A hayloft from the early twentieth century in Val Tidone has been converted into a large country home with pronounced contemporary touches. We are in the westernmost valley of the Piacentino region, along the course of the Tidone torrent in the Po River plains. The project provides to transform the appeal of an agricultural complex, creating an interesting juxtaposition between the original identity of the old hayloft and modern life style. The outcome is a residence that draws upon the past but has a markedly contemporary feeling, thanks to a restructuring project providing a new interpretation.
With its simple masonry architecture, the building produces an interesting contrast with the modernly ‑styled interior, which uses local materials such as wood, stone and cotto. Even the rural 'classicality' of the brickwork takes on a new attire, and becomes a sort of background texture against which different ideas and elements can be set. The house is three‑storey high: ground, first and second floors. The rooms are spacious and bright, designed according to an idea of smooth‑flowing space which is eminently suitable to accommodate a big family and their needs.
The interior is structured so as to exalt the connections between horizontal and vertical lines, producing an impression of an uninterrupted succession of rooms. Of special interest is the constantly shifting appearance of the stairs, an architectural element that plays a dominant role in the entire project. The rooms are interconnected and unfold thanks to a series of staircases using different materials and having different shapes and sizes: from the one in raw wood to the one in stone and cotto which has a great visual impact. In addition to their connecting function, the staircases organise and describe the interior space. Local and salvaged materials are flanked by an innovative selection of technological solutions, from the insulation system, supplemented by natural ventilation systems, to a complex set of ovens and fireplaces, adding up to a climate control system, fully integrated into the building, which is able to ensure idea[ living conditions in this country home in every season.
On the ground floor, occupying a central position relative to the perimeter of the house, we find a great entrance hall, giving access to a very spacious kitchen on one side and ‑ via a staircase ‑ to a bedroom and a bathroom on the other. From the kitchen a flight of steps goes to the first floor, reaching the heart of a living room which looks onto the exterior landscape. On the opposite side we find three bedrooms and two bathrooms and a staircase going to the top floor, consisting of two more bedrooms, a bathroom and a study.
The prevailing colours are grey, white and brick red; the surfaces of the materials are raw or glossy. Countless interior vistas propose continuous theme variations, making the environment simple and at the same time complex. Separate from the main building, the woodshed ‑ the only newly added construction ‑ has been conceived as a shelter (in addition to the storage space, it houses a bedroom with a bathroom), it is fully covered with wood and has a Cor‑Ten steel] structure in front where firewood is stored in winter.
