The Recovery Project
The project recovers the former Castelli property located in the upper part of the ancient italian borgo Poggio Ferrato (PV)
The property includes three stone and/or brick buildings,
two of which have been designed new owing to the advanced state of decay they were found.
The Tower made entirely in stone, the adjacent curtain and a small church at the head of the road
evoke the urban traces of an old medieval village.
Irregular window cuts are arranged with careful composition to give the Tower a modern appearance,
which fits well into the traditional context of the existing curtains.
This design traces the motifs of castle architecture typical of this territory and inspiring the "contemporary tower" that the project proposes.
Technical Report
The intervention as conceived envisages three distinct but connected buildings (A, B and C) with different construction characteristics.
01
Alternative energy sources
Particular attention will be paid to the use of alternative and environmentally friendly energy sources.
In addition to the use of solar panels, climate engineering projects are being studied that exploit the circulation of air through tunnels and underground ducts for the exploitation of geothermal energy.
02
Thermal efficiency
Sealed chamber fireplaces with ducted distribution will guarantee integration with the main thermal production system, which will thus have very limited use, if none at all in some cases, given the small size of the units.
03
Energy savings
The reconstruction will also allow the application of adequate insulating materials in compliance with regulations regarding energy savings.
This will help to limit energy needs and limit the consumption of polluting sources.
04
Consolidation plan
The intervention also wants to consider a consolidation of the entire sector.
The box level (all in reinforced concrete) will serve as an underlayment for the three buildings, but above all it will consolidate the raised area of the internal courtyard at the base, with benefits for the entire existing sector.
The location is also suitable for a transformation into a charming Relais & Châteaux with fitness and Luxury Spa.
BODY A - the TOWER
It is composed of a three-level volume intended for residential use attached to an existing curtain, which is also for residential use.
Constructionally it was composed of stone walls and wooden floors and was in precarious static conditions. In some parts it was affected by initial flaking of the masonry with some stones detaching.
This body was entirely renovated through the almost total demolition and reconstruction with the re-proposal of the exposed stone on the facade through the reuse of the stone resulting from the demolition.
In this body a single housing unit is obtained with the three existing levels by adjusting only the tax quotas of the attics.
The roof is rectified flat to allow the creation of the Tower volume with the possibility of placing the planned solar panels on the same roof.
In this way the panels would be masked by the crowning of the roof, which would also act as a parapet for the solar slab created.
BODY B - the VILLA
Its use has always been as a barn/storage and clearing rooms. Even today you can glimpse the profile of the roof pitch that rose up to a height of 3.85 cm above the level of the internal courtyard.
The collapse of this volume has opened up a downstream perspective. The project takes inspiration from this view created and proposes the reconstruction of the body with a flat roof used as a hanging garden.
By keeping the height of the hanging garden low compared to the courtyard, the view downstream is safeguarded.
Two levels are created in the residual underlying volume: the first level against the ground is intended for garages and/or garages and is almost at the same level as Via Raminga.
The second level above the previous one and below the "hanging garden" is created as a residential and/or commercial unit.
A continuous balcony acts as a hinge between the three bodies, and supported by two stone volumes it generates a compositional link that proposes ancient flavors of stone walls bastion of the medieval villages.
BODY C - the BARN
This body was found in the best conditions. Once also used as a barn and/or partly as a storage room/stable, it would be completely recovered for residential use, leaving its current shell unchanged.
By filling the internal volumetric space, the closure of the third open side towards the courtyard is defined. At courtyard level, the use of a portico, typical of rural buildings and a meeting point for rural sociality, is safeguarded.
The former stable space towards Via Raminga is also converted into a residential unit.
The architectural choice on this body is to leave the current appearance as unaltered as possible, and therefore all the current openings are closed with windows and / or glass that leave their dimensions and characteristics unchanged.
The roof is proposed again with exactly the same profile and materials.