‘Villa Nemes’ Case Study

 

Liguria is a region of Italy loved for its clear seas, rocky mountains and the bustling fishing villages dotted along the coastline

 

Liguria may be lacking the fame of Venice and Rome, but its natural beauty was the place of inspiration for many acclaimed writers such as Lord Byron, Ernest Hemingway and Percy and Mary Shelley. And the same breath-taking views of the beautiful landscape were the muse of ‘Villa Nemes’.

Nestled in the Ligurian hillside, the plot benefits from impressive views of the Ligurian sea, bobbing boats, sandy shores and colourful seafront towns. As Liguria is known for its unspoilt beauty, ‘Villa Nemes’ is sympathetic to its surrounding. Designed to blend into the hillside, it features a grass sedum roof and large expanses of glazing. The build uses stone from the excavated ground for much of the wall construction.

Frame your view with panoramic glazing

Giordano Hadaik Architects (GHA) created a design that connects the idyllic scenery and interior of the house. It achieves this connection through the glazing elements of the building. Choosing Imago doors provided the opportunity to create panoramic glazing that frames the inspiring views.

Imago Lift & Slide Doors feature a slim timber frame and a wide glazed area, which allowed the architects to incorporate the breath-taking scenery without the hindrance of bulky frames interrupting the view. Further ensuring the view is uninterrupted, the sliding timber frame is innovatively designed so it slides into a pocket in the exterior natural stone cladding.

Maximise your view with cornerless glazing

The Imago Lift & Slide Door system is used to create complete glazed walls and this represented a significant cost saving compared to other glazing and window systems. Giodarno Hadaik Architects was able to achieve a 40% total saving on glazing for the client by using Imago.
Imago’s cornerless glazing feature provided the opportunity to appreciate more of the spectacular scenery and provides a sense of continuity between the interior and exterior of the property.

The result: an uninterrupted panoramic view of the beautiful Ligurian landscape that is the owners favourite feature.

Look better, perform better

With a carbon zero target, GHA achieved a Passivhaus thermal efficiency value. With so much glazing, the project relied on the superb thermal performance of Imago lift & slide doors and glazing to achieve this. The Imago system has a fixed glazing frame that can be concealed and insulated within the wall structure. As well as a stunning design, this creates the largest possible glass area and prevents thermal bridging. The sliding door features the unique Climatech low threshold and Uni-V frame seal to provide enhanced energy performance and weather protection.

Creating a beautifully engineered door opening

The flexible Imago Lift & Slide Door system allowed GHA to get really creative. The sliding timber frame is embedded within the exterior natural stone cladding, to form a stunning external pocket door using the ceiling and internal wall.

To insulate this effectively the thresholds were installed on blocks of insulation with high mechanical resistance properties. The upper part of the fixed frame has been encapsulated with insulation and the lateral frames are aligned with the insulating layer. Resulting in a wide expansive glazed area that achieves Passivhaus levels of thermal efficiency.