RESTORATION AND CONVERSION OF A FARM HOUSE IN MONFERRATO
The rustico represents the terminal part of a long rural building that has suffered considerable modifications and transformations over time. The project provides for the elimination of all superfetation and the reuse of the volumes of the entire building.
The rustic building is made of a combined wall face, with tuffaceous stone mixed with bricks. On the south and west fronts, the wall face still has a regular texture and geometry; thanks to restoration work, the project maintains the visible wall face. On the other hand, on the east-facing front the sequence of alterations and additions that have taken place over time have made the original material texture illegible. To restore uniformity to this front, the project uses plaster with a natural hydraulic cement finish mixed with dolomitic aggregates, colored in paste with a non-uniform effect.
Concerning the layout of the interior spaces, the project provides for the modification of the internal distribution to recover all the rooms. The structure is maintained, except in the space where the existing vault had to be demolished due to collapse, for which a new vertical connecting staircase is built.
The project includes the complete reconfiguration of the garden and open spaces. The intervention starts from the reading of the topography of the ground and the observation of the main visual relationships and panoramic views of the area. The levels in the terrain are used to place service spaces and installations in a semi-hypogeum: the small pool service volume is set into the bank of the ground, so that its cover is in continuity with the upper level of the garden. Above this level the new berceau is built, which is placed at the pivotal point of the system of visual relations; from this point there is a privileged view, open towards the two valleys to the east and west of the property. At the upper level, the excavation for the pool is made in order to leave the view uninterrupted.
The berceau with two other new elements, a seat and a small pavilion made of local stone and wood with a sloping roof, trace the system of alignments on which the design of the entire intervention is based: a large scene open over the valley towards the village.