ARCITALIA  INFORMATION FOUR: DESIGN ISSUES          home      property     what we do      contact

Some of the some common issues that arise in the design stage relate to the organising of the functions or spaces, others to aesthetics and planning controls that govern the character of a property.  There are also common constructional issues that relate to the structure and fabric of the property, and to internal environmental conditions.  In short, there are principles that relate to use, aesthetics and construction.      

Houses: the organisation of the plan

Any plan can be broadly defined in terms of the relationships between bedrooms, living space, and utilities.  Living space can be taken to include the kitchen and dining area.  The term ‘utilities’ covers bathrooms, storage, cellars and perhaps a laundry.  The relationship between living areas and bedrooms is often the most significant.  Bedrooms may be directly accessed from living areas, or they may be in different ‘zones’ - if only for privacy or to reduce the passage of noise between living areas and bedrooms.  Where living space and bedrooms can be on different floors, it may be necessary to decide whether living areas are located above or below bedrooms.

In a typical three-storey rustico we tend to locate bedrooms below living areas.  Living spaces may be on the top floor, bedrooms on the middle floor, and utilities on the ground floor.  Where the top floor affords the best views, those views are awarded to the living spaces. The top floor may also afford access to a roof terrace or loggia that should form part of the living area.  In addition, if used as a dining space, a terrace or loggia should be relatively close to the kitchen.

There are also environmental considerations.  Houses within villages generally gain most heat through the roof, upper walls and windows.  While living spaces can be ventilated to reduce heat gain, bedrooms are essentially private and cellular, and cross-ventilation between rooms is unlikely. 

In the summer, bedroom windows can remain shuttered during the day and open at night to dissipate heat. Moreover, bedrooms on middle floors may gain less heat in summer, and while they lose less heat in winter, they are less reliant on central heating.

Where living areas are on the top floor, ceilings can be eliminated and the undersides of pitched roofs left exposed.  Living areas are then effectively larger, cooler and more interesting.  Some ‘open planning’ can enhance that situation as more of the roof becomes visible. 

In addition, the elimination of ceilings in living areas allows the height of rooms on middle or lower floors to be increased, as planning regulations permit the height of a space under a sloping roof to be taken as the average height for that space.  Thus, flanking walls can be as low as 1.8 metres while the tallest part of the space may be three metres or more.  That arrangement allows up to 60 centimetres to be added to room heights on a lower floor, and may mean that spaces can be used that might otherwise fall below the minimum required height for habitable rooms. Locating living areas on the top floor may also afford a greater sense of privacy, as the sense of privacy increases as one moves up through the house from the street.  In addition, the compact nature of stepped hill villages means that there may be more access to views and sunlight on upper floors.

If a house has a garden, and the living spaces are on the top floor, it may be necessary to look to the relationship between the living space and the garden.  Where a terrace or loggia is located off the living areas, then this may not be a major issue; otherwise the solution may depend on the level difference between living space and the garden.  As both land and houses in hill villages are often stepped, gardens can be located above, below, or level with living areas.  If they need to be connected, an external stair integrated into the landscape or the garden may provide the best solution.  It may also be that a terrace or balcony off the living area or kitchen may act an intermediary space.

Given that in stepped hill villages the best views are often from top floors or roof terraces, where living areas are above gardens it may be some consolation that trees do not block views and sunlight.

Part of the logic of a plan will also be determined by the nature of the ground floor.  Historically, the lowest floors of the rustico were used to house animals or for agricultural purposes. Today, cellars (cantine) are commonly used as for storage or as workshops.  They can also provide space for bathrooms or a laundry.  Occasionally, they can be used to accommodate a ‘garage’.  Cellars may have less daylight than other spaces in the house, and may afford little privacy where flanked by a street.  As damp may be issue, walls below ground level must be adequately tanked before spaces are useable for any function other general storage.

Where houses are stepped, tanking may be a major issue.  Underground water running downhill over rock can penetrate walls and floors.  New floors can easily be damp proofed, and walls that are against the earth must either be covered with an impermeable membrane or fronted by a new inner wall.  That new wall is backed by a cavity that is drained and, where possible, ventilated.  Tanking by means of new walls is generally the preferred method, as solutions involving the application of an impermeable barrier to existing walls can be less reliable and difficult to ‘finish’ or decorate.    

If cellars are converted to habitable space, it may be advisable to tank all walls; that is, even walls which are not against the earth.  There is no cheap cure for rising or penetrating damp in stone walling.  Bathrooms and even kitchens located at ground level can be fairly resilient in that they can be designed to offset damp problems.  But great care is required where bedrooms are created from what was once cellar space.

Circulation

Circulation space is both vertical and horizontal; that is it consists of stairs and ‘corridor’ space. Obviously, there is a general tendency to minimize circulation space. The efficiency of circulation space can be defined in terms of the balance of circulation to other space, and where it is made up of stairs or corridors it is likely to be most efficient when placed centrally in a plan to minimise corridor space.

It may also be useful to think about the number and the type of stairs required by a plan.  Theoretically, one stairwell may be ideal, but that is not always the case.  Traditional stairs may be preferable.  But there is a role for spiral stairs where space is tight, floor to floor heights are above average, or it pays to drop vertically between spaces.

Circulation space can also be converted into ‘living space’.   However, unless bedrooms are accessed directly from living areas, they invariably generate some corridor space.  That also applies to bathrooms, for which building regulations may require a ‘lobby’.  In addition, entrance areas may also require some degree of separation to prevent draughts or to avoid a direct connection between living areas and the street.

It is very important to take a positive view of circulation space. Architecturally, it can add greatly to the character of a house.  It can be used and enjoyed as any other space.  It can also accommodate other functions.  For example, a corridor can be a ‘library’, a loggia, or your private museum.  Moreover, circulation space can also have character in its own right.  For instance, through the use of hard materials, stone walls, slate floors and solid joinery, a corridor can be fashioned as an internal ‘street’ that highlights the difference between the ‘public’ nature of circulation space and the private spaces beyond.  Stepped entrances to rooms and doorways set back in thick walls can highlight the ‘public’ nature of the ‘street’ against the private nature of individual rooms.  Similarly, small openings in circulation space and stairwells can provide glimpses into other spaces.  Where such ‘holes’ are positioned above eyelevel, or fitted with obscure or colour glass, they bring light into a corridor or stairwell without detracting from the privacy of a room.  Another way of handling circulation space is to play with the ‘section’.  For example, galleries can flank two-storey living areas.  Similarly, double-height entrance halls can be designed as ‘courtyards’, again through the use of hard ‘exterior’ materials and sturdy joinery - add a first-floor galley, an open roof, and some internal windows and the entrance hall will have a strong character.

Terrace and loggia

A terrace is generally an open space set into a roof.  A loggia is a terrace that is partly or wholly roofed; as such it is likely to be carved out of the top floor.

Whether a terrace can be built depends on both planning regulations and common law; in effect, laws relating to townscape and the rights of neighbours.  It is also important to consider the impact of a terrace on the character of your house.  Moreover, there are many factors that can influence the creation of terraces.  Major governing factors are (a) the size of your roof, (b) the position of any terrace within the roof, (c) its relationship to the outside walls and principle facades, and (d) the extent to which it is covered by roofing.  The ‘planning-safe’ area of a terrace might, for example, be up to twenty percent of the total area of a roof.  However, for planning purposes, the area of the terrace is sometimes measured in terms of the opening made in the roof covering.  Thus, the floor of a terrace may run under the tiled or slated area of the roof to create a storage area for terrace furniture, or standing room if there is adequate headroom.  

Terraces can be set directly over outside walls or within the area of the roof.  For large houses, or palazzi, terraces may be set vertical over outside walls.  Otherwise terraces are sometimes ‘in vasca’; that is, they are set into the roof so that the eaves or roof edge are maintained and the terrace appears as a hole in the roof covering.  Individual comuni vary in the attitude towards terraces, and much depends on whether an area or building is listed (vincolata).  Laws relating to the rights of neighbours can also govern whether a terrace or loggia may be created, or the location of a terrace in terms of external walls.  Essentially, the law protects neighbours from being overlooked, and terraces may be ‘in vasca’ simply because of the need to be set them back from neighbouring property.  Different regulations govern terraces that overlook streets, or raise issues in terms of the rights of neighbours on the opposite side of a street.

In order to gain access to a terrace, there should be at least two metres of headroom on the side that accommodates the door to the terrace.  Accommodating the door can ‘pull’ the terrace towards the ridge of the roof where the headroom is greatest.

Where a ‘terrace’ is completely covered by a roof it is, in effect, a loggia.  Because the floor of the loggia must be substantially below the roof, it may be necessary to give up space that might otherwise have been used as internal space.  However, the loggia has many advantages over an open terrace. As an outdoor room, it affords more shade or shelter than a terrace.  In summer, eating or relaxing on an open terrace can require umbrellas or some form of pergola.  In addition, open terraces must be constructed to resist expansion in summer and heavy rainfall in autumn and spring.  In time, they can suffer problems of ‘constructional fatigue’ due mainly to repeated expansion and contraction. Moreover, there is the growing need awareness of the health risks associated with excessive sunbathing.  Thus, in many ways a loggia can be a more efficient and adaptable space. It works better in all seasons, is more acceptable in terms of maintaining the character of villages and towns, and can be used for everything from dining to its traditional role as a space in which to hang laundry and air rugs.  A loggia can also add to the character of your property. It may be a more ‘natural’ addition than an open terrace.  Moreover, if you property, or the area within which it is located, is listed (vincolata) then you are very unlikely to be allowed to build an open terrace.

Finally it is worth noting that a terrace or a loggia can be used to provide or filter light into the interior, and unless they face north, can carry sunlight into north-facing rooms.

Heating and condensation

Heating is generally provided by a stove placed in a kitchen or living room, together with a radiators run from a separate boiler.  It is generally not worthwhile to run radiators from a stove.  While stoves are used mainly in winter, a boiler is needed to provide hot water throughout the year. In short, there is usually a combined hot water and central heating system run from a boiler, and a stove that acts as a source of heat and provides a focal point in the house.  This arrangement allows for rapid warming of the house, for example, at night or on your arrival, while a stove can provide sufficient heating in the spring or autumn when the central heating is turned off. 

Stoves can burn wood or wood pellets.  Pellet stoves obviate the need to store wood, and are environmentally ‘greener’.  They are also easier to fit, as they require an 8 cm. as opposed to a 15 cm. flue. They are motorised and create a low noise akin to a fridge.  However, whether living areas are fitted with an open fire, or a wood burning or pellet stove, they act as a focal point, and the costs will be returned in terms of reduced consumption of expensive gas.

In winter, it advisable to run a central heating system as a background support to your stove.  This is to avoid condensation in rooms and areas other than those heated directly by the stove.  It pays to buy a powerful stove.  However, the more powerful your stove the more likely your are to have condensation in outlying rooms - hence the need for background heating.  Moreover, in Italy condensation is an issue because temperatures can vary significantly during the day.  Swings of 15°c are possible over a six-hour period in winter.  This, together with the fact that many houses are built of stone, can determine patterns of heating and ventilation.

Central heating systems commonly run on gas.  If town gas is available, then that means a simple connection to the main.  Otherwise the system must be run either from 10 or 15 kilogram gas bottles (bombole) or a large private gas tank (bombolone).  Bombole can be bought locally or may be delivered.  They are heavy and awkward to handle, and need to be changed frequently if used to run central heating systems. The installation of a large gas tank provides a system that is akin to town gas, although you must occasionally order refills from a small tanker.  The placement of such tanks is governed by a number of regulations that determine their distance from dwellings and other elements such as overhead cables.  In addition, they may require a private parking place for a tanker that delivers the gas through a hose.

If your area has town gas, the bombola versus bombolone issue may not arise.  Rather the issue is whether there are other forms of energy that can be used as alternatives to town gas.  Central heating systems can also be run on oil, although that is less common.  It is also possible to use a by-product of the mills producing olive oil.  This material is relatively economical.  However, it is delivered in bulk and requires storage space and manhandling to get it from the point of delivery to a store associated with your boiler, which must be located in a boiler house or garage.  

Solar heating is also a possibility.  Although it may seem logical to think of solar energy in Italy, the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar-heating systems is still an issue.  Moreover, the environmental benefits of solar energy may have to be weighted against the negative impact of solar panels on Italian hill villages that are viewed from above, or from the opposite side of a valley.  One solutions to the conflict between environmental and townscape issues is to hide solar panels from view, or set them into a garden or land where their visual impact is minimized.           

It is also worth noting that domestic boilers must be covered by a safety certificate that is renewed annually by a tecnico from a local firm that specialises in the boilers made specific manufacturers.  If you rent your property to others, it is particularly important to have a current certificate for your boiler.

Postscript:

In this litigious age, this document comes with all the usual disclaimers.  The information and opinions contained therein are those of the author and not of any other individual of agency.   However, this document is not offered for sale and the author bears no legal responsibility for the contents or any consequences arising thereof.

The purpose of this booklet is to offer some understanding of the issues that commonly arise in buying and developing property in our area.  It will be revised as new or neglected issues come to light.  The author welcomes all suggestions as to how the document might be expanded or improved.