The Mill House

The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli

THE MILL HOUSE

Valentino Architects

STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Perit Ivan Muscat

PHOTOGRAPHS
Ramon Portelli

AREA
385 m2

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Attard, Malta

CATEGORY
Houses, Detail

Reflecting the old and announcing the new, a glazed walkway links three distinct 16th-century dwelling spaces, shifting from reflection to translucency as the day progresses from morning to night.

The design of the Mill House addresses a need to link a cluster of Grade I and II Listed buildings, including a mill room dating to around the mid-to-late 16th century.

The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli
The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli

Introducing new cohesion between the buildings to create a future family home, the design positions an outdoor courtyard as a connecting agent, allowing the disparate spaces to communicate with the sun-soaked hearth of the house.

A glazed walkway curates this connection, functioning as a binding passage between the three volumes.

Invisible from the street, the walkway is both hidden and boldly announced, conceived as a reflective layer of contrast between old and new.

The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli

It forms a lustrous perimeter along two internal facades, carrying its users from one living block to another.

The walkway graduates from solid reflection to sheer translucency throughout the day, its opacity moderating with the sun’s changing light.

The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli

In the morning, it reflects the courtyard’s yellow stone and the sights of the surrounding village, appearing as an elongated band that elbows at a single juncture.

At night, its glazed corridor is internally lit, illuminating the pool area below and revealing the movements of its inhabitants as they travel from one bedroom to another.

The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli
The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli
The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli
The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli

The ground level, which looks out to the courtyard, is home to the dining and living areas.

Its main room also plays on grades of visibility – tall cabinets punctuate the edge of its space, resembling minimalist boulders that at times double as doorways to tangential rooms.

The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli


The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli
The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli
The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli
The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli
The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli
The Mill House
© Ramon Portelli


The Mill House
First Floor Plan
The Mill House
Ground Floor Plan