Titanium-zinc zintek® in a contemporary residential building project
Some buildings go through years of alterations without ever successfully reaching a conclusion. And this was certainly true of this villa in the northern Italian village of Buguggiate, which looks out over the promontory of Capolago towards Lake Maggiore. Following numerous abandoned renovation attempts, it has finally found balance and a new life as a family home.
The project, masterminded by the architects Milena Tortorelli and Filippo Renoldi from Studio Renoldi Associati, took over four years to complete. The architectural choices were guided by a specific request from the client: to make the surrounding greenery an integral part of the living experience. The walls have been opened up as much as possible, and replaced by large windows that blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors and give nature an everyday role in the home, discernible from all its main spaces.
The villa’s three-storey layout has been retained but reinterpreted, with its various functions given a clearly defined structure. Two large living spaces are at its heart: rooms for the owners and their guests on the first floor, opening onto an extensive balcony that runs along the façade, sheltered by glass balustrades; and a second space on the garden floor, designed as a playroom for the children and for casual living, with direct access to the green space and greater freedom of movement.
The choice of materials plays a central role in defining the project’s identity. The texture of the chestnut parquet floor is juxtaposed with the modern ceramic surfaces in a dialogue that balances domestic warmth and meticulous design.
Externally, both the walls and roof are clad in titanium-zinc zintek®. Using the same material in this way creates aesthetic and functional continuity, strengthening the building’s formal unity and ensuring its durability. The clear glass balustrades, fixed directly to the floor slab, provide an unrestricted view over the landscape.
Special attention has been paid to the lighting, which is integrated into the walls and used to build atmosphere within the property. The light turns corridors and surfaces into scenic elements that alter one’s perception of the spaces, evoking sensations reminiscent of contemporary art.
Architect Milena Tortorelli’s interior design work has instilled the inside of the house with a unique character. Working directly on the walls in certain rooms (the guest bathroom, the master bathroom, and the wall behind the bed in the master bedroom), Tortorelli has created tactile decorations that give the surfaces back an almost historic, multilayered personality. The lime and coloured pigment encaustic finishes, alongside several paintings commissioned for the dwelling, introduce subtle variations in colour that enhance one’s experience of the spaces without being overpowering.
The villa has a prime location overlooking the lake and surrounding mountains — a natural backdrop with hues that change with the seasons. The design merges with the location, transforming the view and the light into structural features. At long last, this perfect home is no longer a building site, but a lived-in space.
