House GM: Horizontality and Intimate Living

In the Italian municipality of Rosà, not far from the city of Vicenza, stands House GM, a contemporary residence designed by Didonè Comacchio Architects in which a strong horizontal emphasis is expressed through an elegant material palette.

House GM: A dialogue of materials

The core of the project is its large exposed cast-in-place concrete plate. This component, which acts as the second-floor slab, is not only a load-bearing structure but the key compositional element that defines the identity of that floor. Also acting as a roof over the living area, it gives the building visual weight and a sense of horizontal equilibrium.

The formal language is further enriched by brick cladding laid with minimal mortar alternating with semi-permeable screens that, while admitting light, filter views from outside and ensure privacy without isolation. In contrast, the smooth concrete volumes define the service functions.

Above this horizontal base are two distinct yet harmonious volumes. The larger one houses the sleeping quarters, while the smaller volume comprises a sun terrace accessible from the bedrooms. Set back from the perimeter, the volume opens selectively onto the surrounding garden. The second volume includes a panoramic terrace framed by its perimeter wall.

The material palette flows uninterrupted between the first and second floors. Alongside smooth exposed concrete and handmade brick, burnished metal trim appears in the western volume and is then repeated in the window frames.

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Transparency and sightlines as a common thread

Inside, polished concrete reappears for the apparently floating wall of the staircase. Walnut flooring harmonizes with the wall paneling and large sliding doors, creating a material and color contrast with the light-gray walls.

As you move through the rooms of the house, a recurring theme emerges: transparency and sightlines between spaces. The interiors are arranged to offer glimpses and visual connections. From the kitchen, you can see the northern patio across the living room, while from the eastern porch, you can see the central patio through the kitchen.

Landscape as an essential element

The two green patios are the nerve centers of the home – voids in the building mass that bring filtered natural light and fragments of landscape into the living spaces, breaking up any sense of homogeneity while offering a sense of protection.

House GM stands out as an example of contemporary architecture that celebrates the landscape as an essential component of a sense of safe domestic intimacy that is deeply connected to its context.

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Cover image: © Simone Bossi

© Simone Bossi

© Simone Bossi

© Simone Bossi

© Simone Bossi

© Simone Bossi

© Catalogo Studio

© Catalogo Studio