Bricks and nature in a project by Matteo Thun

The Garden Villas project by Matteo Thun & Partners for the popular Marina di Venezia campsite located in Cavallino Tre­porti just outside Venice consists of a group of 32 brick-clad patio houses surrounded by greenery, a contemporary inter­pretation of traditional campsite bungalows.

The 6,400 sq.m complex provides both comfort and contact with nature and is guided by the genius loci, the spirit of the place. A desire to protect the many pine trees present deter­mined both the layout of the bungalows and the overall bo­tanical architecture. The renovation of the commercial area of the campsite was inspired by traditional covered markets, where individual stalls are grouped together under a single roof. The design was guided by the botanical architecture, sustainability, functionality and cost effectiveness.

Alongside wood, the project also made extensive use of fired clay products from Terreal Italia, whose SanMarco brand ex­ploited its experience and research to develop a brick with a delicate, warm, pale grey colour inspired by the tone of natu­ral clay from the local plains, with clearly recognisable shades that make each piece unique. The Vivo finish with its sand-free surface ensures vibrant, natural colours on the brick’s vis­ible face. Thanks to the exclusive production process, the bricks can be removed from the mould without the use of    sand, bringing luminous, fresh appeal to architec­tural projects.

The bricks are used in two completely different ways: in some areas they are installed in a projecting head­er bond pattern with various degrees of protrusion to create a powerful light/dark texture, while in oth­er areas they appear to be covered by a thin layer of very pale lime that partially obscures their profile to create the look of an old wall.