![Gallarate housing by Álvaro Siza and COR Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/10/residenziale-tra-via-roma-housing-varese-alvaro-siza-cor-arquitectos-_dezeen_2364_hero_0-852x479.jpg)
Álvaro Siza and COR Arquitectos create travertine housing in Lombardy
Portuguese Pritzker Prize-winning architect Álvaro Siza and Porto studio COR Arquitectos have revealed a housing scheme almost entirely clad in travertine in Italy.
Built in the city of Gallarate in Lombardy, the development consists of two housing blocks clad in travertine – a type of limestone – that contain 20 apartments in total.
![Gallarate housing by Álvaro Siza and COR Arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/10/residenziale-tra-via-roma-housing-varese-alvaro-siza-cor-arquitectos-_dezeen_2364_col_11-852x639.jpg)
The development near the city centre stands between two roads, with its main facade on the busy Via Roma and a smaller entrance on the much quieter Via Postporta.
Álvaro Siza and COR Arquitectos created two four-storey blocks that face each other with a communal walkway between them.
![Housing in Gallarate in Lombardy](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/10/residenziale-tra-via-roma-housing-varese-alvaro-siza-cor-arquitectos-_dezeen_2364_col_33-852x682.jpg)
The larger of the two blocks is located away from the main road surrounded by existing buildings and is shaped like C to partially enclose a small area of grass.
On the other side of the site, the smaller block was designed to stand alone from the development like a villa and has a largely plain travertine-clad facade facing the road with numerous windows on its inward facade.
![Housing by Álvaro Siza and COR Arquitectos in Gallarate](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/10/residenziale-tra-via-roma-housing-varese-alvaro-siza-cor-arquitectos-_dezeen_2364_col_40-852x639.jpg)
Both blocks were built above a two-storey car park, which occupies the entire site and is accessed from Via Roma.
Along two sides of the development, a public pathway has been created as a route between the main road and the city centre.
![Housing by Álvaro Siza and COR Arquitectos in Gallarate](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/10/residenziale-tra-via-roma-housing-varese-alvaro-siza-cor-arquitectos-_dezeen_2364_col_39-852x639.jpg)
Alongside the blocks, the architecture studios have created a series of gardens and spaces enclosed by travertine walls.
The limestone material was also used to create entrance gates and seating within the gardens.
![Housing by Álvaro Siza and COR Arquitectos in Gallarate](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/10/residenziale-tra-via-roma-housing-varese-alvaro-siza-cor-arquitectos-_dezeen_2364_col_17-852x1136.jpg)
Portuguese architect Siza won the Pritzker Prize in 1992. In a recent interview with Dezeen, he explained how he created the swooped concrete roof of the pavilion he designed for the 1998 Expo in Lisbon.
Recent projects by the architect include a ceramics pavilion with a thatched roof at the Casa Wabi artist retreat in Mexico and the red sandstone International Design Museum of China.
Photography is by Francesca Ióvene – Fondaco Studio.
Project credits:
Architects: Álvaro Siza & COR arquitectos (Roberto Cremascoli, Edison Okumura, Marta Rodrigues
Supervision: Luca Morganti, Alessandro Bonicalzi
Structural: Alberto Battioni
Post-tensioned floor structure: Piero Perucchini
Static test: Pietro Boerio
Thermomechanics, electrical engineering, acoustics: Gamma Progetti
Safety coordinator: Claudio Grimoldi
Collaborators: Andrea Alberio, Massimo Bassani, Francesco Beia, Alessandro Fontana
Main contractor: Bonicalzi Costruzioni