Alberto Ponis is an Italian architect born in 1933. Working in London with Erno Goldfinger and Denis Lasdun, Ponis was influenced by the movements of Modernism and Brutalism present in British architecture at the time, as well as the natural and urban landscapes of London.

In 1964 he started his practice on Sardinia. The Palau area offered an alternative to the wealthy, touristy Costa Smeralda, and offered Ponis the chance to carve out his own architectural style.

The houses he designed seem to meld with the windswept, remote coastline, themselves becoming a part of the landscape.

“They are bare and have no garden; some are sharp-edged cubes, others are organic and sensual. They are definitely not status symbols for rich people, but love nests for young couples that had fallen in love with each other here.”

Sebastiano Brandolini on Ponis, you can read more here.

This drawing shows a roof plan for Casa Scalesciani, made in 1977. There is a beauty to the undulating roof pattern which we were drawn to; sculptural and precise yet organic and flowing. The original was made in ink on tracing paper, with natural mottling that we have replicated in our print.