SOLUM studio shapes its coastal ‘patio house’ as a maze of thick walls in sicily

Walls as Spatial Framework

Located on a coastal stretch in Sicily, the Patio House by SOLUM Studio is set within a narrow, elongated plot that extends toward the sea and ends on a rocky cliff. The house fully occupies the buildable area of the site, responding with a compact yet layered architecture that privileges privacy and orientation over outward display.

At the heart of the project is a series of thick, continuous walls that define both interior and exterior spaces. These structural elements serve to organize movement and visual rhythm along the building’s length. Five independent bedrooms and a sea-facing living area are spaced along the perimeter, each arranged to maximize autonomy and visual quiet.

Full-height walls form intimate patios adjacent to each bedroom, introducing natural light while shielding the interiors from direct views. The living spaces, in contrast, are defined by openness. At the end of an internal open-air corridor, large sliding windows retract fully into the masonry, giving the living room a direct and unobstructed relationship with the horizon.

images © Nicolò Panzeri

solum studio curates A Sequence of Outdoor Rooms

Circulation throughout the Patio House unfolds through a narrow, uncovered corridor conceived by the architects at SOLUM Studio as a private alley. This outdoor path connects the bedrooms to the shared living spaces in a progression of tight passages and wider moments of pause. The route ends at the sea, turning movement into a spatial narrative that is at once choreographed and visually understated.

Adjoining the kitchen, another patio and flooded with daylight and houses a staircase that leads to the roof terrace. From above, the plan reveals itself as a maze of solids and voids, a geometric interplay that modulates openness and enclosure across the floor-plate. The roof terrace offers panoramic views of the Sicilian landscape and draws attention to the relationship between the house and its cliffside context.

the Patio House is located in the province of Syracuse on the coast of Sicily

an intricate floorplan realized with simple materials

The material palette by SOLUM Studio reinforce the sense of groundedness throughout the Patio House. Walls are rendered in textured earth-toned plaster, while warm-toned concrete floors extend the chromatic language indoors. The outdoor terraces are constructed from dry-stacked Noto stone, a traditional local material, and the pool is finished in lava stone, visually anchoring it in the region’s volcanic geology.

The landscape design reinforces this continuity, allowing native vegetation to grow in a restrained but intentional way. The green areas act as buffers between built elements, strengthening the sense of a secluded compound while avoiding the appearance of manicured artifice.

Patio House reads as an abstract interpretation of vernacular forms. Its façade, largely closed and windowless, reveals little of the spatial richness inside. This reticence is deliberate, a way of engaging with the landscape through orientation, materiality, and inner openness rather than panoramic gesture.

it occupies a narrow plot that stretches from the access road to a seaside cliff

the design is structured by a sequence of thick walls that shape both rooms and patios

each bedroom opens onto a private patio enclosed by full-height walls

a second patio adjacent to the kitchen includes a stair to the panoramic rooftop

project info:

name: Patio House

architect: SOLUM Studio | @solum.studio

location: Avola, Sicily, Italy

design team: Lorenzo Campagna, Filippo Gismondi, Mattia Agates, Alessandro Loda
completion: 2025
photography: © Nicolò Panzeri | @nicolopanzeri

The post SOLUM studio shapes its coastal ‘patio house’ as a maze of thick walls in sicily appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.