ArchitectMarkCannatadescribesthehouse
heshareswithhisnine-yearyearolddaughter,
Mia,asa “stonecaravan”.We’retalkinginthemodest
entrancecourtyardtohislittlehouseontheedgeof
Modica,inSicily’ssouth-east.
At 50 squaremetres,the18th-centuryhome
qualifiesastinybyNewZealandstandardsandpretty
smallbyEuropean.Itssmallwindows,thickstonewalls
and200-year-oldgrapevinesaretypicalofthearea.
Thehousefeelslikeit hasbeenthereforever– andby
NewZealandstandards,it has.
Cannata,whoestablishedhispracticeZeroZero
withFrancisScottinNewZealandin2013,movedto
Modicaandopeneda branchtherein2015.Modicaand
Aucklandareonthesamelatitude– 36degreesand 51
minutes– butthepacehereisworldsapart.Qualityof
lifeisimportanttoCannata,whoreturnedtothetown
where his English mother and Italian father live, to
raiseMia.Hisstudio,onthetown’smainstreet,isa mere
15-minutewalkdownthehill.Despitea slowerpaceof
life,thearchitect’sKiwican-doattitudehasstuckand
anItaliancolleaguerecentlycommentedthatCannata’s
practicehasproducedmoreworkinthreeyearsthan
mostlocalstudiosachievein10.
ZeroZerospecialisesinprojectsinvolving
interventionswithinhistoriccontextsandnatural
heritage.Withhisownrenovationofa ruin–
abandonedfor 50 years– Cannatawasadamantthe
exteriorwouldn’tbealtered,whichforcedhimto
designtheinteriorTetris-style.Indeed,thefacade
givesnothingawaytothetransformationwithin–
aseeminglysimpleresultthathighlightsCannata’s
experienceinthesensitiverestorationofhistoric
buildings.HereferencesboatbuildinginNewZealand- anapproachthatcombineshistoryandtechnology –
and there are similarities in his design process.
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