Pedevilla Architects developed this sustainable home using storm waste and local materials in the South Tyrol region of Italy. Built for a family with a near spiritual connection to nature, it makes a brilliant new addition to their hotel estate which is nestled in the mountains near the Italian Dolomites.
This remarkable three-level home takes the somewhat archaic form of a house making little to no distinction between roof and façade. The rising roofline makes the building starkly identifiable from afar, while simultaneously the low eavelines provides protection from severe weather.
“Nature and architecture complement each other; I think that architecture is impossible without considering nature, since nature dictates the way space must be designed. ”Armin Pedevilla, Pedevilla Architects, Italy.
We asked Arman Pedevilla from Pedevilla to give The Together Project's readers some background on the design.
How will this home be used?
The ciAsa is home to the Alberti-Mutschlechner family, owners to the Hotel Aqua Bad Cortina.
How long did this project take?
We started to work on an overall concept to supplement the clients’ hotel estate, the “Aqua Bad Cortina”, in April 2018.
It consisted of three parts: an expansion to the existing hotel & restaurant, a new building in which the thermal baths would be housed, and the family’s private house.The house, called “ciAsa”, was the first lot to be realised. Construction started in March 2019 and took 8 months.
How does this fit within your broader body work?
The project is a consistent continuation of our architectural approach, considering its reduction and simplicity. Above all, we live and experience the purist use of materials – in this case wood. We build with local materials, local craftsmen and the personalities of South Tyrol’s local community. It is not so much an intellectual matter as it is an emotional one: we want to give our projects the opportunity to age with dignity. We are looking at the cycles of the materials used, their durability and longevity, but also at traditional craftsmanship methods that have been handed down, and at knowledge that was thought to be lost – above all, we want to arouse materials to life.
Why this is important?
For us, the integration of a building into existing local structures is just as crucial as responding to the particular temperature, climate influences or the selection of natural building materials. None of the projects we develop is alike any other, each is special and unique for the location and the task. We are known for keeping our projects simple, often monochrome. For example, we decide on a colour or a material that we formulate precisely. This gives the buildings a down-to-earth feel and sculptural component – present – yet sensual.
The ciAsa Aqua Bad Cortina is a great embodiment of this claim, as the project focuses consequently on the use of wood which fell during Storm Vaja in October 2018 and takes advantage of other materials and knowledge from the valley.
“My aim is to achieve an extremely natural result, as if the building were in some way “native” to its site. ”Armin Pedevilla, Pedevilla Architects, Italy.
“We are known for keeping our projects simple, often monochrome. For example, we decide on a color or a material that we formulate precisely. This gives the buildings a down-to-earth feel and sculptural component – present – yet sensual. ”Armin Pedevilla, Pedevilla Architects
Set next to a natural thermal spring, Armin Pedevilla explains how sustainabile principles are incorporated.
How did you implement you particular approach?
On the basis of what we encountered, we were able to implement our philosophy down to the smallest possible detail. In the construction of the ciAsa, for example, no adhesives or plastics were used and great importance was attached to using materials in their original state. You can take this to the extreme and build as it was once normal: using short distances, craftsmen from the village, the extraction and processing of materials on site – which is, what the whole process and splendid teamwork was about.
What were the challenges ?
The client has a very spiritual appreciation towards nature. For us, the challenge was to translate the associated aspiration into architecture and to treat nature, people and materials as respectfully and sustainably as possible. The building is also the first all-wooden house in South Tyrol without insulation that still meets the strict new construction standards of our time. Therefore, rather than relying on experience, we were able to do pioneering work, to build a prototype.
“In the construction of the ciAsa, for example, no adhesives or plastics were used and great importance was attached to using materials in their original state.”Armin Pedevilla, Pedevilla Architects
At The Together Project we admire Armin Pedevilla’s philosophy which posits that ‘the highest expression of architecture is a return to the origins of architecture and to natural materials”.
We commend his desire to create environmentally sustainable homes and buildings that prioritise function over style, and fit attractively into their surroundings. It’s also important that his act of designing a “traditional home” is ultimately a place whose main purpose is to provide comfort for the people who live in it, without destroying the planet or leaving toxic pollution behind it.
Learn more about Pedevilla here.