A
roof-top apartment which resembles a small villa with a garden. This is the new home of a local entrepreneur, who has ingeniously resolved the problem of living in a city which gets exceedingly hot during summer. We are in the “Tavoliere delle Puglie”, namely a large agricultural plain in one of the most beloved regions in Italy.
“If the Lord would have known of this plane of Puglia, light of my life, he would have lived here”. It seems that this was said by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, who due to his infinite intellectual curiosity was referred to as “stupor mundi” (the astonishment of the world). Frederick II died in 1250 not far from Foggia, and the imperial capital and his funeral was held in the town’s cathedral. There’s another church not far from here, of more recent construction, known to pilgrims and architects from all over the world: the beautiful Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church in San Giovanni Rotondo, designed by Renzo Piano.
Here, even if on a more modest scale, we are talking about a really beautiful home. A large open-plan space, elegant but not necessarily lavish, typical of feminine practicality. This project was overseen by architect Adriana Correa Machado, who co-owns studio Dz4 with Luigi Martinelli, she appreciates beauty, especially when it’s functional and livable. Similarly to every other family, there was a need for shared space, but also for some privacy. And here, there a many different spaces for eating, reading, watching a film and listening to music.
The central core of this home is a spiral staircase in press-folded metal sheeting, which leads to the top floor and it couldn’t have been nothing other to be the centre of the discussion between clients and architects. In fact, the owners had pictured an open and lightweight structure, whereas the architects wanted an imposing sculptural piece. In the end, preliminary renderings brought both parties to agree on an extraordinary sculptural staircase by Metalconcept, a firm from Bolzano, North Italy.
The man of the house wanted a large roof terrace, to have a garden in front of his windows and also a view over the rooftops of the neighbouring buildings. Therefore, a proper roof garden to help you fight off the scorching summer heat. The option to buy the two top floors enabled him to fulfil his dreams. The spiral staircase leads you to the last floor, here a 45 sqm structure houses an informal living room with a kitchen facing the garden. This urban oasis lowers by 3-4 degrees the overall temperature of the terrace, and this is not everything it does, it also closes off and cools down the floor below.
A home built on love and the complete involvement of all parties. The owners wanted to understand in detail the world of interior design and materials. Accompanied by their architects, they visited the Salone del Mobile, Milan and travelled to Copenhagen to meet the firms which made their furniture, as well as the factory which made the slatted oak flooring. Great commitment achieves great things.
Design project
Maisonette with urban roof garden
Location: Foggia, Italy
Floors: 2
Size: 7th floor: 270 smq + 8th floor: 45 smq
Roof garden design project:
Arch. Rossella Montemurro
Architecture project and furniture sourcing:
Studio Dz4, Adriana Correa Machado and Luigi Martinelli
Via dei Zeno 4, Rome
Tel: 00 39 0696841213
Email: studio@dz4.it
Photos
Interiors: Credits Mimmo Attademo
Roof garden: Credits Rossella Montemurro
Courtesy Studio Dx4
