The LDA.iMdA Architetti house seeks to preserve the ancestral concept of housing, described as a rectangle topped by a triangle, projecting a simple floor plan topped by a gable roof. Upon entering the main house, we find a circulation space, which leads to the sleeping area, as well as a light and latticed staircase, which connects with the other floors. The living room is located in the subway floor, which opens to the exterior landscape of the hill, thus immersing the user in the surrounding forest of olive trees.
The colors are not chosen at random, but those of the iconic structures of the area of Tuscany in which it is located are used. Instead, the colors of the interior are neutral tones to highlight the views and the colors of the exterior. The stereometric geometry that we find on the facade is a reinterpretation of the pre-existence, which through composition, contributes to give a visual continuity between the spaces of the house and relates the exterior landscape with the interior, creating at the same time light openings.
Casa Sotto La Nuvola by LDA.iMdA Architetti. Photography by medullastudiomedulla
Description of project by LDA.iMdA Architetti
In the design of Casa Sotto La Nuvola, the architectural approach prioritized a reconstructive renovation that does not strictly follow the preexisting structure.
While the project may seem relatively straightforward from a typological standpoint, it posed significant challenges regarding landscape integration. Tuscany is renowned for its stunning hilly landscape, and the building was designed to minimize its visual impact on the historic Via Francigena that runs nearby. The project's dominant direction and focus align perpendicularly to the hillside ridge, following a natural north-south axis.
The architectural design was guided by specific criteria, including:
- Total immersion in the landscape, achieved through careful consideration of the interior-exterior relationship,
using optical channels that frame the surrounding scenery.
- The use of stereometric geometries in the volumes, reinterpreting the forms of the preexisting structure.
- The design of outdoor spaces to ensure visual and functional continuity with the surrounding landscape.
- The preservation, at least in the design phase, of the preexisting native vegetation.
- The strategic use of natural light, oriented according to the internal spaces.
- The use of exterior colour schemes that blend with the tones of historic structures in the area and the original
building, with a preference for light-toned brick.
- Contemporary interior colour schemes dominated by neutral tones to highlight the views and the relationship
with the exterior colours.
The two separates but connected volumes, linked by an axial loggia, were designed to ensure privacy between the small guesthouse and the main building. The building footprint preserves the memory of a structure similar to the one depicted in the Catasto Leopoldino (an ancient land registry map), which no longer existed at the beginning of the designing process. The floor plan of rural buildings is traditionally simple and typically rectangular, with a slenderer form in hilly landscapes due to the terrain morphology and the size of the cultivated plots. In the proposed design this guiding principle was maintained, but with a contemporary language.
The elevations retain the ancestral idea of a house: a rectangle topped by a triangle, a typology that relates well to traditional construction methods. However, this tradition was transcended by emphasizing the optical channel that characterizes the valley-facing elevation. This concept is further highlighted by the terminal overhang, which lightens the building, integrates it into the landscape and creates an external "covered space" in front of the living area.
