The contrast
between the
mass and
solidity of the
heritage building
and the delicate
upper levels of the
new architecture
is immediate and intentional
The new structure, which will honour the character and integrity of the historic Il Casino building, is articulated into three, vertical buildings – the old Il Casino building forming the base of two of the buildings – with each of the three being subtly different; distinct in its own right, yet similar enough to read as one cohesive building. Each incorporates similar materials, scale and detailing such as the delicately coloured glass, which on the southernmost building is more opaque, while to the north, it is translucent. View Appartamento Il Casino images
The design reveals the inherent structure of the building and the integrity of the original materials. We have not covered things up. We recognise and respect the natural colours and textures of the building materials. You will find exposed concrete finishes, a mixture of old and new, things left comparatively raw; solid concrete walls and floor, timber posts, a rich combination of machined and something gruntier.
“You can’t create genuine old. We wanted to avoid fake and artifice. We would rather put emphasis on crafted detail and doing things well. For example we have used ‘off-form concrete’ and researched doing it in a traditional way. Not many people do it the traditional way these days.”