Vampio House

The project consists of a two-story private residence and involves the use of four deliberately not new containers, two for each floor, perpendicular to each other to form a Latin cross. My interest in houses built with shipping containers began around 2015, when the use of containers as building materials became increasingly popular thanks to their resistance, wide availability, low cost and eco-friendliness. Always passionate about eco-friendly and sustainable architecture, in 2016 I decided to design my own house using shipping containers with the hope of one day being able to realize my dream: building a residence designed by myself and which reflects what I am passionate about and in which I believe from an architectural point of view. Since at the time I created the project I did not yet have land on which to build, the design was designed to be totally flexible, since the two floors can be reversed according to the needs of the land, without compromising the design and/or the livability of the house. In 2019 I bought the land where the house was built, a 1,500 m² property with a 360 degree view of the sea and hills without, however, a flat area. The containers were perfect for this type of terrain: being very light structures, they do not require large foundations and, consequently, the preparation of the ground is much quicker and much less invasive. Considering the exposure and shape of the land, as well as the 360 ​​degree view of the same, I decided to locate the two bedrooms on the first floor, with a complete bathroom and the walk-in closet for the master bedroom, while on the second floor we find an open space with kitchen, dining area and living room, a complete bathroom with laundry and two terraces. Outside, the house is surrounded by concrete slabs over artificial grass, and there is also an infinity pool that overlooks the sea view. The external appearance of the containers was deliberately left "raw", without covering them or eliminating traces of time and their journey, such as dents. The interior, however, contrasts with the attention to detail and the use of designer materials, lamps, furniture and other elements. The floor was covered with an epoxy resin and different techniques were used on the walls to create accents, such as marmorino, Venetian plaster, wallpaper, murals and rough stucco. The entrance and corridor on the first floor also serve as an art gallery, with works by local artists, to support the local economy. Both bathrooms are covered in porcelain tiles from the Mirage line, the taps are Graff brand and the bathroom furniture is by Lago Design, with Depth sinks in transparent glass, made from a carved trunk of century-old Wildwood oak. The heat treatment applied to the wood allows for total impermeability to water and very high resistance. A floating iron staircase passes above the office area with Punt furniture and leads to the second floor, where the Lube brand kitchen with Dekton worktops, Smeg appliances and sink are located. The dining table is P&J by Lago Design, the Lodes lamp with Diesel and the living room furniture are from the Spanish brand Fama. Finally, the outdoor furniture is designed by Roda, Tecninova and DKL. Construction, which began at the end of 2021, was completed in November 2022.