Casa Ance
The project originates from a design competition for the renovation of a penthouse apartment in an early 20th-century building near Villa Torlonia in Rome. The apartment is intended as a guest residence for the Italian national association of building companies, and the project addressed the need for a clear distinction between the "public" and private areas of the house to serve both as a private residence and a venue for meetings and gatherings.
The interior spaces of 140 square meters and the exterior spaces of 160 square meters, originally divided into three separate units, have been combined and reorganized. The project tackled the complexities of the existing pitched roof and lowered ceilings. The adopted solutions have made the public reception area as fluid and continuous as possible, freeing up the space to offer a unified and complete view of the roof structure and the flooring. A single sliding partition in iron and glass acts as a filter, allowing a part of the space to be closed off to accommodate the dining/meeting room when needed. The sleeping and service area, on the other hand, is characterized by a more fragmented space. Here, the roof pitches have been reshaped to regularize the volumes of the rooms. The renovation also extended to the panoramic terrace, which was enhanced with careful landscaping, aiming to create a seamless continuation of the interior spaces outdoors.
The selection of finishes reflects, through material expressiveness, the role of the association. To this end, natural materials, raw surfaces, stones and microcements were used. These materials, combined with custom-made wood and iron furniture, blend a minimalist aesthetics with purity of form.
