Can an old stable be transformed into a swimming pool? Apparently between Noto and Modica, yes.

Just reverse the point of view, creating an unexpected relationship of references between rectangles of blue, sky and water. That is, by moving the horizon line through what may appear to be a simple intervention: removing the roof of an old building, uncovering it.

A methodical subtraction operation, which led us – together with Sebastiano Italia and Andrea Di Franco – to want to keep the perimeter volume intact, now statically reinforced and equipped with new openings designed to allow greater solar radiation. Full-height access portals that force the space to become something else, to dialogue with clear geometries of light and shadow, to become permeable. Inside and outside, closed and open together.

And although the language openly points to contemporary abstraction, creating a space with a metaphysical flavor, the pool remains one of the elements of integration with its surroundings, keeping intact a local grammar, respectful of the context and its materials.

Project: Bevilacqua Architects, Sebastiano Italia, Andrea di Franco
Location: Noto / Modica, Sicily
Year: 2020
Ph: Benedetto Tarantino @benedettotarantino
Text: Giulia Mura