Rotating house in the province of Rimini. An experimental project made of Wood to achieve a zero energy balance

In the province of Rimini, the architect Roberto Rossi, on request of the client, creates a wooden house that can rotate 360° thanks to a single central pillar on which it rests, enabling solar panels to follow the natural movement of the sun and dwellers to change the landscape at any time. The challenge is to keep the building lightweight and to enable it to withstand the impacts caused by its rotation

For heating and cooling, as well as for the production of domestic hot water, the house makes use of a geothermal system integrated with solar thermal panels, which combined with a photovoltaic system make it energy independent from fuel gas and electricity supplies. A storage tank is used to collect rainwater for non-drinking purposes

The choice of materials was strongly influenced both by the technical/nature dualistic relationship and also from the need to use materials with low weight and with intrinsic elastic characteristics and/or an assembling method capable of adapting to the inevitable microtrauma resulting from thermal expansion and from the movements of the structure

The structure, which supports the perimeter closure package (lower, lateral, higher) is entirely made of steel sections mainly bolted and wooden elements equipped with interposed insulating cushions made of hemp and wood fiber combined in order to reduce the temperature range and acoustic propagation through the different specific density. It is thus possible to create walls with natural materials with excellent breathable characteristics to guarantee a high level of well-being in the home

The outer surfaces are covered with heat-treated wooden slats with a "saw cut" finish, while the reduction of volume brings the inner layer into sight, opting for aluminum slats with a satin finish to cushion the chromatic echo. For ventilated roof layers, a copper covering with double-seam joints is used

Thanks to the construction techniques adopted and to the extensive use of easily recyclable materials, it will be possible to easily dispose of the product in the future, whose performance data is available both to study more advanced prototypes and to evaluate its optimal effectiveness in simpler and more economical housing modules, which will become increasingly used

A project with which we wanted to rediscover the futuristic and state-of-the-art charm of Villa Girasole, another Italian house that can be rotated, built in the 30s by architects Angelo Invernizzi and Ettore Fagiuoli