COURTYARDHOUSE

Ancient Romans knew a thing or two about architecture and living well. At the heart of wealthy homes was the atrium, an open area surrounded by closed rooms, which drew in natural light and ventilated the interior. It created a feeling of space and light, of social interaction and community.

The concept was central to domestic architecture both figuratively and literally. It was the void that made sense of the rest of the home. The design of a dwelling was anchored in the idea of the open space that would be the centre of family life, and it was the atrium that determined the shape and layout of the rest of the building. The central space came first. The other areas of the home were then designed and built around it.

A double-height railing directly above the front door emphasises the verticality of the house, complemented by Sparkle White marble and Black Slate cladding supplied by Decorama. The external and internal doors are by FourWalls.

Theidea cascaded down the centuries, spilling out into other architectural styles and trickling into vernacular homes. The drawback of the Roman-style atrium was that it was open to the elements, but roofing it over would defeat its principal purpose of providing natural lighting and ventilation. With the arrival of the industrial revolution and the advances that brought in iron and glass manufacturing, it became possible to create an atrium protected from the elements by overhead glazing that is supported by a metal frame.

Wood cladding runs horizontally on the ceiling above the internal bridge, juxtaposed with the metal frame of the retractable roof. The cladding was supplied by Brands International, who also supplied the wooden decking and laminate flooring elsewhere in the house.

Inan unlikely twist, those architectural concepts, separated by millennia, have shaped the design of a contemporary family home that nestles between low-lying apartment blocks in the north of Malta. Inspired by a desire to bridge the experiential gap between nature and urban living, the architects designed their clients’ house around an atrium with a retractable glass paneled roof.

“As a culture, we are losing our contact with nature, our sense of calmness to be at one with our environment,” says Daniel Scerri, lead architect on the project. “We have grown used to living in an urban environment, without thinking much about what we are losing deep within ourselves. Our mental wellbeing, our inner peace have been taken over by a hectic urban lifestyle, which drains us more than we know. And then we escape to other countries for holidays and relaxation.”

In the main bedroom, neutral tones, natural materials and clean lines create a calming effect. A padded headboard gives the bed a luxurious feel, and contrasts with the minimalist lines of the rest of the furniture. The bespoke furniture is by Carmelo Delia. A walk-in wardrobe by Carmelo Delia and an ensuite bathroom by Vellmann Tiles & Bathrooms are hidden behind sliding mirrored doors. Engineered flooring in oak by Brands International is laid parallel to the external wall on the far side, visually widening the room.

To counter this trend, the key concept in this project was to bring nature, sunlight energy and a feeling of wellbeing deep into the heart of the home, creating “a sense of calmness that our ancestors not so long ago learnt to achieve in their vernacular architecture”, as Daniel Scerri describes it. The terraced house was to be newly built, which offered broad scope for its design. The architects proposed including a large open space at the centre, rather than at the back of the plot, and this idea found favour with their clients.

The contemporary courtyard is now the heart of the home’s design. It sits at the centre of the plot, and is stepped towards the South so that sunshine flows all the way down into the living spaces for much of the day. Thanks to the retractable roof-level glass ceiling, the indoor and outdoor are connected deep within the home.

Theregulations on building height in the area allowed verticality in the design that could be used to fulfill the site’s potential, introducing an external volume within the building that could be open to the sky when desired – which is most of the year –and closed off when necessary, which is less often than one would expect. When the weather and whim coincide, the glass roof is opened by remote control, bringing the outdoors in. Heat gain is mitigated naturally by an induced air current that draws cool air from the basement into the yard through a ventilation panel on the ground floor.

The living room is open to the internal courtyard and to the open area at the back of the house but it feels snug thanks to the inviting sofa by Carmelo Delia that wraps round three sides of the room and the soft-toned wallpaper from Fabulous Home, who also supplied the wallpapers used throughout the house. Wood flooring and wall cladding by Brands International create a warm feeling in the space and links it.

As one enters the home and walks up the wide entrance staircase leading towards the triple-height space, the glass-covered courtyard with its bridges, open staircases, and trees, creates a sense of dynamism and the feeling of being outdoors while simultaneously cocooned within one’s own home.

All the floors are open to the internal volume, giving the house a spacious outdoor feel, and all of the living areas of the home overlook the courtyard, promoting interaction between the various spaces and family members. The contemporary style of the house is a far cry from ancient Rome, but some things haven’t changed. The atrium really is the heart of this home.