Test your design IQ

MANILA, Philippines - What is the name of this famous house in Punta Massullo, Italy that is one of the best examples of modern and contemporary Italian architecture? 

This house is located in Punta Massullo, the eastern side of the Isle of Capri, Italy. It is one of the best examples of Italian modern and contemporary architecture. The house was conceived around 1937 by the well-known Italian architect Adalberto Libera.  The house owner rejected Libera’s design and built the home himself with the help of Adolfo Amitrano, a local stonemason.

The house is a red masonry box with reverse pyramidal stairs leading to the roof patio. On the roof is a free-standing curving white wall of increasing height. It sits on a dangerous cliff 32 meters above the sea overlooking the Gulf of Salerno. Access to this private property is either by foot from the town of Capri or by boat and a staircase cut into the cliff.

The house’s interior and exterior (particularly the rooftop patio) are prominently featured in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 film, Contempt (Le Mépris).

The house was abandoned and neglected after the death of its owner in 1957. It suffered both from vandalism and natural elements for many years and was seriously damaged, including the desecration of a beautiful tiled stove, before the first serious renovation started in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The building was donated to the Foundation Giorgio Ronchi in 1972.

Niccolò Rositani is primarily responsible for restoring the house to a livable state. Much of the original furniture is still there, because it is too large to remove. The marble sunken tub in the bedroom of his mistress still exists and functions. His bedroom and book lined study are still intact. Many Italian industrialists have donated materials for the preservation.

Today the house is used for serious study and certain cultural events in Italy and is admired and hated by many architecture enthusiasts worldwide.

The house can only be reached by traversing the island. The last 20-minute walk is over private property, belonging to The Ronchi Foundation. It takes an hour and a half to walk there from Capri’s Piazzetta at the summit of the funiculare from the Marina Grande. The house can be reached by sea, on calm days only, as the waves are cast upon treacherous rocks and there has not been an official pier for many years. From the sea, one must climb 99 steps to reach the house.

The house owner gave his friend and boatman money to open a restaurant, which is run by the boatman’s son today. It is the only restaurant one would pass on the path from the Piazzetta to the promontory where Tiberius built his palace, Villa Jovis.

* * *

Text your answer to 0927-7579807 with your name and address. One winner will be chosen through a raffle of texts with the correct answer. The winner will receive P2,000 worth of SM gift certificates for use at Our Home, SM Department Store, or SM Supermarket. They can claim their prize at Our Home in SM Megamall. Call the store manager at 634-1943. Bring photocopies of two valid IDs and a clipping of the Design Quiz issue in which you appear as winner.

* * *

Last week’s question: What is this housing estate, built for exhibition in Stuttgart in 1927 and designed by 17 European architects, called?

Answer: Weissenhof Housing Estate

Winner: Honieie Rosil of Antipolo