The project – realised by the architect Alfredo Vanotti of the EV + A lab studio – stems from the client’s request to build a new farmhouse accommodation facility to replace an old, dilapidated rural building.
The structure is located on the outskirts of the town of Caiolo in the Province of Sondrio, a particularly quiet area at the foot of the Orobian Alps and surrounded by farmland; the exposure is also interesting with constant sunshine throughout the day.
These conditions gave rise to the project with the aim of bringing together contemporaneity and dialogue with the landscape, in order to achieve a delicate balance between architecture and place.
The simple plan has made it possible to create a compact volume, a monolith in stone and concrete, pierced by the voids of the window openings; the position of the voids has been appropriately studied with the internal distribution of spaces and functions, in order to allow the surrounding view to be enjoyed from every position.
On the ground floor, where the services related to customer reception, tasting and breakfast are located, the large windows cancel out the distinction of space between indoors and outdoors, while in the rooms on the first and second floors, the beds are all positioned in front of a large window, which directs the view to the peaks of the surrounding mountains and woods, amplifying tranquillity and relaxation.
In terms of materials, they opted for the continuity of the typical language of the territory, using natural stone, concrete, wood, painted iron and plaster.
Traditional architectural elements, brought up to date, have been taken up in the construction of the stairs, the balconies, in the pitched roof without eaves and in the north wall, in which the vertical wooden cladding, typical of barns, acts as a blackout for the windows.
On the inside, too, references to the past can be found, such as the large concrete fireplace in the centre of the hall on the ground floor and in the flooring, all made of concrete.
For more information visit www.alfredovanottiarchitetto.it.
CREDITS
Project: Farmhouse
Studio: EV + A lab
Location: Caiolo, Sondrio
Year: 2022
