Sustainability Report

Reuse of the existing building fabric

The project’s main embodied-carbon-related aspect lies in the reuse and adaptation of the existing villa. Rather than treating the 1937–1938 structure as obsolete, the reconstruction retained its spatial logic, floor levels, and structural articulation as part of the design.

The material strategy combines durable mineral and metal finishes with natural timber elements that support the long-term use of the interior. 

• Natural oak was used for custom built-in furniture, sliding doors, fixed and sliding slatted partitions, and bedroom floors, introducing a renewable material across key areas of the house. 
• Timber also appears in the interior railing structures and in the timber grid cladding with integrated coat hooks and bench in the pool hall. 
• The reconstruction also reinstated a glass block wall as a replica of an original window infill discovered in the staircase, retaining a connection to the building’s existing material. 
• More durable, high-impact materials, including travertine, patinated copper, sheet steel, marble, and granite, were used in selected locations where robustness and long service life were central to the design.

Operational energy-related upgrades

The project followed a standard reconstruction concept, including selected technical upgrades related to operational energy. Tunicate’s focus was primarily on the windows and window shading, where performance requirements needed to be resolved in a way that remained consistent with the Functionalist character of the building.

Geothermal boreholes for a heat pump were also incorporated into the project. These were requested by the client and developed during the project’s technical phase.