According to the main goal of contemporary architecture, to renovate buildings in order to make them a resource for the future and a driving force to new ideas of cities, DAP studio’s project of via Bellincione residence can be summarized by three words: transforming, regenerating and adapting. The project is a perfect example of renovation of a peripheral building. Its look and its use have been deeply modified and adapted to the needs of its new inhabitants. The precise regeneration and reclamation of peripheral buildings is a process able to redevelop a urban landscape, for this reason via Bellincione project could be considered a best practice of contemporary architecture.
Transforming a private residence in an apartment building has been a cause for reflection on the implications of adapting a building to a new way of living (mostly based on short stays) and to a new built landscape. The original two-story building was located near a water basin dried out in the 50s, in an area that, at the beginning of the century, hosted many holiday residences. The building has been owned by Ingegnoli family, the famous Nursery company, since the day of its construction in the second half of the 50s and it was originally flanked by the country house of the family that has been later demolished. Over the years the house has been enlarged and, at the same time, it’s been slowly surrounded by the expanding city.
Regenerating Social and cultural aspects of the house deeply changed, it is now a place that plays an important role in the social life of its residents. DAP studio regenerated the building by modifying its common areas (garden; hall; car park) in such a way to facilitate interactions between people.
Transforming All the additions made to the building over the years (balconies, terraces, arcades) have been removed and the original shape of the volume, in its rigor and simplicity, is now visible. Moreover the garden is now a place of relationship and comparison between future residents and urban space.
Adapting The need of adapting the project to the new rules regulating the increase in surface and volume of a building deeply influenced the choices of the architects. Furthermore the necessity to improve the functionality and the appearance of the house represented a difficult challenge for DAP Studio.
The project In order to equip every apartment with a balcony and to keep a certain distance from the neighboring buildings, the project was carried out through two main actions: the addition of new parts and the “excavation” of some others. To underline the difference between these different surfaces they have been covered in different colors. The construction of a lighter wooden roof allowed the architects to increase the height of the third floor and to make it habitable. The facades design is based on a modular grid on which is set the composition of windows, balconies and cladding. The covering is made of thin porcelain tiles directly applied on the coat insulation, facades materials and colors perfectly integrate with the surrounding built landscape.
Moreover the flights of porcelain sheets draw on the whole facades a subtle pattern that embellishes the building. The apartments are arranged on four floors, their size varies form 50 mq to 80 mq and new stairs and a new elevator connect them. Outdoor areas have been deeply modified in order to maintain a continuity of landscape in the whole surrounding garden. Part of the ground floor has been transformed in a portico that connects the main entrance with the back of the building.
The construction of the underground car park required increasing the height of the back yard, it has also been divided in two different areas: a paved one and a green one.
The front yard and the back yard are quite different from each other: the former, facing the city, is a place of relationship between the building and the city itself; the latter is a private and quiet area.
