She House / Damilano Architects

The high visual impact geometries which deconstruct and reconstruct themselves, conveying a sense of overflowing energy, made up of natural shapes and materials, lend a strong identity to the She House, the private villa designed by architect Duilio Damilano of Damilanostudioarchitects on the hills that frame the city of Turin.

A contemporary identity that relies on essential elements and clear-cut signs which makes it emerge elegantly among the traditional buildings of the area. The 600 sqm house, which stands on an 860 sqm rectangular lot, is spread over three floors – two above ground and one underground with a kitchen-tavern, cellar, laundry room and garage – with terraces overlooking the surrounding hills and the valley below. The entrance to the villa, built on a reinforced concrete volume, is accessed via a long staircase covered in clear local stone which crosses a Japanese garden. The latter, together with the glazed walls and the use of natural materials and textures, contributes to design an organic architecture which is perfectly integrated into the context.

The interior is accessed from the living area, located to the south, where there is a wide, bright double-height living room with large glazed walls, which allow for a constant dialogue with the outside, and a glass panel which reveals the stairs connecting the three floors. The metal staircase, entirely custom-made and handmade by Cirifer, is an iconic element that deserves particular attention: an architectural element within the architecture, which embodies the salient features of the project: precision, elegance, practicality. Starting from a large landing with a suspended effect, inside which radiant heating has been inserted, the staircase leads to a second suspended landing. The subsequent cantilevered treads are anchored to a special metal supporting structure on the wall, which guarantees optimal load distribution.

This structure, conceived by Cirifer Design, allowed the construction of a cantilevered staircase even without a supporting wall. The staircase, which features a double-width tread descending to the floor, has been designed to accommodate the single glazed plate without visible fixing elements. The upper treads are made with a self-supporting blind riser, so as to hide the slab of the upper floor from view, just as every detail of the staircase, following the logic of the stylistic cleanliness of the overall project, has been designed with the precise intention of avoiding exposed fixing elements.

The living area – including the large doubleheight living room, the adjoining dining area and the kitchen – of the She House designed by Duilio Damilano reveals the architect’s desire to furnish the rooms with elegance, without filling up the spaces, with extreme reasoning and a meticulous attention to details. An attention that we also find going up to the first floor, where there is the sleeping area and the rooms dedicated to relaxation and personal care, with a wellness area equipped with a sauna and dedicated bathroom, directly connected to an external terrace with a small hydro pool. Even the master bedroom, where a freestanding bathtub has been placed, has direct access, through sliding glass windows, to the outdoor terrace, covered in precious Burmese Teak wood.

All the large glass windows of the house, which give the residents different views according to the season, are equipped with automated screening curtains for a better privacy. The internal floors are in European walnut, differently laid on the two floors. The general outline of this luxury villa shows an architecture characterized by protruding and divided elements, by voids and transparencies, by the combination of materials such as local stone, glass and wood and by a very high technological level thanks to a most advanced home automation system.

• Architect: Damilanostudio Architects
• Lead Architect: Duilio Damilano
• Location: Turin, Italy
• Site area: 860 m2
• Model render: Studio Tetris
• Garden: Roagna Vivai Cuneo
• Photos: Andrea Martiradonna, courtesy of Damilanostudio Architects