Ad'A Studio
Trapani (TP)
Architectural project: Arch. Gianni Ingardia and Giusi Mondino
Construction Management: Arch. Gianni Ingardia and Giusi Mondino
Structural design: Eng. Salvo Culcasi
The need to move to a larger space with more open spaces and better lighting was the motivation that led to the renovation of an old family apartment purchased twenty years earlier and never used until now.
The opportunity to design a workspace for ourselves, dedicating it to the headquarters of the architectural studio, gave us the possibility to "formulate" a real manifesto of our modus operandi , putting into play the experience gained in the various projects and construction sites of the last 20 years, applying the method with which we usually approach the project.
The notable height of the ceilings (4.50 m) and the longitudinal development of the rooms in sequence, have allowed the space to be transformed into a real loft, inside which to insert mezzanines and walkways, connected to the main floor by a folded sheet metal staircase.
The volumetric conformation of the rooms lent itself rather well to the use of iron structures, which together with the birch wood furnishings, became an integral part of the project's language.
If part of the structures remained hidden behind the wooden cladding, the most important part was brought to light with large "H" beams and overhead walkways made with orsogrill panels.
Raw iron shows off its beauty in the entrance hall, where a 25 m2 wall houses a material library made from 5-metre-long folded sheets of metal, as well as in the bathroom, where a custom-designed and made sink has been covered with a specially calendered black iron sheet.
The hardness of the metal is counterbalanced by the delicacy of the birch wood found in the furnishings specifically designed for the various rooms of the studio.
The moodboard of the materials that made up the project was combined with the ancient decorated concrete floors, typical of the Trapani tradition of the early 1900s, and the pavilion vault made of tuff blocks from Favignana, exposed.
The historic facade of the building from the early 1900s, recently restored, and the access to the studio, marked by a orsogrill panel positioned next to a wooden panel, placed on the ground as a bridge between the landing of the staircase and the entrance room to the studio, contribute to anticipating the atmosphere that can be felt inside the studio.
Construction company: Stellario Battiata Srl
Fixtures: F.lli Castiglione Joinery
Wooden works: Carpentry F.lli Castiglione, Carpentry Gaspare Ciotta
Microcement floors: Enzo Ciotta
Plumbing: Gaspare Salerno
Electrical system: Alfa Impianti
Iron works: Vito Novara
Completion and painting works: Enzo Virzì.