at the edge of lake como, casa punta spartivento frames views through exposed concrete

A House at the Tip of Lake como

Italian studio Ceresa Grandis Architetti builds its Casa Punta Spartivento atop a rocky point along the coastline of Lake Como. The house occupies this exposed strip of land with a series of low, stepped concrete volumes that align with the shoreline. From across the water, its pale mass echoes the muted tones of stone and sky, holding its ground against wind and current.

Exposed concrete defines both structure and surface. Cast in timber formwork, it carries the imprint of boards and joints, giving the walls a tactile density. Copper downpipes trace vertical lines against the grey facades, while flat roofs edged in gravel extend outward to form deep porticos that project toward the lake.

images © Andrea Ceriani

casa punta spartivento opens broadly onto the landscape

To front Casa Punta Spartivento, the team at Ceresa Grandis Architetti designs a shaded, lake-facing portico. Beneath its overhang, a narrow pool sits parallel to the shoreline, its still surface set against the shifting water beyond. Stainless steel steps descend directly to the lake to tighten the connection between house and horizon.

Large folding glass doors open entire corners of the facade, allowing the stone floor to continue onto terraces and clipped grass panels arranged in strict rectangles. The disciplined geometry of walls and paving contrasts with reflections on the water and the movement of trees, all of which creates a tension between fixed form and changing environment.

Casa Punta Spartivento stands at the narrow tip of Bellagio where Lake Como widens toward the mountains

Ceresa Grandis Architetti echoes the rocky coast with concrete

Inside Casa Punta Spartivento, openings are treated as deliberate frames. A wide horizontal aperture in the living area captures the lake and mountains as a single band of water and rock, contained by concrete floor and ceiling. The panorama reads as part of the architecture, shifting in tone as light glances off the surface of Lake Como.

The interiors remain spare, with grey stone flooring, white walls, and built-in concrete benches beneath windows. Circulation moves through thick walls and compressed passages toward brighter perimeter rooms. Each transition heightens awareness of scale and exposure, reinforcing the relationship between body and landscape.

The strength of the site calls for material gravity. Ceresa Grandis Architetti answers with mass and proportion, shaping concrete into horizontal planes and vertical blocks that stand firm at the water’s edge. This way, the architecture holds a fragment of lake within its perimeter while acknowledging the larger force beyond.

exposed concrete volumes step along the shoreline in a horizontal composition