The building stands in the borough of Santa Maria, place of pilgrimage near Dobbiaco. At the edge of the village, the site consists of a slope towards South, facing the sun and the Dolomites.

House H

TYPE Residential, Interior
STATUS Commission, Built
LOCATION Dobbiaco, Italy
YEAR 2016
CLIENT Private

DESIGN TEAM Eva Castro, Micol Fronza, Ulla Hell, Holger Kehne, Peter Pichler, Chuan Wang
PHOTO CREDIT Holger Kehne

The idea of the project was developed starting from the restrictions imposed by legislation, such as minimized building surface and the requirement of a pitched roof parallel to the slope. The final volume and the concept of the whole project is the result of a subtraction process. Starting with the maximum volume (as derived from given height and surface) certain parts of the volume were substracted to create specific functions; a covered space for parking, balconies protected from the weather, and the terraces in the attic level which introduce light into the house.
While achieving the maximum volume permitted by law, the size of the building is reduced and resulted in a very compact internal circulation. The house is divided into two dwellings. The main house, used by the family of the client, is set over 3 floors. At the entry level there are the bedrooms, at the lower level the living area and kitchen with access to the garden and in the basement the secondary rooms.
In the small attic there is a second apartment, which enjoys spacious terraces obtained from the volumetric removal.
Material
The choice of materials follows the philosophy of reduce, which is proper the entire building. Exterior walls and roof are made with one single material, white cedar shingles, a traditional local material system with exceptional resistance to weathering. Initially pearl-colored, it will over time change into a uniform light grey. The only other material are the glazing, used for the entire height of the openings, and the metal frames and stainless steel edge details.
Particular attention was paid to reducing the carbon footprint of the building by employing windows with triple glazing, controlled ventilation, a heating system with pellet stove and extended insulation with wooden fibers. In the interior lime-based plaster throughout guarantees excellent acoustic performance and moisture control.