In the city of Locri in southern Italy, the building at Via Matteotti 189, a stately palace dating back to 1926, is being restored while fully respecting its original identity: the renovation project integrates new functions, creating a juxtaposition between the delicacy of the new and the prominence of the historical friezes
The origins of the palace
STUDIO PROARCH PROMENADE ARCHITECTURALE designs the restoration of the original structures and decorations of the building at 189 Matteotti Street and the new distribution of the two floors plus attic on which the building is developed. Dating back to the city's first layout, the noble palace has housed various educational institutions and the owners' residence
The renovation works
The building has a mixed structure of masonry and reinforced concrete; in the renovation of the envelope, the architects had it restored to its original state to reinforce it with a carbon fiber mesh and subsequent layers of new plaster. Some dangerous projecting elements of the facades were replaced and the roof was redone. Originally made of chestnut beams, the roof was replaced with non-thrusting laminated wood trusses and insulated with a high-performance package of thermal insulation materials
The ground floor apartment
The ground floor of the building is completely renovated and dedicated to residence and studio. The new internal distribution respects the original load-bearing structure, integrated with additional partitions. The former professors' room, a large frescoed hall, becomes the new living room with an open kitchen: the strong contrast between the pure forms of the new architectural elements and the linearity of the contemporary furnishings with the opulence of the ancient decoration starts from this environment and remains the common thread throughout the intervention. The apartment then develops with a master bedroom with a walk-in closet and exclusive bathroom, a second bedroom, and service rooms consisting of a second bathroom, a storage room, and a laundry room. On the same floor, there is also a 25 sqm studio with a bathroom and a 17 sqm meeting room
Emphasizing the ancient chromaticity of the frescoes
The chromaticity that characterizes the interior walls is unique and subtle, with the intention of emphasizing the shadows and lights without any chromatic contrast. The tones are light and natural, the spaces are illuminated by the important windows and united in a single language by the wood of the floor. All the colors used reflect the tones of the frescoes to emphasize them. The careful interior design is crowned by the meticulous study of lighting and light fixtures that create specially designed suggestions and frame the simplicity of the stylistic language
