Architecture in anti-greyby Maike Burk | 04.04.2013

Condominio P

...which set new standards in the desolate grey of its surroundings.

Condominio P is situated in the Sardinian town Cagliari.  The area, characterized by small buildings from the 1930s and 1950s, is currently undergoing a period of profound urban transition. In the last 20 years, essential changes took place here, which, unfortunately, produced unattractive and hardly individually designed buildings.

The demolition of a concrete factory at the southern part of the area resulted in 35.000m² of open space. Here, numerous office buildings, homes, and green spaces emerge ever since. In the year 2009, C+C04 STUDIO took a first step with the residential complex Condominio P in realizing a new development for the area.

Stacked individuals

Condominio P consists of a composition of apartments, which altogether, stacked upon each other, create the whole complex. Every single apartment is an individual. The basic thought is to overcome the anonymity, which characterized the area’s architecture for the last decades.

The residential complex Condominio P has now taken a role as a guide. It shows a possible direction for the quarter’s development. This residential building plays consciously with a volumetric balance: open balconies face the smooth surfaces of the façade panels. There, the balconies serve as a “volumetric subtraction”, jutting from the façade at some points, and stepping back at others.

From 1 to 10

The colourful façade opposes the desolate grey of its surroundings. The living units can be recognized by the façade’s colouring, or by large sized numbers.

The façade panels have been attached in a distance of 10cm to the outer wall. Thus, they serve as a ventilated façade cladding that protects the building from solar irradiation. The panels are made of melamine, which has a homogenous surface with a high density. The material is weatherproof, and shows constant colour stability.

Altogether, there are ten apartments on four levels. The apartments are separated by the balconies. Some balconies face the street, while others are designed as an arcade leading to the apartment’s entrance.

The three apartments at the ground floor are accessible by a small staircase. The first floor consists of three different apartments with big and small balconies. On the second floor, there are finally four apartments, three of which protrude as maisonettes from the top of the building. The spaces between those “towers” can be used as roof terraces.