The Cagno home studio

A reinforced concrete wall running along the main road attempts to hold in bulks of wood that almost seem as if wanting to escape. On the other side, large openings frame the woods of the Parco della Valle di Lanza (the Park of the Valley of Lanza) and a red-cedared covered façade melts into the colour of the fields and trees. All is housed by the contours of the reinforced concrete which whilst retaining its oneness within the frame of the building which embraces the wood-covered space, gives rise on all sides to what would seem an ongoing struggle between the natural wood and that of the artificial reinforced concrete.

Volumetrically speaking the building is made up of a main part which marks out the shape of the road and secondary area  intersecting the former, whilst at the same time conceding a rotation that features an internal outlay of the buildings.

The building takes advantage of the natural height difference of the land where from the external part a suspended walkway, crossing the patio, we reach the entrance which features firstly a  gangway onto which is grafted a staircase and secondly, a roof skylight stretching along the length of the building so as to enhance, by the use of light,  both the space and height. Then we come to the kitchen and the dining area. The study is separate from the residence and can be entered from the outside patio.

On the ground floor are positioned the double-heighted living room, the night area and the garage. The covering takes on a high energy-saving technological aspect with water-gathering vessels which collect the rain, high-retention soil, and intensive vegetation. The rainwater is collected in a tank where afterwards it is reused.

The opening on the south and north sides, positioned at different heights permit very efficient natural summer ventilation, taking advantage of the differences in temperature. Shading devices are used for shielding the outside windows during the warm season.