Orani, Nuoro Province, Sardinia, Italy
Europe 40 Under 40 laureates (2020) Öznur Pınar Çer and Danilo Petta from the Sardinia, Perugia and Istanbul-based firm Mask Architects have designed the first “exosteel” modular prefabricated living houses called “Mother Nature” for Nivola Museum made of steel 3D-printed structures for the museum’s visitors, tourists, and artists in Orani, Italy.
The studio is the first architecture and design studio in the world to use a steel 3D-printed “exoskeleton” construction system that supports and distributes all the functional elements of the building, using their new solution of construction technique which they called “Exosteel.”
“Madre Natura” is a sustainable development of modular system style development in natural settings.
Inspired by the work of “Costantino Nivola,” the architects have taken inspiration from the” La Madre” Sculpture.
Situated near the Nivola Museum zone, Mask took the whole area into account while designing our project.
The development is designed in a way to become a “living landmark” in connection with the local heritage.
This iconic project is a new addition to the Orani social, exhibition, and living areas.
The design is an iconic identity as livable and sociable art pieces and architectural structures that will develop a new identity of the city.
The house is composed firstly by a hollow central column inserted for one / third of its length into the ground and by various organic branches that support the three floors of the building.
On each floor, a perimeter frame divides and supports the facades made up of panels modeled to follow the organic shape of the house.
A combination of livable space and sociable space is distributed to the different levels of the terrain in injunction with the different levels of the modules.
The site is situated on a sloppy mountainside, so the development is transformed into staggered sections that provide different levels for the modules to be situated in.
Surrounded by natural scenery, the architects wanted their development to be self-sustainable working in harmony with nature.
Sardinia is known to have winds and sometimes it can be very strong, due to the winds; for that purpose, the architect has had to manage the modules and design them in a way to allow wind to pass through.
They have created voids on either side where the wind can pass through. This allowed the architects to create openness throughout the modules to make sense of feeling together with nature.
Each building that is “self-sustainable” can also provide energy resources to the grid of the development.
Mask designed each module to always be expandable and flexible so that they can always suit any terrain and meet the needs of any development.
Each building is centered with an ‘Energy Tower’ that will provide all-natural generated energy from Solar and Wind.
The Energy Tower is covered with solar panels that will harvest solar energy while the top of the central energy tower itself will rotate 360 degrees at the same time with the wind that will also generate wind turbine energy.
The voids in the modules allow channeled wind through that can be directed to the wind turbines. Placed at the top of the tower are also some technological instruments such as smart cameras and fire detectors.
This is to provide social security and also to have natural security against natural disasters.
Throughout the lower part of the central tower, there is housing for all the technical equipment of the module that houses all necessary storage for water and energy as well as distribution stations for the surroundings.
Mask took bold steps and not include stairs, rather encouraging the inhabitants and visitors to use natural staircases and the natural inclination of the terrain and environment.
This is helped by the modules situated on different levels throughout the terrain in which the different floors will be accessible by different terrain levels.
Project: Madre Natura
Architects: Mask Architects srl.
Client: Nivola Museum
