White Heat:

An ultra modern apartment building is getting Romans all hot and bothered for very different reasons.

Whether you call it a boat, a sail, a palazzetto (little palace), or something more unfavourable, this block of flats in the heart of Rome has quickly become the talk of the town. In fact, the striking new building is stirring an intense debate among the locals, who have set up a public blog for comments and criticism.

The furore is over the condominium’s unapologetically modern design. According to architect PaolaRossi, who was commissioned to begin the project in 1990: “An architect has the right of taking inspiration from every image he likes. The Palazzetto brings a breath of fresh air in the district and it’s a further step in the field of architectural research. As a consequence I do not care if it does not fit into the surroundings.” Standing in a densely residential area at the edge of the historical core of the city, its shiny, contemporary façade contrasts with the surrounding traditional architecture.

Rossi’s inspiration came from “research about the meaning of architecture” she undertook with a psychiatrist, Massimo Fagioli. “It corresponds to a mental journey I have done together with Fagioli, who has been studying the meaning of images for many years,” she says. “So the building is also a work by Doctor Fagioli.”

Squeezed onto a tiny site, the four stories have a triangular base rising from a similarly shaped strip of hilly land, which are the remains of a private urban garden. “The shape of the plot has conditioned the formal identity of the project,” Rossi says. The street-front features five regular rows of small, square windows, while the other side, facing a steep green slope, has wider openings and terraces jutting out. Each floor consists of two flats serviced by an elevator and a light-filled common stairway. “The building absorbs emotions and stimulates feelings,” says Rossi. “This is the best result for the work of an architect.”