Albori Associati ( E. Almagioni, G. Derella, F.Riva)

CASA EN APPENNINOS

Motese, Italy


This old farmhouse of an uncertain age, which has been remodelled several times, is set on a hiliside of the Apennines in the region of Modena.
The idea of its new owners was to reduce the bathrooms and bedrooms as far as possible in order to leave the rest of the spaces open and at the disposal of the house.
Because it was a building without partitions, in which the interior space coincided with the structure, most of the rooms were on different levels. This pure relationship between space and structures was so beautiful that it was not altered.
Therefore, none of the rooms were divided and the new volumes are characterized by the type of material of the furniture inside them: wood, bricks and stone help to define the uses of the different rooms. The main barn had a certain majesty, with an irregular geometry, a floor area mesuring 48 m2 and a roof that is 6 meters high at its highest point and 2.4 meters at its lowest point.
After the demolition of the floor located between the ground floor and the first floor, a large room of double height perfectly illuminated by a long thin skylight was created.
The darkest area in the dwelling was illuminated thank to the courtyard located at the end of the old barn. I order to adapt this impressive building, originally designed for agricultural use, it was necessary to redesign its lighting and ventilation, without forgetting the enormous possibilities of making openings due to the excellent location. The beautiful view of the valley and hills surrounding this hous were accentuated by the creation of large terrace in the east wing of the dwelling and by the creation of new windows. These openings led the architects to create a circular layout full of transparencies and unexpected views through the rooms and toward the exterior.