The formalization of "Casa MN" by HORMA studio is the result of research and experimentation between space and the complexity of geometry, defined by the firm as a space that is simple to enjoy but complex to understand, where each space is distinct from the others. Its volumetric form, with intentional compressions and decompressions, creates direct connections in the movement and perception of space.
For its construction, two materials representative of the context in which the house is located were used: wood and lime, both common and readily available in the Mediterranean.
MN house by Horma estudio. Photograph by Mariela Apollonio.
Project description by HORMA estudio
Emptiness as the primary resource of architecture. The best way to create is to understand emptiness as the primary design tool: weightless, with no energy cost, no material cost, no economic cost. An emptiness capable of organizing a project and defining its envelope.
The MN House is based on a strategy of emptiness, understanding that the way to do less is to start with that which weighs nothing and consumes no resources. It presents an argument in which emptiness is the principal value of architecture; it is the space we inhabit, the place where light finds its focus, and the way air travels through space. The project is built with everyday and accessible materials: wood and lime. Two materials of reference in the Mediterranean, representative of the context in which the house is located.
The abstraction of its volumetry does not seek to respond to anyone or anything, but rather to understand itself within the space it contains and its transitions to its exterior spaces. The house establishes a movement from interior to exterior through intentional compressions and decompressions, with direct links to nature: sky, light, wind, water, and vegetation. The project seeks to create a complex spatial ecosystem from the precision of its geometry. Beauty is understood not as a starting point but as a destination, where the journey becomes the true learning experience.
The MN House seeks to harmonize the architectural design with its core value: space. The project prioritizes the essence of this space as its main argument. The other parameters contribute to enhancing this value. Thus, the project does not limit itself to following traditional or preconceived notions, but rather allows abstraction the possibility of discovering a new way of doing things. A contemporary and alternative approach, where nothing is accidental, but neither is anything predictable.
The built project is the result of incessant experimentation, where the investigation between space and geometry achieves the complexity of a surprising space at its different scales of habitability. A welcoming space, simple to enjoy, yet complex to understand.
A new way of thinking, a new way of living. Understanding the spatial sequence of the project as a continuous discovery of sensations, where each place and each moment is different from the last. A place difficult to photograph, difficult to explain, difficult to draw; a place where only experiencing it allows you to be part of it.
