Villa In Noto Inspired The Birth Of Nature From Its Material

A new holiday home designed by Westway Architects was just finished on a hillside overlooking the Vendicari Natural Reserve, just a few kilometers from Noto. The home is designed for a Milan family and is divided into three big geometrical bodies that are visually linked by a path of views that connects the interior and outdoors; set in an olive garden, the dwelling aspires to become one with the landscape and the horizon.

Architect included a huge fruit tree to emphasize the connection between household life and the wild world," Laura Franceschini says. The three volumes' shapes define the house's functions: the larger block corresponds to the day living space, while the two smaller blocks belong to the sleeping quarters. "One of the blocks comes from the rupture and rotation, which emphasizes the relation-opposition between the two and their geometries," says Luca Aureggi.

The design's use of forms, colors, and materials emphasizes the goal to create a contemporary building that incorporates traditional features; Noto stone is used for the architectural volumes, while the darker Modica stone is used for the outside flooring. The corridor that runs through the home and links all of the rooms is outlined in brown plaster. The color scheme was chosen to contrast the gloomy, nearly compacted longitudinal area with the more expansive spaces of the rooms, which are flooded with natural light. Even glass is one of the key materials selected to provide an osmotic interaction between the house's inside and outdoors.

Is it the home in the landscape or the landscape in the house? Both of these ties are true for this single-family villa, which places a strong emphasis on its mission of providing a seamless experience from inside to out. The home is made out of three rotating blocks connected by a single long descending hallway that houses the kitchen, stairwell, niches, and built-in closets.

The hallway is divided into "ramifications," and the presence of a tree in the house's spaces is no coincidence. The day and night areas are separated, but they are always connected to the outdoors through the large windows, which have been meticulously analyzed to include technology and energy efficiency packages. Many pieces of custom-made furniture created by Westway Architects can be seen around the property, including tables, couches, and closets, with textures reminiscent of the surrounding landscape. The western façade is much more introverted, with openings that resemble embrasures, such as the main entrance, which recalls the small apertures in Bagli's border walls.

The coverings system was designed to act as a rabbet of pitches that are partially walkable and accessible through a flight of stairs that becomes the focal point of a full wall in the day space; the villa also has a pool, garage, and an entire level dedicated to utility rooms.

Photographs by Andrea Martiradonna.