Cooking at Villa Dall’Ava. Architectural devices in OMA’s domestic program

Abstract

Despite its scale and restrained budget, Villa Dall’Ava, conceived and built between 1984 and 1991, constitutes a melting pot of experiences and explorations, not only related to the domestic space, but also to other notions that will be integrated into larger scale projects such as “territory”, “landscape” or “structure”. According to its position in the ground floor level, the kitchen appears to be an isolated, segregated element. However, once activated through daily domestic rituals, we become aware of its hyper-connectivity. It is both a place to rest and to go through. This double condition, static and dynamic, acquires real value when we are able to check that this same status is reproduced in other houses, despite a completely different formal definition. This article works with two tools. The first one, the original documentation of the project belonging to the O.M.A. archive in Rotterdam. The second one, drawing, leaving words aside, minimizing its presence. We want to propose a reflection that, beyond the specific theme, tries to develop mechanisms for researching, understanding and discussing inside our discipline, allowing us to take full advantage of our intrinsic training as designer architects.