The clients were two brothers, owners of a small plot in the town of Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria. To the south-west, the house borders a building built around 1930: during the design phase, this structure dictated the alignment and volumetric proportions. The house stands alone: it contains a duplex apartment and, on the ground floor, a small medical practice with an adjoining garden area, car park and disabled entrance. The basement is used for storage.
The living area is divided over three levels: the entrance is on the ground floor, and the first floor houses the living-room, kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. On the second floor, there are a double bedroom, a single bedroom and another bathroom. The flat roof has a large terrace, which gives the visitor an unexpected panoramic view of the Straits of Messina.
The design of the house is unified by the stairway, which is faced with white marble. As well as allowing access to all parts of the house, it enlarges the internal space by allowing natural light to penetrate from the skylight to the ground floor. Domenico Cogliandro
Casa Cesario, Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria
Architects: Antonino Cogliandro and Benedetta Genovese
Design team: Albino Rizzuto, Marina Patti
Structural engineering: Francesco Giordano
Construction supervision: Antonino Cogliandro
Geologist: Silvana Costantino
Building contractor: Antonino Calabrese
Timeline: 2005 (design) – 2008 (construction)
Built area: 150 m2
