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A huge window on Padua’s green countryside
A home that follows the rising and setting of the sun in the same way as the nature that surrounds it, Casa DoDo, designed by Marco Bonariol and Renato Bredariol of B+B Associati, is a 565 m2 residence in the heart of the Trebaseleghe countryside, in the Italian province of Padua.
The house has a rectangular plan and a green patio, surrounded by a large garden. It’s on a single level, lifted slightly above the ground, and comprises three large volumes, each intended for a different function.
Location: Padova, Italy
Building Area: 565 m2
Architect: B+B Associati
Main Contractor: Cazzaro Costruzioni
Consultants
Structures: Angelo Ricci
Landscape: Giuseppe Carollo
Suppliers
Lighting: Artemide
Doors&Windows: Agostini Group
Photography by and courtesy of Andrea Sottana
The home is at the end of a long, winding avenue. Forming a counterpoint to its washed gravel surfacing are groundcover plants, which follow the alignment of the home and, therefore, emphasize visual cues that create a dialogue between the interior and exterior.
The fulcrum of Casa Dodo is its internal garden surrounded by its three volumes. A private outdoor space that’s visible from anywhere in the living room and from the glazed passageway between the living and sleeping areas, this is also the area that visitors enter when approaching the front door.
The large living area looks westward through a 15 m sliding glass wall. The effect resembles a display case that, through the interrupted line of the portico, creates sightlines that extend deep into the large garden, establishing a direct connection between the different areas. The section of the garden overlooked by the living room has been deliberately left un-landscaped, consisting of nothing but lawn that extends right across the property.
The bedrooms occupy the second volume. Here, French windows face eastward to capture the first rays of sunlight and welcome each new day.
The third volume contains the bathroom, garage, and boiler room. This section of the home is clearly distinguishable from the others, both because of its ventilated façade with its irregular gray texture, and the reinforced concrete carport, supported by a series of slender metal elements that also provide visual screening.
The interiors were designed according to their different functions. The living area and porch have terrazzo flooring but reinterpreted through a contemporary lens, with small aggregates and soft colors. The floors in the bedrooms, though, are timber, while the bathrooms have porcelain stone flooring.
Black metal eaves extend around the perimeter of the building, with the height differences between the contrasting materials and their overhang emphasizing the essential horizontality of the external walls.
