Villa Roccia | Mario Campi
Muzzano, Ticino | Switzerland | 1970
The Villa Roccia, or the Rock House, is aptly named. The residence sits among rugged surroundings near Lugano, close to the Swiss-Italian border where the mountains meet the lakes. Here, the house of concrete and glass jostles with the rock face alongside while - at the same time - the surrounding trees and greenery seek to soften both the building and the bluntness of the mountainside. The house was designed by local architect Mario Campi, who established his practice in Lugano and Zurich in 1962; later on, he became dean of architecture at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. Villa Roccia was commissioned by the novelist and painter Felice Filippini and his partner, the pianist Dafne Salati. Arranged over three principal levels, with significant internal shifts in volume and height, the original dwelling featured a double-height studio for Filippini arranged over its upper storeys and overlooked by an integrated roof terrace that formed a recessed courtyard garden. The design also explored contrasts between the mass of the building`s concrete frame and elements of transparency. The house has been restored and extended by Milan-based practice, Droulers Architecture.
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Words: © thegreatdaydreamer
