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A project commissioned by artist Emanuele Gatto in his beloved Copertino countryside
Yearning for a return to roots, artist Emanuele Gatto, a member of the Raum W47 collective and founder of Casetta Studio, commissioned the design of a summer retreat in the Italian province of Lecce. The result is a combined home and artist’s studio that has reestablished his connection to his hometown of Copertino and the Salento countryside. Named Terra Arsa, the home was designed by Franco Maghenzani and Massimiliano Tarantino’s studio, FMA Architettura Ingegneria.
Set in what until recently was a lush olive grove, which was sadly decimated by Xylella fastidiosa, Terra Arsa comprises two pure white volumes, joined by a glass corridor. The windows, some of which are little more than cracks, are a key element of the project, intended to establish an unbroken connection between inside and out, between architecture and the almost untouched nature that surrounds the home. In every room, the windows also establish a connection to, and a harmony with, the sun, and the changing light from dawn to dusk. A short distance from the home is Casetta Studio, a historic farm building that’s been reborn as a contemporary art studio.
Gatto has wanted to return to the area for a long time. Terra Arsa is therefore a place for work, relaxation, and reconnecting with his roots. An important aspect of the design is the way it considers both the artist’s needs and the natural environment, with the light, the tones of the earth and stones, and the Mediterranean scrub remaining key features of the site. As well as the glass corridor, which provides a connection between the private areas of the home and the entertainment areas, Terra Arsa was conceived as what the architects call “a house that observes.” With their large windows, its volumes frame the landscape. Besides the sliding glass doors onto the pool area, the bedrooms have horizontal openings that overlook the countryside, while the twin bathrooms have porthole windows.
“It’s a typical Mediterranean home in which the relationship with place played a central role in the creation of the architecture,” explain the architects.
The garden and living area, conceived as a single open space, are connected via a porch, creating a flow between the inside and outside of the house. Meanwhile, the bedrooms are partially underground and feature distinctive horizontal observation points, intended to create a tranquil atmosphere.
But the connection to nature isn’t just about windows and sightlines. It also involves the use of materials and colors, with both simple and understated to underscore the linear geometry of the design, and create a visual and tactile continuity between landscape and architecture.
“The guiding light behind the project was a return to an echo of traditional forms, but with simplified volumes and no balconies, combined with an emphasis on sustainable and bioclimatic solutions,” added the architects.
Location: Copertino, Lecce, Italy
Architect: FMA architettura e ingegneria
Client: Private
Completion: 2023
Area: 1,400 m2
Photography by Martina Loiola, courtesy of FMA architettura e ingegneria
