MORRISSEY
The apartment is a unit on the sixth floor of a late ‘50s building, located on the front of the Valentino Park in Torino (Italy). The Southeast exposure makes the flat very bright, luminous, and enjoy the beautiful panorama of the hills of Turin and the Po River.
The main principle that guides this intervention is to use bi-dimensional planes that cut the space, defining all different functions. Since 2011, when the firm was born, in the different projects we have been involved, we have worked trying to add more functions to the elements that compose the house. We want to optimize every space we have and give extra-volume and extra-features to our clients. We have identified aspects that lead us to think Architecture as a composition of structural elements and not sum of objects.
In this project, the device to use bi-dimensional cutting planes, creates a path through the house: you can walk exploring the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom, the walk-in closet.
The living area and the sleeping area are separated by a wall equipped with a bookcase made out of birch, where the size of each compartment is defined by the height of the elements.
The generated spaces are for vinyl records (31cm), compact disks (13cm), DVDs (19cm), magazines and journals (34cm), comics and books (21cm).
The vertical rhythm is generated by the alternation of a rhythm of three measures (9cm, 13cm, 22cm), which establishes a proportionate sequence.
This sequence reaches an harmonic result.
The Living-kitchen space is fragmented by a steel frame that has a function of filter. The intention is to visually divide the space and make independent the kitchen area. The kitchen island is a concrete solid with the double function of cooking area and breakfast area. Behind the cooking area a wooden kitchen with a wide work bench give a natural scenario from all the part of the house.
The main floor is in metal, metal sheets of 200cm x 100cm, chosen one by one from the turinese steel factory that works the ILVA coils.
For a portion, in the living-room, has been maintained the original wooden parquet, that surrounded by the new pavement becomes a carpet. The structural pillars of the building are left in concrete acquiring importance to balancing all the others architectural elements.
Different elements and materials compose the bathroom: a white brick wall, a perforated metal ceiling, a wooden shelf for washbasin, a big mirror on black tile, a wooden furniture with 2 holes for the flush and an open shower in green epoxy resin.
After passing a total height door in wood, the sleeping area is a wide space where the wardrobe acquires almost 50% of the space. The division of space is left to a wall made in panels of UGLASS, a structural glass used in industry, which allows the light to penetrate and delicately illuminate the area, very important, where another material would not have allowed.
