Case study/ Casa Poli

analysis of  Casa poli / 

a r c h i t e c t s / M a u r i z i o   P e z o   a n d  S o f i a  v o n  E l l r i c h s h a u s e n

An opening is a beginning. The start or end of something new, of something unseen…captured….hidden. It is by this logic the focus was drawn to the top window and opening of casa poli’s western elevation. The openings are located either side of a narrow corridor / staircase leading to the top floor of the building. They perform an interesting feat. Converting a purely circulatory space to one of occupation. The opening on the exterior façade does not contain any glass, leaving the passage open to the elements, drawing the environment in. The forced relationship between the natural and built environment is strongly emphasized between the brutal and rigid linear design of casa poli and the chaotic beauty of Chiles rocky coastline. The stairwell is an entirely circulatory space. The openings uncover and redefine the boundaries between function, circulation and occupation. The user is invited to stop and experience, to view, to think, to ponder, to sit on the stairs and gaze at the blue horizon. Alternatively the space is further altered from one of circulation to observation offered by the interior window. The window opens into the three-storey void, which occupies the western corner of the building.  It is here the user becomes the voyeur deconstructing the boundaries between public and private, between summerhouse and cultural center.