Some 190 kilometers off the Italian peninsula lies Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and a popular holiday destination. While not a particularly hot spot for modern architecture there is a remarkable architectural oeuvre hidden on the island and along its coastal areas: the talk is of Alberto Ponis’s (1933-2024) numerous holiday homes scattered along the Sardinian coast. Born in Genova, Ponis studied in Florence and later apprenticed in the studios of Ernö Goldfinger and Denys Lasdun. At this point one might ask what on earth lured him to remote Sardinia in the early 1960s? The answer is an opportunity to work on a land subdivision plan at Punta Sardegna for a developer. Ponis settled in nearby Palau and stayed for the rest of his life.

A great way to discover his work is El Croquis 227, aptly subtitled „the best-kept secret“, published late last year: it features 17 of Ponis’s built works, most of them single-family houses, in the usual manner of El Croquis, i.e. in photographs, drawings, plans and sections. The volume predominantly focuses on the houses Ponis designed from the late 1960s onwards, houses that were deeply rooted in the local tradition: based on the „stazzo“, the farmhouse common in the northern part of Sardinia, he designed modern yet unpretentious houses that blended in with site and landscape. The latter aspect was of particular importance for the architect since he didn’t simply copy a type but designed his own version of it. Making no distinction between house and site, Ponis tightly knit the two elements at the spot offering the best panoramic view. The result are seemingly organically grown houses that become one with the site, occasionally integrate existing rock formations and demonstrate that holiday homes can be true architectural gems.

Alberto Ponis, Ivan's House - roof