Rural residence in Pezzolo Valle Uzzone

Pezzolo Valle Uzzone is a village located in Langhe (Piedmont) looking towards Liguria. Nowadays this place is suffering a financial and demographic crisis not unlike most Italian rural towns. Since last decades we can measure a continuous depopulation of the area: today the municipality of Pezzolo Valle Uzzone counts circa 350 inhabitants. Territorial impoverishment caused low cost of living and therefore low cost of buildings and soil, that brought here many people from other european countries. Today the 10% of the population is composed by former foreign citizens who established their residence in Pezzolo.

This is the case of our clients for this work: a young English couple looking for a change of the former lifestyle. This renovation project is focused on two main concepts: on one hand the recognization of the landscape’s qualities - a terrain climbing up to the wood, an open view to the large valley below. On the other hand the respect of the existing house, of its typology and construction techniques, the respect of traditional materials. The design strategy aims not only to the renovation of existing structures and materials - the wood structures of the roof, plasters, white local stone for doorsteps and windowsills, ardesia roof tiles. Following the design program based on contemporary lifestyle, the project introduces a new twin volume, entirely built in concrete, hosting the new rooms.

The link between the new and existing volume is based on the traces of a stone fence, nowadays in ruins. The linking spaces hosts the vertical and horizontal paths system. The rooms dedicated to the living, kitchen and an open patio, are located on the upper floor, to overlook the landscape.
An isolated studio and a swimming pool complete the program.