
Domus Argentum
Type – Private residence
Location – Tuscany, Italy
Year – 2024
Located on a beautiful promontory Monte Argentario that extends into the Tyrrhenian Sea, the site for this villa has not only various vantage points to enjoy panoramic views but also offers a unique combination of Mediterranean floras’ natural beauty. This place, with a slight slope towards the sea, is overgrown with plants such as olive trees, pine trees, cypresses, and aromatic herbs like rosemary and thyme. The sea is not visible from the site and therefore we were forced to look for the focal point of the project on the site itself, in addition to the mentioned beautiful nature.
There were a couple of small rundown huts on the site. There was no point in recovering them, and to be honest there was no intention to do so either. Since these remains are to be replaced by a new villa building, which, out of functional necessity and as a reminder of the morphology of the previous spatial composition, also consists of two volumes. Places where the huts used to be are turned into empty courtyards in each villa volume and are enclosed by massive stone walls. These courtyards are intentionally planned as empty spaces.
In this project, the choice to leave empty space, which in most cases, many would see as non-functional and incomprehensible, we consider one of our achievements. As we believe that the feeling of emptiness in architecture can evoke various emotions and interpretations. Empty spaces can serve as powerful symbols, representing memory, loss, or contemplation. They often create a dialogue between what is present and what is absent, allowing individuals to reflect on their experiences and the passage of time.
The two volumes of the villa are placed on the same pedestal and shifted one relative to the other, so that two terraces are formed. One entrance terrace with garden, the other with outdoor pool. Layouts of the volumes are quadrants with rectangular courtyards arranged not centrally, but symmetrically to the longitudinal axes.
In opposition to the massive stone walls of the courtyards and the natural beauty of the site, the facades of the building are designed in a geometrically calibrated modular pattern with thin vertical and horizontal elements with the cladding made of brush-treated titanium panels. All windows and doors have steerable shutters of the same panels, when closed the volumes become opaque.
The interior spaces are located around stone courtyards according to the principle of an enfilade. Probably the most interesting room inside is the music room with a high ceiling, acoustic installation and musical instruments. The owners, who are great lovers and connoisseurs of symphonic music, organize chamber concerts with guest musicians.
Two subjects are expressed and overlapped in this project: the concept of empty space and the concept of contrasting “man-made second nature” with Nature, which emphasizes the striking differences and narrowness between the artificial and the natural.
There were a couple of small rundown huts on the site. There was no point in recovering them, and to be honest there was no intention to do so either. Since these remains are to be replaced by a new villa building, which, out of functional necessity and as a reminder of the morphology of the previous spatial composition, also consists of two volumes. Places where the huts used to be are turned into empty courtyards in each villa volume and are enclosed by massive stone walls. These courtyards are intentionally planned as empty spaces.
In this project, the choice to leave empty space, which in most cases, many would see as non-functional and incomprehensible, we consider one of our achievements. As we believe that the feeling of emptiness in architecture can evoke various emotions and interpretations. Empty spaces can serve as powerful symbols, representing memory, loss, or contemplation. They often create a dialogue between what is present and what is absent, allowing individuals to reflect on their experiences and the passage of time.
The two volumes of the villa are placed on the same pedestal and shifted one relative to the other, so that two terraces are formed. One entrance terrace with garden, the other with outdoor pool. Layouts of the volumes are quadrants with rectangular courtyards arranged not centrally, but symmetrically to the longitudinal axes.
In opposition to the massive stone walls of the courtyards and the natural beauty of the site, the facades of the building are designed in a geometrically calibrated modular pattern with thin vertical and horizontal elements with the cladding made of brush-treated titanium panels. All windows and doors have steerable shutters of the same panels, when closed the volumes become opaque.
The interior spaces are located around stone courtyards according to the principle of an enfilade. Probably the most interesting room inside is the music room with a high ceiling, acoustic installation and musical instruments. The owners, who are great lovers and connoisseurs of symphonic music, organize chamber concerts with guest musicians.
Two subjects are expressed and overlapped in this project: the concept of empty space and the concept of contrasting “man-made second nature” with Nature, which emphasizes the striking differences and narrowness between the artificial and the natural.











