Page 91 - AIT0721_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Archiplan Studio, IT-Mantua
Bauherr • Client Privat
Standort • Location IT-Mantua
Wohnfläche • Floor space 36 m 2
Fotos • Photos Giuseppe Gradella, IT-Mantua
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 134

MONOLOCALE EFFE

IN MANTUA

Same and yet always different – this is the guiding
„Gleich und doch immer anders ...“ principle of the Italian architecture firm Archiplan Stu-
dio. In the Monolocale Effe flat, the designers show
Archiplan Studio how they deal with the increasingly popular design
task of the micro-apartment in their very own way.
They follow their maxim of different approaches to so-
lutions via an inserted, space-creating volume.

T he World Heritage city of Mantua is located south of Lake Garda.
Under the rule of the Gonzarga ducal family, the city already flou-
rished during the Middle Ages and is today one of the most important
art sites in Lombardy. Architecture enthusiasts will be pleased to see
numerous buildings as witnesses of the Renaissance period within the
city walls and off the beaten track. Surrounded by several lakes, the
metropolis is reminiscent of an island. In the Monolocale Effe flat, Ar-
chiplan Studio created a retreat for sleeping – similar to such an is-
land - as a central, space-creating object. Thanks to this inserted vo-
lume, the small 36-square-metre flat has its very own spatial hierar-
chy and unusual circulation routes. Angular and round openings in
the walls of the bed furniture allow various visual relationships with
the surrounding space in the flat. The storage area for clothes is di-
screetly concealed behind a textile system, and to compensate for the
limited space in the bathroom, the washbasin is openly staged as a
Grundriss • Floor plan furniture item next to the storage area. Carefully refurbished, all the
walls in the flat are witnesses to the history of the existing building
and create a heterogeneous diversity of surfaces without the indivi-
dual layers competing with each other. Thanks to the high casement
windows, the entire living space is bathed in a sufficient amount of
daylight. In the kitchen, the velvety gold door surfaces of the floor cup-
boards contrast with the markedly rugged nature of the walls and
make the cooking area appear elegant and bold. Next to the kitche-
nette, the dining area docks onto the sleeping cube, and a royal blue
sofa in the centre of the living area adds a striking splash of colour.
The fixed wooden benches in front of the windows can be used as ad-
ditional storage space. Thanks to the inserted block, the small space
is optimally zoned so that the open area appears more generous in
the direction of the windows. The elegant and plain bathroom fittings
correspond to the restored wall surfaces with just as much contrast as
the rest of the furnishings. A narrative arc of tension from the past to
Längsschnitt • Longitudinal section the present has been created in the smallest of spaces.

AIT 7/8.2021 • 091