Following four years of design development, MAD Architects has been granted permission to transform a 1970s courtyard building into a residential complex featuring tree-covered terraces and translucent metallic walls.
The scheme, which is MAD’s first project in Europe, will reutilise the original building’s “bookshelf” structure by stripping back its heavy façade to the framework so that open-plan interiors and transparent exterior walls can be inserted.
A total of 145 apartments, ranging from studio flats to urban villas, will be contained within the 8-storey building, located at 71 Via Boncompagni, Rome.
Garden covered balconies and terraces will be added along the glazed outer walls, slotted into the gaps between the apartments and the old structural framework.
The existing central courtyard will be transformed into an abstract garden and large pond, with integrated voids allowing natural light to filter into the underground car park below.
Walls surrounding the courtyard will be clad with glass and metal-mesh curtains, offering residents views of the private space.
The project is scheduled to complete in 2017.
Courtesy Arch Daily
