A villa for two families

Two brothers and their respective families were looking for a seaside location where they could spend weekends and summer holidays together while maintaining a degree of independence. Following an extensive search, they found exactly what they were looking for: a site with planning permission right next to the beach in Jesolo Lido, in the province of Venice. While the long, narrow plot was not ideal, the site did have the advantage of being right next to the sea but “far from the madding crowd”. All that was needed was an architect who could turn this limitation into an advantage. This is where Jacopo Mascheroni and his practice came in, professionals accustomed to finding brilliant solutions to all kinds of architectural problems by adopting a clear, essential neo-modernist language inspired by Richard Meyer, the star architect with whom Mascheroni trained in the United States. To make the most of the site’s potential, Mascheroni – who was also the project manager and design principal for the award-winning Jesolo Lido Village – came up with a solution that comprised a long, rigorous parallelepiped divided into two symmetrical, mirror-image halves, one for each family. This volume is topped by a flat, cantilevered roof that acts as a sunshade and on the southern side facing the beach forms a patio that is likewise divided into two by a white partition wall. This extends along the central axis of the building towards a rectangular infinity pool where white cabanas stand on each of the two long sides with photovoltaic elements integrated into the roof. “Identical and positioned opposite each other, they provide shade from the sun on hot summer days and reaffirm the idea of independence while maintaining a sense of family unity,” explains Mascheroni.
The seaward side of the building, surrounded by hedges and a garden with a relaxing Zen-like atmosphere, houses the open-plan living space, where the large full-height sliding windows of the façade and the side glazing allow plenty of natural light to flow in during the day. The northern area is occupied by the sleeping quarters, where to ensure greater privacy and less noise the glass envelope is replaced by a full-height opaque cladding consisting mainly of porcelain tiles from Casalgrande Padana installed over a ventilated façade system. The two apartments are identical, both inspired by rational, essentialist furnishings and consisting of a large open space with living room, dining room and kitchen, as well as two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. In addition to the above-ground volume, the building also has a shared basement level accessible by a flight of stairs on the northern side. The basement houses a wellness area with a gym, sauna, jacuzzi and cold-water pool, an industrial kitchen, a laundry room and additional guest rooms. To the right and left, this basement extends onto two patios with areas for outdoor activities clad in white mosaic tiles to reflect as much natural light as possible.
In this play of symmetries and subtle balance of volumes and decorations, Mascheroni took great care never to lose sight of the sense of harmony. To this end, he used the flooring as a leitmotif that would bring unity and visual continuity to the interior and blur the distinction between inside and outside. All the floors are tiled with stone-effect porcelain slabs from Casalgrande Padana’s Pietre di Sardegna collection, chosen in the relaxing Punta Molara colour and with a natural surface. The sizes 90×90 cm and 90×45 cm were used for the indoor flooring, while a 60×60 cm size in a 20 mm thickness was chosen for the outdoor area. All in all, it is a superbly designed work of architecture that delivers living comfort while maintaining a focus on sustainability. It stands out in particular for its extremely energy-efficient envelope, while electricity generated by the solar panels on the cabanas make a significant contribution to powering the air conditioning system.