What holds everything together here is not concealed: it emerges, reveals itself, and becomes a narrative. The MATERICA project, designed by KIN Architetti in Salerno, takes the exposed load-bearing structure as the ordering principle of the domestic space and as the conceptual device around which the entire living experience is constructed. Reinforced concrete columns and beams are not merely technical components, but architectural presences that articulate, interrupt, and at the same time connect the different environments, defining a clear and legible spatial grammar.
Within the large open-plan living area, the structure acts as a connective element between the functions of the daytime zone. Walls and pillars rhythmically scan the space without enclosing it, introducing perceptual thresholds that organize the home in a fluid and continuous way. The large glass partition of the kitchen is inserted into this system as an element of transparency, amplifying visual depth and allowing natural light to enhance the materiality of the exposed concrete, which remains in constant dialogue with the surrounding surfaces.
The structure also takes on a symbolic value, as the permanent backbone of the house and a metaphor for the family that inhabits it: capable of supporting and holding together, while leaving room for the transformations of everyday life. The project is based on a careful dialogue between materials. The continuous, warm light oak parquet runs through most of the interiors, while in the kitchen area it intersects with a hexagonal porcelain stoneware floor, generating a sharp visual contrast. The juxtaposition between the wooden grain and the geometric pattern of the tiles does not create a functional break, but rather becomes a perceptual threshold, capable of defining areas without resorting to rigid physical separations.
The internal layout is further articulated by a corridor that separates the living area from the sleeping quarters. This transitional space is reinterpreted as an identity-defining element through a textured green wall, introducing an unexpected chromatic and tactile component. Here too, the structure continues to act as a silent yet decisive presence, guiding the layout and maintaining a coherent thread between the different rooms. The corridor thus ceases to be a mere distributive element and assumes the role of a sensory filter, accompanying the transition toward the more intimate spaces of the home.
CREDITS
Project: MATERICA
Architects: KIN Architetti
Location: Salerno (SA), Italy
Year: 2025
Photography: Carlo Oriente
