When a family grows, the surprise makes us look upward, and we discover there's space to grow, right there. We discover that a new home can be built on top of an existing one, provided it possesses one key quality: lightness. A vertical extension that corresponds to a new generation.
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At times when the human realm seems condemned to heaviness, I think I should fly like Perseus into another space. [...] The images of lightness that I seek must not let themselves be dissolved like dreams by the reality of the present and the future.
Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino
A 1905 house was the subject of a straw-bale vertical extension and the energy requalification of the adjacent floor. The 170sqm home was renovated with natural materials, using reed matting for the exterior insulation and prefabricated structural wood and straw panels, the use of gas was eliminated, and the house's energy needs are now met 90% by renewable sources through a 5 kW photovoltaic system. The achieved energy class is A4.
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Architecture of Intimacy
2014
Arona (NO)
Renovation and energy requalification with extension
Prefabricated wood and straw walls, external insulation
A treehouse, the tree of generations, from which to look toward a more sustainable, lighter future.
From the foundations to the roof, the floors of the house remain in constant dialogue, just like its inhabitants, through a unified and coherent project aimed at improving the quality of present and future life using natural materials: wood, straw, and reed matting.
The Choice of Lightness
The choice of straw is a choice of lightness. A deliberate need for lightness.
Lightness was a structural necessity: to build a new floor without having to reinforce the existing 1905 structure. Increasing the weight is certainly possible, but with an equally heavy financial investment. Lightness is also an economic sustainability requirement. This lightness also allowed for agility and speed, as it was crucial that the building not be left without a roof for too long.
The lightness of this construction isn't just due to the use of straw. The real technical challenge was respecting the limit imposed by regulations: not to exceed a load increase of more than 10% of the original, to avoid the need for foundation reinforcements. To achieve this, we chose wood for the structural elements and the roof, replacing traditional tiles with lightweight sheet metal. The infill walls were, naturally, made of straw bales. The result? A total weight well below the 10% threshold. In just two weeks, the house had a roof over its head again. The "house on top of the house" had become a reality.
The search for project coherence and harmony led us to proceed with the requalification of the ground floor, using another natural material, reed matting, for the building envelope's insulation.
The Choice of Straw
Straw will surprise you.
It's the straw from the fairy tale of the three little pigs, whose house is blown away with a puff by the big bad wolf. Looking up at this house, we wanted to imagine a new and different story. A story that emphasizes that lightness is not synonymous with fragility, and that natural is not synonymous with degradable. As a construction
material, straw has ancient historical roots.
A waste material from cereal processing, straw was reborn with a new form and use with the advent of balers in the late 19th-century American frontier. Those straw houses in Nebraska are still standing.
Straw surprises you with its properties: it's an energy-efficient raw material, providing excellent thermal insulation in both summer and winter. It offers breathability and acoustic insulation. It's fire-resistant (when well-compressed) and durable (when well-plastered).
Finally, straw will surprise you because it is so rarely used: our vertical extension was the first of its kind in Italy. We discovered this later but hope to have paved the way for others.
The big bad wolf is simply poor maintenance, which affects every type of material, even the "heavy" ones that don't guarantee health and sustainability.
Balcony onto the agora
The family living in this house spans multiple generations.
The ground-floor spaces have remained as they were, because the grandparents prefer to maintain their rhythms and habits, but with greater climate comfort.
On the upper floor, we envisioned a home designed to be lived in intensely, where daily life intertwines with moments of sharing among residents and conviviality with friends and guests. For this reason, the living area is spacious and welcoming, suitable for a large table, many people, and festive moments.
Overlooking this space is a mezzanine. An indoor balcony takes on its full meaning when the living room is designed as a domestic agora, a central and open place. From the mezzanine, one can then access the rooms, more secluded and private spaces. However, one only has to glance down for a moment to feel the living presence of others, maintaining a sense of connection throughout the home.
Spaces for Silence
The walls dividing the rooms are made of raw earth bricks, which ensure better acoustic insulation for a cushioned, welcoming effect and a feeling of intimacy.
From the roof, the agora over the living area is filled with light, thanks to the large central skylight. Light and air circulate freely and reach every corner, a pleasure for the eyes, which enjoy the natural light, and for a sense of well-being achieved through natural ventilation.
Responsibility
The choice of straw and natural materials was not made "lightly", on the contrary, it involved great responsibility, tenacious exploration, and the scrupulous acquisition and application of precise and specific technical skills.
Is it worth it? It is worth it, if you look down upon the world we live in, a world that needs new approaches and perspectives to find solutions to the problems that threaten its survival. Present solutions that will also last for the future of new generations.
It is necessary to explore unconventional solutions for a long-term perspective and a sense of well-being even in the present.
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