Solar radiation @ via della Giuliana, Quartiere Vittoria, Rome_Chapter 3_an inside look

So far I’ve focused most of my attention on what the exterior causes on the exterior. But a house’s reason of being is its within, so let’s check out what light behaves like inside the domestic walls.

We have got to keep in mind that the flat takes less than a half of a whole floor, stretching itself along the southern end as much as it is possible, leaving few rooms to the cold and dark northern façade. No one knows what the rooms were as soon as the building was completed, for in 90 years things have changed too many times; the flat has been an house, an office, even a storage during world war II. When my family and I moved in, we had some issues to deal with: we had to decide where to put what; in other words, we needed a project.

It wasn’t hard to choose. The southern side was designed to host all the main living functions – sitting and dining room, bedrooms, studio – and the north was left to the serving spaces – bathrooms and kitchen.

I have to admit that some mornings, the showoff given by sunlight can be stunning.

As long as I’m writing, at noon, in my room, I have direct sunrays entering from both my windows, donating me a sense of energy and health.

Some may think this gets oven-hot in summer months. Well, apparently the architect did his homework, because the building’s shape prevents overheating  with an impressive ventilation, that can be “switched on” by simply opening two windows on the two facades (north and south) and witness a very pleasant breeze. We have no air conditioning at all. This is also helped by thick walls, erected before the Modern Movement’s influence on architecture, that provided slim walls (unable to give any insulation).