Villa Porza

Switzerland is one of the European countries where international style has managed to penetrate even the layman's soul, and majorly so, especially in their modernist acceptance of concrete, which is expressed through the most significant ways possible. With its physical and chemical composition (despite the fact that it is created by a natural process lasting several millennia), sandstone is by far the closest cave stone to concrete - being made of a mixture of sand that becomes stone when calcification binds it together. In keeping with this choice, in a logical continuity of more recent local tradition, cladding patterned slabs with a sandblasted finish have been chosen for the exteriors of this residence overlooking a lakeside panorama, mainly laid as dry stone so as to conceal the run-off water that collects below on the terraces and poolside. Occasionally the stones even rise up vertically to embrace the flower boxes to be placed between the open paved spaces. The sandblasting creates a mellow dialogue with the surrounding natural area, further refining the residence’s rigorous lines, which partly respects the best of contemporary Helvetic tradition, and perhaps, partly as a nod towards the techniques and shapes resulting from American architectural research. The installation of the stone parts is by ArcStudio. Inside, the light asperity typical of sandblasting makes way for a shiny polished and brushed finishing, concurring with the dominant sheen of the wooden staves and the reflections of the vast crystal glazing, arranged to project the interior into the surrounding panorama and, vice versa, to simultaneously bring the liquidity of the lake and the solidity of the Dolomites inside the building.