The design starts from the direct confrontation with the clients who desired a new home which could express symbolic characteristics of the family who will grow in it and transform the house itself through future generations. The basic principle was to create a strong base: symbolically and morphologically by the relationship the building has with the landscape and the ground on which it's placed. On this basic idea the house takes shape through different kinds of rooms designed to satisfy domestic needs related to each family components' soul. One of the main concepts that is relevant in the design is the atonement of the sense of fatigue that relates to the life outside of the house which, on the other hand, becomes the place where to reset balance.
The villa is fully integrated in the surrounding landscape, almost like it was pulled out of the ground and born by the hill which it lands on. The piece of land on which the house is designed is characterized by a deep slope and the panoramic path above it created an impassable limit over which the building could not cross. For these reasons the house was design as hypogeum, cashed into the hill, characteristic which led to have only one side of the building that looks at the valley in front of it. The shape of the house plan, articulated and asymmetric, allows to the creation of many points of view and always different perspectives indoor and outdoor.
In the design all of the eco-friendly and sustainable aspects related to constructions are included starting by the fact that the building is hypogeum, characteristic which allows to keep an indoor comfort temperature thanks to the natural insulation of the ground. The facades are composed by ventilated and insulated walls which guarantee the highest comfort standards with a substantial reduction of heat consumption. The heating and electric systems are powered by the energy produced by photovoltaic panels on the top of the dedicated roof. The wide glass windows are all characterized by outdoor shading systems and top efficiency properties.
The project is made interesting by the particular creative process that led us to the final design. The choices were guided by the deep sense of refinement of a client who doesn't look at its own house as a mere villa but as a place which has to be rich of meaning, a place that grows older, that renews itself and that can adapt to the needs that can happen to arrive in the future. The name of the project the "nest" was born by the will of creating a refuge for the inhabitants of the house. The plan also reminds morphologically of the original idea of a nest: the house builds up on the hill slope and it merges with it by reflecting the segments of the ground on the facades. On the side which looks at the valley a big porch surrounds the building creating an intime space in the center, a cozy space which transforms into the core of the house. The living area, that looks at the valley and at the patio, is very bright thanks to the large glass windows. The sleeping area, on the other hand, is characterized by the presence of irregular rooms with view spots on the outdoor space that hosts big rocky "splinters" which work as shields contributing to create privacy and that are, ideally, the ruins that remain by the crack generated between the house and the hill. In the end a strong connection with the natural environment was given to the project: the hypogeum connotation of the building allows to perceive it as fiscally and inextricably anchored at the hill.
The house is rich in terms of symbolic elements that refers to each of our family members. This is the inheritance that we intend to leave to future generations. The spaces are of different dimensions and forms that create unexpected perspectives and that compose a symbolic morphological response to the divers moods of existence: some rooms are repaired and intimate in which is possible to "live alone" and some, in opposition, are very large and bright spaces where we can "live together".
All the works designed by Archicura, founded in Torino in 1994, seem somehow connected by an almost invisible thread, or even a common approach shared by Paolo Dellapiana and collaborators, who constantly present new, different and unexpected projects and results.
The constant focus of their attention is the emotional factor which every building should have towards its users. This is the key element that contributes to the physical and mental wellness that a construction should always provide.
The path they have so far walked, and the meaningful experiences they have had, contributed to their architectural taste and hallowed them to grow without losing the enthusiasm they have for everything they design, whether they are urban projects or a micro scale.
Their motto is a quote by J.W.Von Goethe “Architecture is frozen music. It is what music would look like if we could see it”. This denotes a particular sensitivity, almost artistic in the way they approach this discipline.