From the wise use of materials and shapes, immersed in the woods of the Stura Valley, province of Cuneo (northern Italy), the abandoned ruin is reborn to new life as Buen Retiro: a project in which nature and architecture are a spatial continuum
The architect from Cuneo, Dario Castellino, confirms his commitment to the enhancement of alpine hamlets with the project of Buen Retiro. An intervention to consolidate the small dilapidated stone and lime structure and the refurbishment of the roof, along with the recovery of materials and forms of the ancient, are combined with the construction of a small-scale extension in glass and charred larch that constantly refers to the surrounding forest
The new volume is in harmony with the stone building, with which it integrates delicately but explicitly: its nature of expansion is declared by the horizontal lines and the low height. It consists of a structure with slender wooden pillars resting on a reinforced concrete slab. The walls are made of nailed wooden boards containing CalceLegnoCanapa® insulating panels, a low environmental impact system with good mechanical, seismic, fireproof, and insulating properties. The south side features large windows that allow nature to visually flow in and out of the house
While the wood used comes exclusively from the valleys of Cuneo, as desired by the architect supporting the economic revival of the area, the protective technique used on the local material comes from more distant places: it is the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique used in architectural projects with wooden structures that, through a process of surface carbonization followed by the application of Tung oil, gives the wooden elements greater resistance to weathering, pests, water, and even fire
The Buen Retiro, therefore, in addition to expressing its two souls, one more protective, the ancient one in stone with small windows, and the other, the new one more extroverted and connected, is also completely self-sufficient from an energy point of view. The result is a residence that, thanks to the photovoltaic panels on the roof and the storage system, represents a concrete commitment to move towards a zero emissions home
