Helena’s Villa
HELENA’S VILLA
Grech & Vinci Architecture & Design
ARCHITECTS
Grech & Vinci Architecture & Design
CATEGORY
Houses
LOCATION
Safi, Malta
AREA
400.0 m²
PROJECT YEAR
2012
Text description provided by architect.
A site bounded by other dwellings necessitated a villa concept designed with privacy in mind.
Angular, modernist geometry interprets the sense of protection given by a castle; monumental from the outside, but opening up into private internal courtyards and light-filled living spaces once within.
The villa combines a series of materials and volumes; polished concrete floors throughout, generously sized bathrooms, and double height ceilings, interspersed with more playful, contemporary inclusions such as textured plywood panelling, exposed concrete finishes and perforated steel structures.
The main living area features an exposed concrete ceiling that stretches to double height to allow light to flood through the space via skylight windows strategically placed for privacy.
A recessed plywood panelled wall provides focus, texture and houses a fireplace, and beyond lies a custom open kitchen, an area demarcated under a lower ceiling level to encourage a warmer feel to this more intimate social space.
The master bedroom is located on the ground floor, affording the client a view of the pool area and internal courtyard. A concrete boundary wall retains complete privacy and reflects the texture of concrete used for the bedroom ceiling and its corresponding ensuite bathroom.
In here, mirrored cabinets meet floor level apertures running the room’s length to add light but screen it from the pool deck.
On the first floor above the living area, a walkway with a perforated steel railing links two further bedrooms creating a change in textures whilst continuing the strong lines of the central volume - a motif reflected in a staircase of the same material elsewhere in the house.
Here too, plywood panels partially cover white walls and each bedroom is a mirror of the other, with minimal, contemporary en suite bathrooms and private courtyards available to each.
The property also includes a large two car garage located below street level with a discrete sloping entryway – a necessity in an area where parking is scarce.
Adjoining this are two games rooms, each with the flexibility and space to be used as a gym, future home cinema, a study or extra bedrooms rooms should they be required and each enjoying a private front garden.
