Distinguished architects,
It’s our pleasure to share with you the opportunity to design our new home and open this contest.
Our family consists in 3 people, 2 adult and one young son (4 years old).
Your challenge consists into a medium size villa located in Milan surrounding.
The villa was built in the 80’s and the external conditions are good.
It is a two stories building: ground floor around 175 sqm and first floor 55 sqm (Gross floor area).
IMPORTANT: the present “portico” area (already closed by a windows frame) and the car parking will become livable area. We already checked it and it could be done according to local code.
There is a quite huge garden around the villa (see pictures and map)
We are considering to fully renovating the interior then you do not have much to care about the existing walls and M&E system. (that’s why I didn’t upload any picture of the interior space)
M&E and water piping can be completely new then you can play on layout design as you prefer.
Then freely express your creativity, according to our design brief, anyway keeping a rational approach and consider the “value for money” principle in your proposal.
The wall separating the present “portico” and the actual living area could be demolished (there maybe a pillar along the wall, we are checking it out)
It should be proposed and considered the installation of AC system just in the most important spaces. To be proposed the most suitable solution (independent split or centralized one?). Please consider if needed reflected ceiling in few area to host machine and pipes (we would avoid to have the split in a visible way.
Some smart solution also for the electric system and house management will be welcomed if consistent with the overall budget.
All the window frames should be new and with an adequate standard in term of energy saving. You should propose also a blind system to ensure a proper security and, possibly, an easy maintenance and management (an automatic and simultaneous closing system for all of them). It should be not used timber frame for Windows and blinders.
At least one of the full high windows in the new living area, facing the inner garden, should be not less than 2mt wide. (Two sliding parts)
Overall budget for the new M&E system, decoration, should be within 700 Euro/sqm (totally 150-160.000 euro) excluded the furniture and the new greenhouse.
Feel free to proposed the decoration materials that you consider more appropriate, taking in consideration that the overall house style should be contemporary, warm (not aseptic) meanwhile minimal (we do not want much decoration as well as a plenty of furniture).
Lights are important because can provide the warm feeling together with a selection of material and soft colors.
Flooring materials: avoid carpet then select a very strong and durable one (we don’t like dark colors). It could be tiles and timber (according different areas). Timber should be a strong essence.
Wall should have gypsum layer finished to result smoother and more shines.
The main targets we want to achieve can be summarized as follow: 3 main areas MUST BE in ground floor
1. LIVING AREA
It should be as much as possible an open and wide space (this is really a key request by us!) to host entrance hallway, living, dining, reading area (with wall library, around 3 mt. along a wall), kitchen (see below the detailed request), one small toilets for guests, laundry, pantry (if possible), stair to first floor.
2. PARENTS NIGHT AREA
It should include master bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closed. These 3 spaces should be directly interconnected and, obviously separated by the living area through a door.
3. SON NIGHT AREA
It should include bedroom, bathroom and play room/study room These 3 spaces should be directly interconnected and, obviously separated by the living area through a door.
Detailed description:
GROUND FLOOR:
1. LIVING AREA
It should be as much as possible an open, wide and single space within several functions and just with the strictly necessary partition walls.
– Hallway. It should be well proportioned, not too narrow but also not too large to avoid a waste of space. It should have a wardrobe
– Living must have a sofa, around 2.5 mt long, with island (to fully lie down) covered by fabric, one simply armchair and a small, low table.
Fire place should be added
– Kitchen. There should be a closed space only for cooking and preparing food (minimum space for such activities).
Then, in the “open” living area, we may have other kitchen cabinets (along the separation wall towards cooking area) and a small island where to have breakfast and family dinner (3/4 people), such island should “low” and usable by chairs.
– Dining area should host a table for 6+2 people (around 2 mt long). Table and chair should be very simple, contemporary and minimal style. Table top should be by a material that doesn’t absorb liquid.
– Reading area (with wall library, at least 2,5 mt. along a wall) and a very comfortable chaise longue (soft and wide enough). This area is not a key point. Focus more on the other function and you may have only the library along the wall abd skip the chaise longue.
– Guest bathroom
It should be a small but cozy space. It just needs to have a sink (with top and small cabinet below) and a wc.
– Large laundry space to allocate wash machine/ board for ironing/ vacuum cleaner, etc, several shelves and cabinet for “maintenance tool” (45 cm deep). The room should be at least 1,5 mt wide and sufficiently long
– Pantry: A space to store food and kitchen stuff. It must contain a freezer. Preferably near to Kitchen.
– Stair to first floor. Simple stair, 90 cm. width, it is not a key point for the house. It should be allocated not in a primary place.
17/18 raisers (around 17,5 cm each) and treads not more than 29 cm long. Maybe one single ramp could be the best option.
2. PARENTS’ NIGHT AREA
– Bedroom: king size bed room, cupboard. Do not add any wardrobe.
– Bathroom: It should be a “comfortable” space, not too narrow. 2 sinks with a large top to allocate all “lady’s stuff” for make up, a “standing along” bathtub, shower (at least 1 mt), wc, bidet.
– Walk in closed. It could be narrow space (200 cm: 60 wardrobe+80 space in middle+60 wardrobe) but large enough to host totally 7.20 mt. Wardrobe should definitely have sliding doors.
3. SON’S NIGHT AREA
– Bedroom: king size bed room, wardrobe and cupboard.
– Bathroom: single sink and with a suitable top (not isolated sink) and a chest underneath (preferably suspended), shower (comfortable dimension), wc and bidet.
– Study/play room: room size should be at least 9 sqm. It should include desk, book shelves, cupboard and a small sofa that could become a bed to host his friend.
FIRST FLOOR
The present partition walls could be kept as now, just revise it in case you should have a really smart idea and maybe to allocate the stair in a different position.
1. GUEST ROOM
King size bed room, wardrobe and cupboard
2. FUNCTION ROOM
Actually we do not have a clear idea about this space. We are open to your proposal. Just consider, in future, in case we should have a second child, this could become the guest room since the other room will be used for the son.
3. BATHROOM
Single sink and with a suitable top (not isolated sink) and a chest underneath (preferably suspended), shower (comfortable dimension), wc and bidet (not compulsory)
GARDEN
– Portico for car parking
Create a “portico” to be used as cover space to allocate, at least a car (large size) and a motorbike. It should be “open” or maybe closed by moveable partition (not by walls) except for the short side opposite of the car entrance.
It could be just beside the house then share a wall of the house.
We could consider creating a small close space for the house heating boiler.
– Green house
We are considering to adding a green/glasshouse along the North façade (starting from the N/E corner). It maybe used for a small fitness area and a small table (4 people) for summer dinner or a conversation space having also an area within a “winter garden”, not more than3-4 sqm (see picture greenhouse)
We choose ADVANCE package, adding an extra fee, since we look forward to receive the best options especially about layout (full and best allocation of all the functions we requested) with deep attention to the budget limit we required.
Give us the best feasible layout and you will win!
Wish you a nice and fruitful creation work!
Kind regards
