Varone 2127: a study on relation between human & the home through design of a private villa

Abstract

The relation people have to buildings is undeniable. It is even more obvious in our homes, a place we are born in, we take our first steps, we construct our memories, we spent time with our loved ones and a place we die in. It has been with us evermore as humans have been seeking for reliable shelter as long as its existence extends back in history. Or as Xavier de Maistre describes it in A Journey Round my Room [1794], ”...it is here that during one half of a life-time we forget the annoyances of the other half. But what a host of thoughts, some agreeable, some sad, throng my brain at once, — strange minglings of terrible and delicious pictures! A bed sees us born, and sees us die. It is the ever changing scene upon which the human race play by turns interesting dramas, laughable farces, and fearful tragedies. It is a cradle decked with flowers. A throne of love. A sepulchre.” This shows how distinctive and intimate the relation between human and the home is. Therefore the question of more personalized design of homes becomes relevant here. This thesis focuses on designing a private house in a very unique and attractive part of Switzerland, in relation to above mentioned point of view as the main design approach. In that sense what is better than looking at this unique relationship between mankind and the home extensively and form the elements that also come very close to human beings and their bodies. Namely to look at the details as an extension to architecture. Through this, the whole becomes more interconnected and a link is created that further strengthens the relationship between individual and the built environment.