Rizzi - All-natural villa

“The design concept behind the construction of this house is based on the interpretation of the “perceptive continuum” between the interior of the home and the exterior and on the emphasis on the role played by light” states Architect Livio Consolino, who designed Villa Cattelan_Salgher, a house set in greenery just outside Udine.

A distinguishing trait of the design: a large spiral staircase in the centre of the home (Ø 240 cm, H. 320 cm). The scenic and sculptural spiral staircase (www.rizziscale.it) is made of concrete, and its entire structure is fully visible, linking the ground floor with the first floor, along a path that begins with steps with a natural wood tread and continuing as it climbs and winds its way up gently along a handrail with satin finish stainless steel elements, in a kind of new emotional space guaranteed by the dual height. The steps are electrified, with path lights offering a beguiling night-time scene.

The interior liaises with the exterior and vice-versa in a continuous dialogue of sight and senses. In fact, the immediate feeling of well-being is guaranteed by the fact that one always feels in contact with nature wherever one is in the house, with the special added bonus of being able to observe at any time from the inside a theatrical architectural backdrop that is capable of affording natural and extraordinarily varied pictures and panoramas that change continuously according to the change in climate and in keeping with the seasons.

The architectural composition of the house consists in a schematic “trilithic” structural solution with two side wings which support a central volume which is positioned at a right angle in an overall C-shaped distribution floor plan. This way, the space on the ground floor devoted to the large living room is completely free of any visual impairment towards the outside and vice versa, creating a pure double-height volume that guarantees a spectacular view over the garden and a genuine “pass-through” emotional feeling thanks to a maximum aperture of the floor-to-ceiling windows of a generous 5 metres, putting the living room space in direct contact with the portico and with the garden outside.

The kitchen too, where the large sliding French doors "join" the load-bearing structure completely, stands out as a high-tech space on the inside (in the most sophisticated modern kitchen contemporary philosophy) that is “naturally” integrated with the outside and with the tradition of this geographical area, thanks to the presence of a fragrant portion of the garden that is entirely dedicated to aromatic herbs.

The flooring indoors, in natural slate, which distinguishes the entire ground floor including the bathrooms, continues outside with the same layout in opus sectile, and it is entirely integrated with the greenery in the garden. The upward path that leads to the corridor on the first floor is totally immersed in the volumetric feeling of the house and it enhances the sensory appeal of the highly sought-after and desired brightness that renders natural light the absolute star of the architectural volume, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows on the ground floor, the glass protective parapets and the large strip of ribbon window in the middle walking along the corridor is constantly accompanied by a complete view of the natural environment outside.

The bedrooms are physically detached and not adjacent to one another: the master bedroom, with a walk- in wardrobe and en-suite bathroom, boasts a large terrace with a floor consisting of a 22 cm thick monolithic concrete slab, and a suitably waterproofed and insulated technological packet designed to withstand the load of the private roof garden (for the other bedrooms too, a flat roof which can be walked on and with insulation above the waterproofing layer is envisaged, and it can be accessorised where necessary).

A special focus was also placed on the choice of finishes, in an attempt to ensure natural materials - which have always been present in the culture and architectural iconology of Friuli construction - can cohabit with innovative materials sourced through special processing. The entire architectural casing was built with a full concrete structure, whereas the internal partitions are made of multiple plasterboard slabs with a cavity equipped with continuous polyester fibre providing acoustic insulation between the rooms. The thermal insulation on the façade is in “graphite EPS” which is also applied to the terrace parapets. The structure of the roof was built with the use of metal trusses which achieve a length of eight metres and the roof mantle itself is made of “Aluzinc”.

Linear air-air vents, a coil heating system, a solar panel with storage tank, a 10 kW photovoltaic system, a condensing boiler and split air conditioning units, combined with the detailed general thermal insulation conditions have enabled the house to obtain a class A energy performance certificate.