Paglia Vista Lago

Make visible what, without you, might never have been seen.

Robert Bresson

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Paglia Vista Lago

Upraising, extension, and energy retrofit of a “stilt house” facing lake in Arona.
The original dwelling measured approximately 80 sqm. An additional 35 sqm were added on the same floor.
A second floor was created via an upward extension, consisting of 40 sqm of covered living space and a 65 sqm terrace. were used prefabricated panels in structural wood and straw, eliminated the use of gas and the 90% home’s energy needs are now met by renewable sources, thanks to a 6 KW photovoltaic system.
The energy class achieved is A4NZEB

Paglia Vista Lago Architecture of Intimacy

year 2021

location Arona (NO)

materials

type of intervention upraising and extension, energy requalification

A house by the lake, upraised like a small stilt house, structured on six pillars. And yet, from the top, the lake is still hidden. You can smell it, hear it, but trees and other homes are grown around it, and our small house needs to rise just a bit more to finally satisfy the gaze.

An upward extension in straw and wood can be the perfect solution: lightweight for the foundation, and fully sustainable, but the existing footprint is not much, and we don’t want a watchtower, we want a spacious home for a family of four. The solution chosen is a lateral expansion of the raised floor, with a complete rethinking of the interiors, without giving up to a further vertical extension to create a dependence with a large terrace, which allows us to open the view towards the lake and the surrounding landscape.

A long-considered project by the homeowners, which demanded precise, careful design from our side, to maximize usable volume while ensuring healthy, natural materials that support well-being.

A telescope pointed at the lake

straw and wood are not used just to build barns or rustic homes: with this extension we projected this building into the future, with contemporary lines and shape and promising of a durability which will benefit the eco-system and the well-being of future generations.

The original hipped roof was replaced with a single-pitch roof, making the home clearly distinct from its neighbors.

This new roof covers only part of the top floor, allowing for a generous terrace: a perfect vantage point, like a telescope pointed at the lake. Valorized by this prospective gaze, it becomes a living space outside, a place for relax and solitary reflection or joyful gatherings.

The exterior are defined by the naturally milky color of lime putty, while the existing concrete pillars have been highlighted with a deep burgundy shade. The window frames are also white, a bleached wood that preserves its natural character and is coherent with the chosen materials and the overall aesthetic impact of the building.

The (Archin)green signature

Without overriding our clients’ choices, in fact, in perfect harmony with them, we have included in this home a few elements that serve as our personal signature: stylistic decisions that reflect our vision of architecture and living.

First and foremost, the "mouths of truth", small wall openings where plaster gives way to a glass frame, revealing straw like a painting on display.

The edges of the plaster are gently rounded to allow the light to rest softly on the surfaces, subtly reminding us of the nature of (and in) the walls. Straw is beautiful, we want it to be seen, displayed, to tell the story of a conscious and responsible choice.

Another signature element is the large windows that become cozy niches for sitting and observing the outside world: a seamless integration between indoors and outdoors, between the intimacy of home and the welcoming presence of nature.

Finally the will to turn functional decisions into aesthetic enhancements: one example is the terrace railing. Since the terrace flooring covers a living space below, we avoided drilling into it. Instead, the railings are side-mounted with curves that wrap around the slab.

Small custom-made spaces

We also had the opportunity to design custom bathroom furniture, once again using wood and playing with colors.

For the interior finishes, we chose lime-based plasters and natural, breathable paints in soft pastel tones.

The Building Envelope and Systems

When renovating with sustainability in mind, the first priority is to create a highly insulated envelope to ensure both winter and summer comfort, wasting too much energy on heating and cooling: the straw-and-wood walls of the extensions offer excellent thermal insulation both in summer and in winter, while also allowing the building to breathe. Similarly, the original structure has been insulated with a wood fiber cladding system, providing performance on par with new construction. Only after minimizing the building’s energy needs did we address the systems. In this building, where gas has been completely eliminated, a single electric heat pump combined with a dehumidification system provides both heating and cooling. A photovoltaic system installed on the roof meets most of the building’s domestic and heating energy demands.

Walls like a puzzle

By choosing prefabricated walls, we significantly reduced construction time, completing the first-floor extension and the vertical addition in just a few days.

The walls arrived on-site fully finished, pre-cut for window openings, numbered and ready to be assembled like true puzzle pieces.

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Paglia Vista Lago

A telescope pointed at the lake

The (Archin)green signature

Small custom-made spaces

The Building Envelope and Systems

Walls like a puzzle

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