Alpine House Dolomiti

Project Details

Project Description

The villa, 250sqm or 2690sqft, is located in the Dolomiti Alps, near Cortina d’Ampezzo, a renowned ski destination, and enjoys a breathtaking view.
Where now is this villa there was a traditional-looking house from the early 1970s that came with all the shortcomings of buildings of those years, primarily an envelope consisting of thick but poorly insulating masonry. Considering the many restrictions that a redevelopment would have involved, the project began with the demolition of the pre-existing building and the realization of a brand new three-storey wooden house, where vertical structures and floors are made with the X-lam technology using 10cm (4in) panels that are cladded with a thermal insulation layer on the outside and a plasterboard layer inside to house the pipings. An elevator was added to easily connect the house spaces.

The house consists of two underground pre-existing floors, recovered to obtain a garage and a cinema room, and three above-ground floors. The ground floor (84 sqm or 904sqft) is dedicated to common areas with a kitchen, dining area, living room and some service spaces; the first floor (80 sqm or 861sqft) has three bedrooms, two for guests and a master bedroom that integrates a sitting room, all with private restrooms; the second floor (82 sqm or 882sqft) - an attic - houses two bedrooms, a living room and a restroom.
The entire project involved the choice of enhancing the traditional characteristics of the local Alpine architecture, declined using a contemporary language. The spontaneous rural residential buildings of the Italian Alps have been the main inspiration for the designers.

Rough plaster is what composes the external finishing of the lower floors, while the upper portion of the house comes with a natural larch wood cladding that is supposed to slowly show the signs of time and thus integrate with the surrounding context. Part of the internal surfaces is cladded in solid pinewood and the flooring is made of local Valmalenco Stone.

The house welcomes its inhabitants and guests with a warm atmosphere, obtained through a mixture of local reclaimed furniture and French design pieces. Building a family-friendly shelter that could host the most intimate lifetime moments has been the main focus since the conceptual phase, a goal achieved through the design of a place surrounded by a traditional but contemporary-twisted Alpine atmosphere.