Casa RB_96 is Chiara and Andrea’s house, a reinforced concrete structure located in the eastern part of Paternò where there are still many areas of completion of the urban fabric. A building supported by constraints resistant to modifications, especially those of a structural nature and of the main distribution of entrances in height: stairwell, lift shaft and internal cloister; two fronts on the road, the north and the east and the other two completely blind. Added to these constraints are the physical needs linked to light and air exchange. With two blind fronts, guaranteeing the minimum needs was not easy, but the movement of some external voids to other points of the apartment made it possible to penetrate the most disadvantaged part of the building with the natural exchange of air, recovering volume in what would later become the living area and the bathrooms of the apartment.
The house develops from a staircase which centrally distributes the flows; therefore the apartment has a circular development around the staircase. The entrance opens onto a large living area, characterized by a table for large convivial moments and a sofa for conversation and relaxation; a large kitchen with island is connected to this; together with the reception bathroom these rooms constitute the living area. This is connected to the rest of the house through a hallway which overlooks the internal cloister, entirely windowed and equipped with a large wardrobe. At the other end of this corridor/hallway is the most private, most intimate part of the apartment, the sleeping area consisting of the bedrooms and bathrooms.
The requests in terms of finishes were clear from the beginning: simplicity of lines and shapes, few textures, almost a monochrome enhanced by some details that the owners manage with love towards what was built and designed together, transferring the needs into the project as an end and a tool. Simplicity, linearity and “precious” details. In the end Casa RB_96 is the home of Chiara and Andrea, because the adjectives we used first represent the hosts. The Architect? He guided the process, managed the critical issues, advised, systematized the project, loved the mission and was an accomplice and witness to this further experience of Love.
