to the sea. The basement level contains the building’s functional spaces: garage, laundry room, storage and service rooms. The choice of oxidised steel as a skin for the building resulted from a desire to mimic the surrounding landscape in order to better integrate the building with its site.