This project is a large renovation of a house designed in the eighties by Italian-Brazilian architect Ugo di Pace. The client, whose grown-up children left the family home, aimed for functionality and further integration between spaces now inhabited only by a couple. The volume of the house occupied almost the entire surface of the narrow and deep plot. It was characterized by the robustness of the structure, with few openings, highlighted by cylindrical concrete columns in the front and the rear façades, containing pillars and hydraulic installations. Small gestures brought fluidity to the architecture, such as enlarging the openings to let in the sunlight and create views towards the gardens. With an intense social life, the client paid special attention to the redesign of common areas for hosting parties. The ground floor is divided between a block on the street side, holding the garage, kitchen and service areas, and another one where the living room and dining room are oriented towards the backyard. The main entrance is made through a corridor that runs along on of the sides of the plot. The swimming pool was enlarged to have a section transformed into a 20m swimming rink that suggests continuity between this corridor and the backyard. A circular skylight was created in front of the entrance door, upon entering the house one sees a massive piece of millwork that seems to float due to its cantilevered structure. It forms an axis that distributes the accesses to the living room, dining room, pantry and kitchen.
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