There’s a time in an architects life where you’re able to create different concepts for like-minded clients, this is exactly what Luigi Rosselli was up for when approaching The Books House. Understanding very well that this home was going to reference previous work like The Six Degrees of Separation, Rosselli was able to also find inspirations from the steep escarpments of sandstone outcrops.
Replacing weathered stone for off-form concrete slabs, the structure cuts through and across the sky as if scattered papers, or old parchment from a hidden book. This home was designed following a reading of the Importance of Living by Lin Yutang, which explains in further the Chinese inspired details of this home including the: ‘Dragon’ path that meanders to the front door, not to simply soften the incline to the home, but to juxtapose the geometry of the road it habitats.
The ‘rock’ is another integral aspect to the house right through from the basement to the upper level of the home, the formation provides an ancient geological scenography. The gentle formation can be seen from the Calligrapher’s study and the living room, the rock face leading up to the old frangipani tree that overlooks the small swimming pool cave, perfect for meditation. Rosselli learns during the course of this project of Chinese building culture where the Books House becomes an embodiment and crystallisation of the ancient culture in stone and concrete.
Photos © Justin Alexander
