SA Building Review Volume 13 - 2025 | Page 40

PROJECT Alpago Properties
A study on contrast
Upon closer inspection, the bulk of the structure is broken up to some extent by a deliberate fracturing of the form. This is achieved through a combination of light and dark materials, vertical layering with exposed slab edges, metallic and matte surfaces, transparent and perforated detailing, and solid forms balanced by negative spaces. These contrasting elements introduce the idea of porousness present throughout the design.
This theme is extended, and expanded on within, the sense of solidity on the street giving way to openness on the sea-facing side, where the spaces ultimately become hyper transparent. By carving out of the mass of the structure, the architects have created double-volume covered terraces and voids to inspire a sense of curiosity – through these, the landscape is visually woven through the space. Once you step through the door on the ground floor, this sense of permeability becomes clearly apparent in social spaces centred on a triple-volume central landscaped courtyard that allows in abundant light.
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