BORA Magazine 01|2019 – English

EXPERIENCE ARCHITECTURE

EXPERIENCE ARCHITECTURE 104 BORA MAGAZINE

Left: A place for enjoyment and showroom rolled into one: today, kitchens meet the highest demands. Here on Lake Zurich, the kitchen island made of black glass is elegantly integrated into the staircase. Right: A minimalist appearance meets hi-tech design – the BORA Professional 2.0 ‘All Black’ edition has been installed in the kitchen island. Brightness and light play a central role for the architect duo DALUZ GONZALEZ, who designed CASA MI. ‘In the past, people used to be out and about in the open air every day and only came home in the evening,’ explains Juan González. ‘Small windows gave them a feeling of security. Today most people spend all day in closed rooms and enjoy natural light and ample views at home.’ According to the two architects, lifestyles have also changed considerably in terms of cooking and eating. ‘A separate kitchen is no longer in keeping with the times,’ remarks Rubén Daluz. In CASA MI, the kitchen and dining areas are open-plan. A wide staircase, in which the kitchen island is integrated, links the two areas and leads to the kitchen area in the northern part of the building. ‘Today, people aren’t alone when they prepare food in the kitchen,’ continues Rubén Daluz. ‘They meet in the kitchen, stand around and talk. The kitchen has become a room for enjoyment and a showroom.’ Thanks to the open, organic integration of the kitchen space into the overall architecture, it is particularly important to keep the surrounding areas free of bothersome kitchen odours. A task that was entrusted to a BORA cooktop extractor here in the CASA MI villa. The system chosen was the BORA Professional 2.0, which combines all of the important BORA qualities in a minimalist design, attractive appearance and highperformance modular cooktops. It comes in a special ‘All Black’ finish and forms an effective contrast to the dark and light kitchen surfaces around it. In matters of sustainability, the CASA MI project also sets new benchmarks in the premium sector. The combination of highlyefficient heat insulation, an innovative heating BORA MAGAZINE 105