Tuff is a soft rock formed of compacted volcanic ash. It tends to be porous is nature and can be fragile. Though far from ideal for detailed carving tuff has been used for building at Napoli throughout the city’s history. This property is located in a central and historical street of Spanish Quarters. House Brama’ – entirely built by tuff blocks – has basically and fortunately maintained its character as a historical building from the early 1800s, with three large cross vaulted rooms overlooking the street. The project has regenerated this small reality, transforming a craft workshop into an introverted residence, which isolates itself from the chaotic nature of the architectural context and turns inside towards a new quite courtyard.
The building is sitting on a trapezoidal parcel. It is made by three vaulted units (kitchen/dining, living area and bedroom) and two small superfetations, used now as toilet and laundry. A new balcony, connected to the courtyard via an external staircase, works as an outdoor extension of the house, also recalling a typical element of the urban architecture of the area. Basically, the design intent keeps together two worlds, the one of the old (existing structure) and the one of the new (modern interiors), in a balance able to guarantee the identity of both of them. The material choices follow a language that is both linked to the territory and contemporary at the same time. The old plaster, originally used for the facades, has been removed to bring to light the tuff masonry.
