Radein-Aldein, Italy

“The project has become a way to interpret and amplify the message of Vaia and all the other phenomena caused by global warming, which show us that nature is reacting to human actions that have nothing natural about them,” states Michele De Lucchi.

“But it has also become a way to communicate the potential of wood, the architect’s favorite material.”

“Wood is a truly beautiful, living material to be explored because it has a thousand secrets,” he explains.

“It can alter itself, changing its look, transforming, but it always has a second life, even after the tree has been felled, cut, crafted, reconstituted.”

Michele De Lucchi with AMDL CIRCLE created and built the ‘Casa del Prato’ (Meadow Houses), two small works of architecture that expand the living spaces of Hotel Zirmerhof at Redagno di Sopra, in the southern part of Alto Adige, using wood from trees felled by the Vaia storm, which in 2018, in just one night, struck 8.7 million cubic meters of trees, including the marvelous surrounding woods.

In this case, De Lucchi has chosen wood together with the owners of the Zirmerhof, whom he met as a guest in their hotel, with friends, in 2005-06, the beginning of a process of dialogue, ideas, and proposals that had already opened up unexpected relationships, many years before the ruinous arrival of Vaia.

The wood of salvaged spruce trees has been used to build beams and load-bearing walls of the six rooms that form the two Meadow Houses, while recovered larch wood has been used for formwork, cladding, floors, and internal partitions.

Linking back to an age-old construction technique that is still in use, larch shingles have been used for the two roofs, giving a soft, rounded form to the houses.

The first one is circular, with two suites on different levels; the second is linear, composed of four apartments, again on two levels, and a central full-height convivial space.

The two houses have elements in common, such as the panoramic terraces on the upper level, and the arches of the continuous portico on the ground floor.

In the project, the theme of sustainability is addressed by using zero-km materials connected to a specific territory and local skills and resources.

Architect Robert Veneri guided a team of professionals and artisans selected from those with extensive experience in the zone.

“This was the biggest satisfaction because when the work was done they were very proud of the results: this was the first signal that the idea was working,” De Lucchi continues.

“The freedom of lines and geometric forms offered by the use of shingles is fascinating, especially in relation to their chromatic metamorphosis over time.”

“It is said that the shingle changes over the years, taking on a silvery gray tone according to the quantity of light it receives from the full moon on its damp surface.”

“It is destined to last a long time because it is formed by three very light layers, simply ripped off the log, without cutting, and thus impermeable to rainwater, which slides off without entering the wood fiber.”

Project: Case del Prato
Architects: Michele De Lucchi with AMDL CIRCLE
Client: Hotel Zirmerhof at Redagno di Sopra
Photographers: Max Rommel