Stone Houses | Emilia Terragni
Suzy Chase: When two podcasts collide, magic happens. Welcome to Dinner Party, the podcast where I bring together my two hit shows, Cookery by the Book and Decorating by the Book around here. We're all about cooking, sharing stories behind recipes, and creating a cozy home. I'm your host, Suzy Chase, a West Village wife, mom and home cook. Inspired by Martha Stewart trying to live in a Nora Ephron movie, surrounded by toile, plaid, cookbooks, decorating books and magazines, cooking in my galley kitchen and living my best life in my darling New York City apartment in the cutest neighborhood in the city, the West Village. So come hang out and let's get into the show.
Emilia Terragni: I'm Emilia Terragni. I'm associate publisher at Phaidon where I commission books on architecture, design, food, and object for this book Stone Houses. I have commissioned it with the purpose really to show the best contemporary stone houses and I've personally selected all the building.
Suzy Chase: After studying art history at university, you began working at the intersection of art, architecture and design, joining Luis Barragán Foundation at the Vitra Design Museum, where you served as curator for the archives of the renowned Mexican architect. In 2001, you joined Fadden Press as a design project editor and you are now associate publisher of architecture, design and food titles, everything I love! In Stone Houses, this stunning collection journeys to more than 20 countries, highlighting 50 architect design homes that incorporate stone. Now, what inspired you to create this beautiful book?
Emilia Terragni: So first of all, I absolutely love architecture. I am a big fan of contemporary architecture and at Fido we have a series of book on residential architecture. We know that our readers are very eager to have books about beautiful houses that shows not only the exterior but also the interior of the landscape. And we always try to find an organizing principle to present amazing architecture. Could be location, style in this case material. So we have done a previous book that was on glass and then we decided the stone was such an amazing material that we wanted to see how contemporary architects used it.
Suzy Chase: So I think aside from the design, and ingenuity of these homes, I think this book has an environmental message to it.
Emilia Terragni: Definitely because stone is, that is durable. It needs to be used locally because of course the cost of transportation are astronomic and it's also a material that blend with the landscape if it's used in the right way.
Suzy Chase: So how did you decide which architects and studios to feature in this book?
Emilia Terragni: For us it was really to have a diversity in terms of style, geography firms and so on. So we actually drawn a list that it was much, much longer of very interesting contemporary stone house. And then we started to cut it down in order to have examples from different country, from different architects, from different generation, but also as you will see, you always think that stone as a gray material. We really wanted to show how you can use in very diverse way. And for us it's important to understand that this is not the 50 stone houses in the world. It's not a ranking, it is just a window on what you can do with stone in residential architecture.
Suzy Chase: So I think in the past stone has seemed stodgy or standing in opposition to contemporary design and I feel like it's undergoing a reappraisal. Can you talk a little bit about the renewed appreciation?
Emilia Terragni: Well, there is an overall perception that stone is an old and interesting material, but in reality, stone is such a versatile and intriguing material if used in the right hand. And the project in this book really shows innovation, creativity, and variety that can be achieved through stone. And also there is something very ancient and traditional about dawn. And what I found it really fascinated is how this building are somehow intrinsically physically connected to specific environment in terms of color, texture, density. And as I said, because it's not very easy to transport, architect tends to use very local stone, both because it's easier, but also because it gives a sense of belong. So you will recognize in a building a certain stone that maybe you have seen in an ancient building very close by or even that you recognize because it comes from a quarry that is not very hard.
Suzy Chase: Now when you use local stone, is that stone able to deal with the weather elements of that area better?
Emilia Terragni: Yeah, exactly. So there are, for example, in very hot climate you use the limestone that is more porous stone and you also can use it in a way in which even if it's such solid material, it's a perfect way to insulate both from the cold and from the hot weather. So I mean it's the first material that we have used to build our dwellings and that's not by chance. So it's something that really can deal with different climate and also the fact that it's present in certain region really reflects into the architecture.
Suzy Chase: I learned so much in this book when I used to think about stone houses I immediately thought of an old house, might be dilapidated, but always old. But I'm curious about the contemporary designs in this book.
Emilia Terragni: Well, most of the houses in the book are contemporary and built in the last 10 years minus three examples that we have. Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Water that was built in 1938. That and we added because it is such an icon in the contemporary use of stone. Then we have the Casa do Penedo in Portugal that is from the seventies. And that is interesting because it's practically, it's a bolder that is used to build a house. The other are more or less contemporary and they do look very contemporary. Some reference to traditional typology or there are some that in a very interesting way, they mix old and new, but the feeling is always of a contemporary house. And what I found it really interesting that they never feel cold, even if there is this perception that stone is very cold. But one of our way of choosing them was really to find houses that were contemporary, they feel contemporary, but at the end on the other hand they really feel like a livable residential house.
Suzy Chase: It's interesting that you mention Casa do Penedo or Boulder House House in Portugal because that's my favorite house in the book. On page 52, giant rocks encase a tiny two story house.
Emilia Terragni: It's a very famous house and whenever someone talk about stone house, this is somehow the ultimate, even if it's not an easy house for sure, but the idea really is almost like a cave. It goes back to a very ancient way of building. But I found it very interesting, the fact that you deal with something that is existing that is there, that you cannot move and then you work around it. So it's this strong relationship with this massive volume. And then between the two you can still build something. It's act of creativity.
Suzy Chase: Now how come you didn't have any photos from inside?
Emilia Terragni: Very difficult. So we try to find them, but we were not able. We also always work with the architect to have the best images and we always try to find them, but not always easy for us,
Suzy Chase: Unlike any other type of home a stone house, as you said, must engage in a dialogue with the land. I think a great example of this is Fort 1 3 7 in Las Vegas and looking at this photo, it's almost like you can't tell where the stone house ends in the landscape begins. Chat a little bit about this.
Emilia Terragni: Yeah, I think that this is where you see where there are architects who they do an amazing job in blending the house with the landscape. In this case it's almost look like the house has raised from the ground in a very natural, organic way. And I think that this respect for the landscape is something that it's very common. It's also a way of being sustainable. Sustainability is not only about physical waste, but it's also about how you interact with the landscape and how you blend the architecture into the landscape. So in this case, it's like a perfect example of how an intervention architecture is always a violent intervention in the landscape. Either you like it or not any manmade things that it's a violent act towards nature. So the way in which we can minimize it is really to have the respect to the nature and even visually make it less prominent. And in this case it's a perfect example because you almost don't see this naturally growing it.
Suzy Chase: It must be an interesting thought process. You really have to think about how the stone works, how it looks and how it works with the land.
Emilia Terragni: Absolutely. And I am always fascinated by how architect create a house, how they have their vision already in their mind before even they start building it. How a simple drawing on a two dimensional sheet of paper or on a screen really has already all the elements and the manual that the house should carry. And it's about the aesthetic, but it's about the use, the functionality, it's how you see from the landscape into the house and the other way around. So it's about texture, Cutler shapes, dimension, proportion, and it's so interesting to see how starting from a blank page you can really get to something that is so interesting. And so
Suzy Chase: What really fascinates me are the stone masons. Now did you go in depth in learning about this Masons with this book?
Emilia Terragni: Not personally, but I know for a fact that architects do. So whenever they have to choose a specific stone, it's also, first of all it's the locality, but it's also there are stones that are harder than other. There are stone that are used in block, there are stone that are used for cladding. There are stone that you can cut in very thin layers. So really the craftsmanship around the stone is absolutely amazing. There is an incredible video. It's actually an art video by this artist that is called Anani. It was actually shown at the architecture of Biennale a few years ago and it's called El Cappo the Boss. And it filmed a man in Marble Quarry where he practically directed the cut of the stone and it looks like a music conductor. It's without sound. And because of the noise they don't talk to each other. But there are men with this huge machine and he direct him with his hands in a kind of choreography that really tells you the skill that there are behind this incredible stone.
Suzy Chase: Do you think there in a young kids getting into this or do you think it's dying out?
Emilia Terragni: Well as all the craft, it's always very hard to get people to stay into kind of job that are also very, very hard. But there is, as in any other craft, I think that there is going back to this kind of tradition, but it's becoming something that really needs to support.
Suzy Chase: I think my favorites are the homes regenerated from ruins on existing sites like page 2 34 on the aisle of Akay in Scotland. In the book it's called Sensitive Restoration that pays respect to the past as well as the landscape. I love the different sizes and colors of the stones in this two roomed bothy, which for people who aren't familiar wasn't it's a small hut or cottage in Scotland.
Emilia Terragni: Yeah, it's a traditional small cottage. You can see there how people are really proud of the architecture tradition and you approach the building with the humility of respecting what is there and to recognize what you can do with that. And because stone is such an imposing opposing material, the idea of get rid of what exists is not always the solution. And thinking about reusing material and learning also from ancient tradition is something that architects, some architects really love to do. And in this case, this is really a very small little house, but he has such an incredible character because there are some new elements that blend with the existing and with the landscape. It almost looked like a grotto has been refurbished for a contemporary living.
Suzy Chase: I think I'm going to say something controversial, but I feel like this isn't happening in the United States. I feel like in the United States everyone wants new, new,
Emilia Terragni: It's happening everywhere. That's good. Yeah, I think that this is also why we do these books. In this books you see, we have chosen architect that actually have a very strong respect for the environment, for the landscape, for of course there are houses that looks totally contemporary, but somehow they blend with the landscape. And it also depends how inspired you can be by the local tradition or by a ruin. There is a house that is practically built on the rowing of an old house with connecting glasses in between the walls. So you need be inspired and really to appreciate ancient tradition and ancient architecture.
Suzy Chase: I love, love, love this line. The concept soothes inhabitants on a deeper, more primal level too, creating a sense of refuge within the wildness of this isolated plot situated on an island accessible only by boat. So talk about the fort-like home designed by Hobart Architects, firm 11 on Tasmania's Bruny Island, page 146.
Emilia Terragni: This is again another houses where the relationship with the landscape is absolutely crucial, but not only with the landscape, but also with the weather. This is a place where there is a very strong wind very often. So the house, it is almost built as a fort with a wall that goes all around to really protect the inside part of the house. And it's really a very ancient technology or system, the one of building strong wall to protect the inside. But again, the shape is completely contemporary, the lines are straight and the entire building looks completely contemporary, again, erased from the ground and it protect from the elements of the weather and of the entire landscape.
Suzy Chase: I thought this was interesting. In the house of solid stone, it had the load bearing wall and the hollow interlocking system, which I thought was really interesting about the thermal efficiency with passive energy.
Emilia Terragni: Yeah. This is a house in India, clearly there is a completely different climate and stone has always been used a lot in hot climate to protect from heat, from humidity, from all the elements in this house. What is interesting is that the stone is used in two very different ways. So it is used as a very solid element, but is also used as perforated wall to really exchange the heat and the humidity from the inside to the outside. Stone is also these things that has, especially in climate where there is a big difference between the day and the night in terms of temperature, stone tend to absorb very much the heat during the day and to give it back during the night, especially when there is a very strong temperature difference. And in this case, what was interesting was that some of the part of the house have this massive stone beam that are support the house. And then another part, you have this almost transparent wall that protect you and also give you a good air distribution.
Suzy Chase: So now for my segment called The Perfect Bite where I ask you to describe your perfect bite of favorite dish.
Emilia Terragni: Okay, my favorite dish, and this could be a total cliche, is pizza.
Suzy Chase: What kind
Emilia Terragni: Margarita. But what I like in terms of the bite, I like the crust.
Suzy Chase: Thin crust?
Emilia Terragni: Thin, crunchy with a big crust.
Suzy Chase: I kind of like it when it's almost burnt.
Emilia Terragni: Exactly,
Suzy Chase: Yeah.
Emilia Terragni: And hot. Very, very hot.
Suzy Chase: So where can we find you on the web and social media?
Emilia Terragni: We have our website that is phaidon.com and I have a Instagram account that is called mimiterragni and it's personal account, but I like to post images of things that I see and inspire.
Suzy Chase: I adore this book and I've learned so much about Stone Houses. Thanks so much for coming on Dinner Party podcast.
Emilia Terragni: Thank you. It's been a real pleasure and it's been a real pleasure to work on.
Suzy Chase: Okay, so where can you listen to the new Dinner Party podcast series? Well, it's on substack suzy chase.substack.com. You can also subscribe to Dinner Party for free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Additionally, the episodes will be available on both Decorating by the Book and Cookery by the Book. Long story short, you'll be able to listen to it virtually everywhere. Thanks for listening. Bye.
