Rationalism revisited

An inhabited cube, residential architecture created by juxtaposing solids in a harmonic progression: this, in a nutshell, is the sensation conveyed by the villa designed by Studio P-Art in the Hungarian capital Budapest. Indeed, the first impression one gets when observing the house is that of being inside a plastic work, a kind of exercise in applied geometry. Each space seems to have been designed by the architects according to a precise modular sequence extending from the outside to the inside: the layout of the facade, the position of the windows, the interplay between the various rooms, the interior structure, the openings onto the external environment and between interior rooms. All of this is accentuated by the two-dimensional grid of the floor and ceiling joints. Formal rigor and elementary geometry are recurrent themes that have been amply explored in modern architecture. This villa can therefore be envisioned as an updated and revisited version of rationalist houses and single-family dwellings, from the international villas of Le Corbusier to the Italian projects of Giuseppe Terragni. It contains a wealth of references to the architecture of the early decades of the last century, from the layout to the double-height living area, with the upper rooms suspended on pilotis. The rationalist approach to the project is also highlighted by the geometric and monochromatic use of the ceramic tiles from Casalgrande Padana, which skilfully contrast with the reinforced concrete intentionally left exposed on the ceiling and along the perimeter walls. Based on a precise installation pattern, the porcelain tiles follow the lines and guiding elements that delineate the space, enhancing the concept of module. White reigns supreme. The uniform colour/non-colour of the large-format tiles that cover the walls and floor unifies the domestic spaces seamlessly. But let’s proceed in an orderly fashion and examine the internal distribution of the villa. The formal rigour of the envelope is reflected consistently in the compositional simplicity of the interior architecture. However, this is only an apparent simplicity deriving from a careful study of the proportions and layout. Inside, the volume is divided into two distinct parts: one, as we said, with a double height for the living area and another that houses the kitchen and bathroom on the lower floor and the sleeping area, with bedrooms and bathrooms on the upper floor. The living space displays a strong sense of space created by the double volume and, as in the rest of the house, white reigns supreme in both the finishes and the furnishings. Even the sofas appear to be white geometric sculptures emerging from the orthogonal grid of the floor. White furniture, table and chairs were also chosen for the adjacent kitchen-dining area, which is already in the normal height portion. In particular, the kitchen is almost invisible, designed in accordance with the two-dimensional geometric module. The cupboard doors interplay with the tile joints and have the appearance of panels, creating the illusion of an end wall made from large format tiles. Next to the kitchen, a wide corridor connects the living area with the remaining spaces of the house. The large windows illuminate the space on both the lower and the upper floor. Last but not least, the meticulously designed artificial internal lighting project uses industrial-style recessed and suspended spotlights that are both visually appealing and efficient.