NOVA, Glass Pivot Door
A project that takes its cue from the dry and arid surroundings, it presents a simple volume with well-defined spaces. The emptiness of the entrance allows light to enter thanks to the Nova armoured glass door, which naturally illuminates the innermost portion of the residence without sacrificing the high performance of its thermal insulation.
In an environment such as this, where the entrance void plays the leading role and access is marked by a long corridor, Nova, the security door with Class 3 thermal insulation glass which, in addition to guaranteeing high thermal insulation performance, gives the interior design transparency and brightness.
The Papachristou Residence belongs to an architect and art collector. Standing in a field, it is first viewed as an isolated volume that all but floats. Defying this image is the exposed concrete material.
The simple volume and its material are then manipulated so as to describe and define spaces. Small expressions and mannerisms appear to inform the surface of the volume. The folds are comfortable and yet precise, cutting. A deft exercise in restraint. The most powerful element of all, neatly juxtaposed by a deliberately awkward tree, is the entrance void. This is in the form of a massive volume, which reduces on two of its sides as it moves up towards the door at its ends. The language of scale and progression shouts out at you.
The architect/owner’s requirement was to create a series of sequential spaces which almost work as opportunities to house art objects, sometimes small and personal sometimes borrowing from the grandeur of the museum; the idea of a gallery was a driving force. The heavy materials of the space, the dark marble surfaces, reinforce this concept. Functions are defined, beyond the conveniency aspect, by strong thresholds that lean on scale shifts and height changes.
In this project, Oikos Venezia was able to express its know-how by listening carefully to the customer’s needs and transforming the design idea into a fully customised product, without neglecting safety, technology and design factors.
