House B - Crack House, somewhere in Italy

gianluca milesi architecture, Milan, italy

This is a project for a single house-villa placed in a natural imaginary environment.The aim of the design is to create an intimate and “small” space but strongly communicating with the external environment at the same time.This communication and particular relationship is established through the creation of cracks in a simple box volume that break the enclosure of the interior space and open, visually and physically, to the outside.

The cracks, closed with opening glasses and windows, symbolize and materialize the inside and outside relationship in a dramatic but natural way and the final design is generated by an “accidental” process and not by fixed designed geometry.The cracked box volumes is a “naked” concrete construction, and the concrete is used as a natural and artificial material at the same time, contrasting and merging in the environment.The cracks, beside lighting the rooms inside the house, create particular and scenic light effects in the interior space; at the same time another scenic atmosphere is created when the house itself is lighted in the obscurity, showing itself as a fascinating pattern of lights and shadows in the night.

The house develops itself on one floor, on a terrace space and an underground living space facing on an underground garden: on the front part are placed the day life activities and in the back part the night activities and the rooms; the front part, closed by sliding glass doors, is facing on a deck and a long and narrow swimming pool runs parallel to the front facade: a ramp is connecting the roof-terrace with the ground on the back side and the roof itself can be used to park cars.

The interior is treated mainly as a minimal and almost “ empty” open space; the furniture is also custom designed for this particular house.

House A - Crack House:

location: somewhere in Italy

design: gianluca milesi architecture

Feifan Chen Jinchao Lin Gianluca Milesi Yichen Xu

square footage: 270 s. m. c.a.

materials: exposed concrete and glass + water

furniture: custom designed furniture