Excerpt: Red House by Pacarizi Studio is an open courtyard house placed in the periphery of a large farming garden, balancing outside and inside living. The living volumes are arranged around a central open court with a pool, forming a summer living space. This theatrical courtyard connects all parts of the house, framing views of landscape, trees, and the architecture itself as a self-reflective experience.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Architecture: The house balances outside and inside living in the garden of a coastal village. An open courtyard house was placed in the periphery of a very large farming garden with olive, pomegranates and orange trees. The living volume and rooms are arranged around an open court with the pool at its center. The grand stair continues the courtyard space to the roof level, opening vistas toward nearby and distant landscapes.
This courtyard, center of the house, being partly covered, acts as a real summer living space, connecting all the parts of the house, inviting people to enjoy the garden and the views. This theatrical space permits architecture that looks into itself. What you see through the window is a landscape, a tree but also the architecture itself. This ability of architecture to be able to satisfy itself becomes the central theme of the project.
Sustainability: The basic structure is concrete. The exterior walls are made of 46 cm thick local hollow bricks. All thermal insulation was created using a mixture of straw, sand, and lime with casein as a binder.
The same mixture was used for all plastering. Cement was replaced with casein. Red iron oxide was mixed into the material and applied throughout. The casein lime combination is a living material that will last almost forever, meaning the house will never need to be repainted.
The floors are made of local pinkish marble and wood. Casein was purchased from nearby farms and lime was produced on site. The construction generated almost no waste. Large fixed windows frame the views and bring in light, while only small windows open for natural ventilation.
Local teams of four to five workers built the house, which was simplified as much as possible to increase usable space and reduce the cost of expensive amenities.
Sustainability was achieved through simplicity by building locally, using natural materials, and creating a house that the clients truly love.
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