lush grass fields surround the ‘border crossing house,’ a private residence built by simone subissati architects in the hills of polverigi near ancona, italy. situated between the city and the countryside, the project explores the theme of the border and the search for new forms of permeability in space and time. the residence is expressed as the typological combination of traditional rural constructions and spatial experimentation. the space, with its strong conceptual foundation, is captured in the federica biondi-directed short film ‘rustico.’ the artful film conveys the poetics of the border crossing house, exploring its atmosphere which does not rely on ostentatious ornamentation, but on freedom and flexibility of use.

simone subissati border crossing
all images by alessandro magi galluzzi | video directed by federica biondi

 

 

the simone subissati architects-designed ‘border crossing house’, or ‘casa di confine’, has a traditional pitched roof geometry interrupted by a rhythmic fragmented frame. the outward-looking project, with its open and irregular fenestration, connects the vast rolling landscape with the intimate, domestic space. the design process is informed by the perception of inhabited space as a threshold — the house relies on its relationship with the outdoors, intended as a territory extended to the limits of the viewer’s gaze.

simone subissati border crossing

 

 

simone subissati comments:for the border crossing house I imagined a space that would feel as if it was ‘inherited.’ I wanted it to be the least opulent it could be: it is meant to feel ‘as if it had always been there’ though being contemporary and in many ways very distant from tradition. so essential that you can almost think of it as a temporary place, as if it were an outdoor park. a light, flexible space that, as if it was there already, could now be reclaimed. a space without frills and without luxury, just like the buildings of the rural tradition where people both lived and worked.

simone subissati border crossing

 

 

border crossing house is a space that welcomes life and a mutual relationship with the surrounding environment. the regionalist heritage of ‘rustico’ does not imply a provincial attitude, but is rather related to the capability of staying in contact with nature. ‘rustico’ is an ode to the life unrolling in the landscape framed by the windows of the house. set during a harvesting day, the short film communicates the passage of time and a space in harmony within its natural context.

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simone subissati border crossing simone subissati border crossing

simone subissati border crossing

simone subissati border crossing

simone subissati border crossing

 

 

project info:

 

title: casa di confine

architecture, interior design: simone subissati architects

location: polverigi, ancona

design team: simone subissati, alice cerigioni

structural, mechanical engineering: domenico lamura, matteo virgulti

main contractor: montagna costruzioni

photography: alessandro magi galluzzi

 

 

film info:

 

film title: rustico

director: federica biondi

actor: pietro conversano

director of photography: michele coppari

editing and color grading: alessandro tarabelli, diego morresi
music: i giardini di mirò with daniel o’sullivan

drone: matteo meldolesi

assistant to the director: francesca zannoni

sound design: amargine