Casa MATERiA: A Hybrid Space for Sharing

With cultural aims taking precedence over architectural spectacle, XYZ Factory has transformed an abandoned building in Matera into a residence that rethinks both habitability and hospitality. Casa MATERiA focuses on its relationship with the historical and cultural context of the Sassi district, combining temporary hospitality, craft production, dining, and experiential offerings.

Casa MATERiA: Rooted in the local area

The wordplay in the project’s name signals the relationship with both the local context and the calcarenite that characterizes the place – a building material that has shaped the city’s form and community life for millennia and remains central to the local identity.

The project on Via Casalnuovo is rooted in this continuity, reinterpreting an existing lamione – a traditional structure comprising a vaulted volume carved into the calcarenite – as a contemporary, habitable space.

The large barrel vault, restored and highlighted, becomes the unifying element of the interior. Inside, simple materials – stone, wood, iron, and glass – reinterpret the site’s history through a modern, essential language.

A place of identity

A defining feature of Casa MATERiA is its strongly authorial character. The project is the outcome of the hands-on practice of one of the two brothers who own the building, an architect and designer, who turned the building into a craft workshop and creative studio.

Following the principle of user-led production, every element, including the furnishings, is made in the same place as it will occupy. This process echoes the increasingly rare culture of self-design that links concept and execution.

Also reflecting this hands-on approach, the other resident, a baker with a passion for food culture, adds a culinary dimension to the house with food, traditional drinks, and local products. Food is therefore another way of narrating the story of the local area and forging emotional connections.

Hospitality and connection

The result is a permeable, multi-layered space that brings together design, art, craft, and gastronomy. Artworks, handcrafted goods, and food offerings for sale help tell the story of the home, extending the visitor experience beyond the stay.

The spaces and functions of Casa MATERiA take on varied and shifting forms. The aim is to reestablish a way of life centered on encounter and relationship. Hospitality becomes a practical tool for establishing new connections with the local area and its inhabitants.

Casa MATERiA does not treat hospitality as a consumer product for quick sale but as a form of temporary residence – a time shared with others that weaves together personal stories, local culture, and community life.

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