Casa Roca is a building situated on a rocky outcrop in the Euganean Hills in the municipality of Rovolon in the province of Padua, chosen by the owners as a refuge to cultivate their great passion for music and nature.
It is a renovation and expansion project of a residential building with an agricultural annex built in the first half of the 1800s, which before the intervention was in a precarious and clearly abandoned state. The restoration favored the use of reclaimed materials from the surrounding area, prioritizing the recovery of locally available materials.
The intervention involved the removal of additions and the expansion with glass towards the west, favoring an immediate understanding of the original structure of the building. The restoration preserved the prominent elements of Venetian architectural tradition, such as pitched roofs with tile covering, regular windows with double shutters, a frame with bricks under the eaves, and façade masonry in natural stone (Trachyte or Custoza or Nanto stone), prevalent in the area, with a dry stone wall effect, while not forsaking large glass openings which, besides framing the valley, facilitate a direct connection with the overhanging patio on the hilly landscape.
The ground floor was freed from the original zoning partitions, favoring an open space composed of a living area and a lounge with direct views of the Euganean Valley. A similar strategy was implemented on the first floor where there is a sleeping area interconnected with all the rooms of the house and the landscape.
An additional, unseen expansion was carried out by excavating the rock and consolidating it with the insertion of numerous micropiles, creating a large underground environment completely soundproofed for a recording studio.
In the choice of finishes and materials, the strategy was to use natural materials such as stone, wood, and untreated steel sheeting to give a natural effect to the refuge perched on the hill. The intervention is of great aesthetic and qualitative impact, in harmony with the surrounding natural environment, but without neglecting the aspect of energy efficiency and low environmental impact.
It is a Class A4 building, with a consumption of 3.36 kWh/sqm per year, using a heat pump heating system and photovoltaic panels on the roof. The perception of the photovoltaic panels is nullified thanks to the privileged position of the house on the hilltop and the very low slope of the roofs.
Photos. Leonardo Scarabello photographer
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