Flore House

The project starts from a comparison with a pre-existence, consisting of a lamia and an adjacent volume, added at a later stage. Of this pre-existence, the lamia is preserved, around which the new volume is articulated. The L-shaped volume, connected to the lamia, generates a courtyard, a reserved space at the back of the house, completed by a pool of water perpendicular to the new built arm. This arm is in close relationship with the outside environment thanks to a large window overlooking the courtyard. In addition to the external space of the courtyard, an open but introspective space, the project is characterised by another external space with different architectural qualities. The main front of the building is in fact preceded by a backdrop of tufa blocks, which defines an entrance space, a filter zone between the external landscape and the dwelling. The backdrop is obtained by laying the tuff blocks in a staggered manner, generating an interplay of solids and voids which, in addition to giving an architectural rhythm to the elevation, qualitatively defines this space as a filter. In fact, from the street leading to the building, it is possible to catch a glimpse of the architectural features of the dwelling through the holes in the wall; once through the quinta, one does not find oneself in an enclosed space, but maintains contact with the outside.