An 18th-century granary becomes an exclusive loft, designed in symbiosis with the land in which it was born, with its traditions and architecture.
What we admire today amazes us for the charm and warmth that conveys: this building was once a granary, then the warehouse of a stucco and board company. A single large room – with enormous wooden trusses without intermediate columns – that challenges the balance of time.
This transformation stems from the successful collaboration between architect Massimo Castagna and the homeowners architect Isabella Genovese and her husband Paolo Tormena, CEO of Henge .
The conservation aspect of the property was a priority, and the enhancement of features created an unusual and exceptional habitat while protecting its bold personality and beauty. The project boasts simple and essential cuts.
The area intended for the bedroom and bathroom fits into the large volume, creating a new block with its covering, positioned in order to keep the trusses entirely exposed.
The rest of the space preserved the original volumes, and the tangible evidence of the building was recovered, such as the stone and concrete parts, together with the cuts in the windows.
The result is a work composed of a few signs to define the architecture, together with a detailed investigation of innovative furnishings and finishes, designed specifically for that space. Targets included rethinking the functions of spaces, overcoming all standards, looking for a new formal and material poetry that binds modernity with the character of a place like this, which exudes history and centuries-old experiences.
The traditional Italian poor architecture is marked by a very strong personality as well as by elementary volumes, designed with pragmatism and functionality.
Particular attention was paid to the thermal insulation as well as to the use of simple and natural materials found locally for the roofing structures, such as stone, concrete and wood.
This abode is not only a house but also a showroom, whose essence tells about the life that flows between the residents and their pieces, not simple furnishings in a domestic space but travelling companions on a daily journey that drives emotions.
Contrasts are the stylistic code of this space: ancient sloping ceilings meet the pentagonal shapes of the Light Ring Horizontal Polygonal to create a play of light, a contemporary interior composition that overlooks the timeless landscape.
The arched windows preserve the original bricks, typical of highlyrespected traditions.
Architect Castagna concluded: “In this project, there is a series of accentuated geometric contrasts that find an echo and a paradigm for contemporary design: a rendezvous and a comparison between the old and the new, between architecture and product, where neither party prevails over the other, giving value and depth in an inner and harmonious balance.
It was exciting to reinterpret the traditions of a place, making them captivating for the modern world.”
Project by architects Massimo Castagna and Isabella Genovese – Photography by Michele Biancucci
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