A central mezzanine and restructured volumes lend a dramatic air to this Mellieha summer apartment
Presented with a brief to transform a seafront apartment into a tranquil summer home for the family, the team at Studjurban used the apartment’s seemingly main drawback – its restricted width – to its advantage, create a striking internal composition in the process.
Measuring just over three and a half metres wide, this apartment, which enjoys commanding views of Ghadira Bay and its surroundings, is one of the last remaining two-storey properties in the ‘Tunnara’ area, surrounded by higher blocks on three sides.
This, says Dr Antoine Zammit, architect and founder of Studjurban, “inevitably meant that any redevelopment of this property would be a pencil block, with a frontage of barely 3.7metres.”
“Rather than shying away from this reality, the design of this residence celebrates this verticality by creating a high void proportion along the entire vertical extent of its facade, while simultaneously trying to diminish the impact of horizontal subdivisions created by projecting slabs.”
The property’s orientation means it primarily receives indirect natural light, with some sun exposure during the afternoon in summer. It also enjoys sweeping views of the bay and sea. “Orientation and outlook were therefore critical starting points for the design of this residence.”
“With these considerations in mind, design options were subsequently developed, leading to the realisation that rethinking height distribution in a simple, logical manner and re-articulating the individual volumes generated a new potential for this home,” says Antoine.
The redistribution of internal heights allowed for the creation of a double height space and mezzanine over the third floor – a design decision that helped offset the limits imposed by the site’s width. The mezzanine then became a pivotal element that altered the aesthetic of the space.
“It further permits the introduction of a high proportion of facade void, allowing the diffused natural northern light to enter, softening the indoor-outdoor interface and drawing the framed views in. The choice of receded darker-framed apertures, while creating a covered terrace space on each floor, enhances this void further.”
The metal railings fixed to the balconies at the front also strengthen the building’s verticality – their bottom edge comes down onto the projecting slabs, so that the horizontal slab lines may thin out and further diminish in importance, says Antoine.
“The interiors are also crafted in the same design logic, structured along vertical and horizontal planes that complement the built form,” the architect explains.
At the back of the property, the stairwell is naturally lit by a skylight at roof level that opens to allow warmer air to escape, using the principle of natural convection. “The stairwell thus acts as a vertical stack, circulating air within the property and allowing air changes throughout the different levels.”
Reflecting on the outcome of this seaside retreat, the Studjurban founder said the very particular nature of the site, and its difficulty to be redeveloped, could prove unappealing to many, “especially if executed in a conventional manner, and easily dismissed as ‘a tiny space only worthy to adjacent properties’.”
“We have instead taken this challenge in order to provide an original residential design which is both functional and aesthetically appealing, and wherein the restructured volume creates a dramatic central living space that is both brightly lit and thermally temperate.”
The building’s materiality, its interior colour scheme and various architectural details have equally contributed towards the transformation of this space into a welcoming haven. But the success of this project goes beyond that.
“The ingenuity of the articulation of space lies in its logical simplicity,” says Antoine. “As much as this project was about creating a home and unique spaces, it was also an exercise in questioning, and to an extent also challenging, the manner with which allowable volumes may be treated and articulated, rather than simply adhering to a conventional subdivision of floors.”
Photography: Brian Grech
via Design Dispatch
