A House Forever is what the architect called ‘ancestral contemporary architecture,’ made for a young couple and their two children and is meant as their permanent home. Architecture is a discipline that deals with context and preexisting conditions. In this case, the family was living in a house on site, and it was demolished to build a ‘House for Ever.’
The black ancestral rock found on site was used on the lower levels. The carving of the stone called for interesting opportunities for built-in furniture, in efforts to maintain a pure, clear idea. Of course, absolute homogeneity is almost impossible, but one can try.
photography by © Juan Solano
So, the black stone became the ‘base’ and on top are cantilevering white boxes that rest on the black stone. The concept is clear and symbolic. The black stone is salvaged material representing the past or ancestral and the white volumes are the new that are sustained and supported by their ancestral roots.
In order to strive for a building that lasts ‘forever’ one must have an appreciation for materials that have lasted until now. Also, time is a continuum, just as there is a future there has been a past as well, and Longhi seem to tap into that continuum, reaching for both past and future.
Architecture has the ability to be permanent, and Longhi’s attention to detail, level of craft, and material choice speak of this permanence.
photography by © Juan Solano
Courtesy of Longhi Architects
