In Porto Rotondo, one of the most exclusive destinations in Sardinia, in a silent area away from the spotlight, Alvisi Kirimoto presents Villa S — a winding residence overlooking the sea, with a breathtaking view of the Golfo degli Aranci. Surrounded by Mediterranean bush and nestled in the hilly landscape of Gallura, the villa gently extends over a sloping two-hectare plot.
Initially, the lot was invaded by abundant vegetation, with fragmented internal paths leading to various disconnected buildings. Right from the start, the studio faced huge landscaping constraints, including the impossibility of modifying the shape of the existing volumes. The need emerged to rethink the relationship between them, creating a logical sequence of open, closed, and covered spaces.
![Villa S](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alvisi-Kirimoto-complete-Villa-S-in-Porto-Rotondo-01.jpg)
From the highest point of the lot, a yellow San Giacomo granite staircase winds in a kind of architectural promenade up to the central square, around which the volumes gather: like a village square, it becomes a place for meeting and sharing. Three green tongues embrace the buildings and divide the square, while a carob tree in the center offers shade and coolness.
The villa is divided into three separate buildings at different levels, and a basement. Having to keep the profiles unchanged, the interiors and their relationship with the outside were reinterpreted through the addition of some contemporary elements, such as the new pergolas and the glass box, which leads to the basement. The main volume, which houses the living room, dining room, and kitchen, was originally a space made up of three closed boxes.
![Villa S](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alvisi-Kirimoto-complete-Villa-S-in-Porto-Rotondo-02.jpg)
It has been redesigned as a unicum, whose structural pace is dictated by four parallel walls oriented in an east-west direction, alternating with large glass surfaces that open new views of the square and the terrace overlooking the sea. To emphasize the continuity between inside and outside, granite is also used in the interiors. Contrasting with the gravity of the walls, the generous windows give dynamism and lightness to the elevations, reveling in the light of the sun’s rays.
The fixtures of the east façade are burnished brass folding window frames with an extremely small section, to allow the interiors to expand towards the sea. The use of Orosei marble flooring, both inside and out, dissolves the concept of threshold. Blending tradition and technology, the four-pitch wooden ceilings have a particular structure, formed by four Duo beams in Iroko wood, with central and lateral nodes resolved with a metal element.
![Villa S](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alvisi-Kirimoto-complete-Villa-S-in-Porto-Rotondo-03.jpg)
A substructure in wooden slats and a plank in Iroko wood, with their porosity, improve the acoustic performance of the interiors. Outside, the tiled roofs have been restored to preserve the traditional charm of the original buildings. In continuity with the internal ceilings, pergolas with wooden slats and a metal structure extend on both main sides of the volume, creating shaded and sheltered spaces, which create a gentle gradation between inside and outside.
The terrace, bordered by curved walls of different heights according to the view to be beheld, echoes the granite of the interiors. A custom-designed kitchen with wood-burning oven and marble worktop, positioned on the right side of the terrace, allows you to enjoy the summer breeze during outdoor lunches and dinners. The other two volumes house the bedrooms and utility areas. The entrance to these spaces, set back from the façade, is further protected by the cantilevered roof and metal pergolas.
![Villa S](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alvisi-Kirimoto-complete-Villa-S-in-Porto-Rotondo-04.jpg)
The external stone walls and Iroko wooden roofs are aligned with the main volume, while inside, the walls are clad in natural lime plaster in a shade reminiscent of granite, and the floor is in Iroko parquet, for a warmer and more welcoming effect. The master bedroom differs from the others not only in its larger size and higher ceiling, but also in the materials: inside, a stone wall and a corner with large glass surfaces to the east, with a view of the sea and the garden, are more reminiscent of the main building.
In the west elevation of the living room, oriented towards the central square, the stair box stands out, which leads to the basement. The basement is also home to utilities areas, various warehouses and the technical room, the functional core of the villa. Thanks to the latest generation of home automation, the radiant floor heating, the air conditioning with integrated fan coils and the lighting are automatically adjusted to offer optimal comfort in each room.
![Villa S](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alvisi-Kirimoto-complete-Villa-S-in-Porto-Rotondo-05.jpg)
From the central square, a winding path branches off towards the sea, defining a system of terraces that echo the level curves and morphology of the site. Spaces for socialization and relaxation alternate, leading to the swimming pools, one of which is an infinity pool, while the other is fitted with a hydromassage, whose organic design evokes a flower. The exteriors, with their soft and sinuous lines, offer a lively counterpoint to the square and regular architectural buildings.
The narrative thread of the project is the large garden that surrounds and embraces the villa. The existing recovered trees are flanked by native Mediterranean vegetation that requires little maintenance and reduced water consumption. In the flowerbeds, plants that bloom throughout different seasons color the garden all year round, together with some strategically positioned trees, such as the secular olive tree with its three trunks above the swimming pool, the fig tree in front of the master bedroom, or the carob tree that stands proud in the square. Source by Alvisi Kirimoto.
![Villa S](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Alvisi-Kirimoto-complete-Villa-S-in-Porto-Rotondo-06.jpg)
- Location: Porto Rotondo, Sardinia, Italy
- Architect: Alvisi Kirimoto (Massimo Alvisi, Junko Kirimoto)
- Project Team: Massimo Alvisi, Junko Kirimoto, Project manager: Eloisa Susanna, Design manager: Daniel Costa Garriga
- Team: Sara Ciarimboli, Alessia Coppelli, Nica Fiorini, Giulia Gorgo, Eljor Kerciku, Simone Lorenzoni
- Contractor: 2C Ristrutturazioni (Francesco Cannas / Matteo Carrai)
- Structures: Engineer Giuseppe Fabiano
- System: IA2
- Cost management: GAD
- Local Technician: Raffaele Visicale
- GFA: 437 sqm
- Year: 2023
- Photographs: Marco Cappelletti, Courtesy of Mint List
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