Dar Pietru W Pawl | Valentino Architects

An internal courtyard acts as a well of light and nucleus to this vertically organised home. Sanguine walls envelope a new enclave of privacy, scaling the full height of the converted house.

Following on from a narrow entrance passage, an internal courtyard introduces the full height of this converted home in one skyward gaze. Formerly existing as a dilapidated property in Senglea, the building’s conversion introduces as much natural light as possible into its stacked rooms, retaining a sense of privacy within the density of its immediate built context. Conventional living strata have been inverted, with bedrooms traditionally placed on upper levels drawn down to the lowest floor, anchoring the home with its most private rooms at ground level.

The two en-suite bedrooms look out onto the courtyard, which is shaded in a light pink colour that stretches up to the topmost levels. Colour becomes a device for containment and differentiation, filtering into the home through reflected light and framed views. Moving upwards, a living area occupies the middle band of the home, its large window looking out across an original ‘loggia’. A shared bathroom sits besides the living space, letting in muted light through semi-opaque glazing.

The second floor holds the home’s most active space and is the first level with dual aspect views. An open plan kitchen and dining area runs parallel to an outdoor terrace that looks across the harbour to one side, and an external terrace that overlooks the courtyard to the other. A final uppermost third floor opens up the home completely to expansive views of Valletta and the Three Cities, accommodating open air dining and recreation space.

Photography
Alex Attard
www.alexattard.com