Wooden expansion in Bolzano. High energy efficiency for the New apartment

The intervention carried out by Architect Manuel Benedikter involved the complete renovation of the apartment in the attic and the renovation of the rest of the building in order to improve energy efficiency.

Architecturally, the new volume of the attic is "leaning" against the existing structure and covered with dark aluminium shingles that characterize the volume as far as the roof.

The south-east facade of the building is characterized by a large covered balcony created by the expansion, the outline of this balcony has been covered with aluminum shingles while the interior and the floor have a finish of larch wood strips that create a pleasant contrast with the dark exterior cladding. The profile of the elevation described symbolically recreates the archetype of the house, giving character to the entire project.

The seemingly regular roof is characterized by the original continuity of the cladding with the external walls. Consisting of two classic mirrored pitches, it reserves a pleasant surprise for its inhabitants: one of the two pitches houses a large pocket terrace from which you can view the village and enjoy the charming mountain landscape that surrounds it.

Functionally the Architect paid particular attention to the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces to maximize the view and the greenery surrounding the building. The balcony described above provides a habitable and easily usable open space thanks to the direct connection with the living area of the apartment on the first floor; on the ground floor, on the other hand, the same balcony creates a lovely pergola that is equally usable. The spaces described are connected with large sliding glass windows that guarantee continuity inside and outside.

The new wooden structure houses the access stairs to the new apartment on the upper floor, protecting them from the weather and ensuring users maximum comfort and safety in all weather conditions. The expansion has been realized with a wooden frame structure that has permitted a faster execution of the works compared to other wet techniques and has allowed the achievement of very low transmittance values: 0,13 W/m² K thanks to the use of wood fibre both as a coat and as a filler for the structure. The existing casing, consisting of a mixed structure and a stone wool coat, has been improved by adding an additional wood fibre insulation layer, thus achieving a transmittance value of 0.19 W/m² K

The renovation work, carried out by Architect Manuel Benedicter, lasted for seven months, from May to December 2013, and achieved a total energy requirement of 43 kWh/m² per year with the final certification in ClimateHouse Class B.