机器人之家丨SON Architecture

Architects:SON Architecture

Area:750m²

Year:2023

Photographs:Julian Vassallo

Manufacturers:Fino,JSD Group,Micallef Pool,R.Lautier,Rado Flooring,Saint Anthony WW

Lead Architects:Mark Peregin, Mark Sullivan

Structures:MA Architects

Main Contractor:Rite-Decor

Category:Houses

City:San Ġwann

Country:Malta

Text description provided by the architects. Bot-House is a family home whose spine is a 25-metre pool, and whose heart is a giant light-well of perfectly round and centered glass plates. A client-couple committed to the proliferation of early education spaces on the islands approached the architects with a pre-owned site and a desire to convert it into a family home. Previously used as a kindergarten, the plot abutted an industrial estate. Its proximity to industrial space seemingly blighted its potential as a desirable home, but its owners were resolute in conversion.

The Bothouse is a new intervention replacing former learning spaces – unremarkable in organization or design. The project's design ambition was to create a communal space that united bold, sculptural geometry with pragmatic use. A lengthy central pool was integrated for exertion and entertainment but became one of a pair of the home's strongest design elements.

The 25-metre lap-pool uninterruptedly connects the front and back gardens of the property, with elevated living space hovering overhead – a kitchen and living-dining area looks onto a communal garden. At ground, a square, open space looks through glazed façades, whilst the bathroom, kitchen, and stair core are pulled aside to alleviate a flexible footprint.

Connection through the house is created in two ways: through vertical circulation and through light. In the first instance, an off-shutter concrete staircase is suspended above the kitchen, with an extended plinth and foot resting beneath a large kitchen island. Light connects the lower living levels with ascending bedroom floors via a punctured light-well, sealed with three oversized, triple-glazed discs cutting through the middle of the house. A puits de lumière sits at the top of the skylight. This extruded oculus is truncated towards the north, preventing solar gain from the south and homogenizing the cool light floating into the generous interior.

Two additional square glass floor inserts maximize penetration of light through to the pool beneath the house. Continuity of light is matched by material consistency. One constant travertine finish emphasizes cohesiveness between the interior on the ground floor and the private flanking exterior spaces.

Bothouse is a statement of artful living. A space where activity is framed by the prowess of absolute geometry; where material, light, and form become curators of the everyday.

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