Near Verona, two villas that live to the rhythm of the sun and the wind.
In the Veneto countryside, two contemporary villas were designed like living beings. They breathe with the sun, the wind and the greenery, and respond to a word or a gesture.
Photo d’illustration
The place and the project
Soave and San Bonifacio, in the province of Verona, Italy. Among vineyards and hills, the architecture firm Studio Federico Cappellina & partners designed two contemporary homes, SD HOME and MD HOME. To make them smart, the architects chose Nice.
SD HOME is a bioclimatic passive house. MD HOME is a residence with bold architecture and a minimalist interior. Two styles, one ambition.
The concept: the house as a living being
The architects call their approach “Kithome”: the house is conceived as a bio-organism. It draws on the sun, the wind, water, soil and vegetation to use less energy, without ever sacrificing comfort.
At MD HOME, the idea is to blur the line between inside and outside while keeping the home private and practical. Windows and doors are motorized and flush-mounted. Privacy comes from motorized blinds and LED lighting.
What it changes for residents
The home within reach of a phone. From an app, residents check whether the lights are on, set the temperature of each room and raise or lower the blinds remotely.
Voice as the remote. The FIBARO devices installed respond to voice, through Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Apple’s Siri. One word, and the lights soften or the blinds come down.
Just the right light. FIBARO dimmers adjust the lighting. In the evening, the house slips gently from day into night.
Water, kept in check. A FIBARO sensor detects the slightest leak. The home lets you know right away, and you no longer have to think about it.
The sun as an ally. Roller shutters run by FIBARO let light in when it is needed and keep the heat out when it should stay out. That is the whole spirit of a bioclimatic home.
The home in your pocket
FIBARO has been part of the Nice group since 2018. Today this world is called Yubii: Yubii is FIBARO and Nice together. The Yubii Home gateway connects Nice, FIBARO and elero technologies, including those already installed.
One app for lighting, temperature, blinds, security and access, from the living room or from the other side of the world.
The line that sums it up
Two homes that do not fight nature: they live with it.
AND HERE AT HOME?
From Antigua to Barbados, from Sint Maarten to St. Lucia:
- The sun as a resource. In our latitudes, managing light well keeps a home cool without asking everything of the air conditioning.
- The trade winds. Architecture open to the breeze, and shutters that adapt: the home breathes naturally.
- Inside and outside. Here, the terrace is a living room. Motorized glass doors blur the line with the garden.
- Voice and phone. Year-round residents or owners far away: the home obeys a word, or a gesture from afar.
Evening falls over the hills. The glass doors open onto the terrace, a breeze crosses the living room, and the light dims on its own. The house becomes one with the landscape, and its residents did not have to lift a finger.
Source: niceforyou.com, “SD HOME & MD HOME”.
