The eye-opening climate crisis, the unfriendly architecture and infrastructure of pat-development estates, the experience of pandemic constraints or, last but not least, the fashion for giving new life to objects from long ago make total renovations of old houses increasingly popular. Remodels, romantic metamorphoses of existing objects, as if from novels, whose main characters decide to abandon their previous life in the hustle and bustle of the city and renovate a picturesque villa to live happily ever after, are the dream of many. And what if you added the warm climate of an Italian town and historic architecture?
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Villa Padronale, visualization
© blsk.studio
historic villa in Italy
Architects from blsk.studio have been commissioned to develop a project to remodel an old house, actually a 19th-century mansion near Verona, near Lake Garda. Blsk. studio architect Mateusz Skalski talks about the project itself, as well as the challenges of preserving historic architecture and the differences in the design process in Poland and Italy.
Ola Kloc: You have developed a concept for the redevelopment of the Villa and Barchessa near Italy's Lake Garda. Tell us, please, about this project.
Mateusz Skalski: A few months ago, our clients, while in their hometown in Italy, came across a ruined 19th-century property near Lake Garda. From the first moment, they recognized it as a special place. Since the site has remained uninhabited and fallen into disrepair since 2009, they decided to try to salvage the entire establishment. With this task they turned to our studio. The first goal was to analyze the technical condition of the two main buildings, namely Villa Padronale and Barchessy.
situation
© blsk.studio
At the initial stage of discussions, the subject of the purpose of the two buildings remained open. The main intention was to find functions that would revitalize and reuse the space under current economic conditions. After analyzing the issues of accessibility, solar exposure, layout and size of the premises, we decided that for the two main buildings - Villa Padronale and Barchessa - a residential function would be the best.
Villa Padronale, the seat of the family that continuously inhabited the house from 1880 to 2009, is located in the central part of the establishment, at the close of the scenic axis. The building, on a rectangular plan measuring 12 × 10 meters, consists of three floors above ground, connected by an internal staircase.
Elevation of Villa Padronale
© blsk.studio
The villa has main exposures facing south. Due to the layout of the rooms, we decided that the optimal solution, with minimal interference in the existing fabric, would be to introduce three independent apartments, one on each floor. Thanks to the existing difference in height of the land around the villa, the apartments on the ground and second floors have independent entrances. The second floor is reached via a staircase.
first floor plan
© blsk.studio
Barchessa (outbuildings) is a conglomeration of several buildings from different periods: stables, barn, workers' apartments, rooms of unknown purpose. Here, due to the varying heights of the rooms, their unusual communication and variable heights between segments, we decided to divide the building into four, independent residential modules with internal staircases.
Barchessa's facade
© blsk.studio
In the spaces not intended for apartments, we planned common functions such as a summer kitchen, a reading room / cinema room, and a gym.
We plan to heat and, more relevant to the Mediterranean climate, cool all apartments using renewable energy sources. We plan to have a central heat pump in a partially dug into the ground in an existing room, and thanks to the large space in the old olive grove, there is the possibility of ground heat exchangers. The source of electricity will be a small photovoltaic farm located on the site of the old olive grove.
A projection of one of Barchessa's modules
© blsk.studio
The grove area, at some distance from the buildings, integrated into a belt of existing olive trees, also includes a dozen parking spaces with charging stations for electric cars.
Ola: The project involved working with existing, traditional Italian architecture. In what condition were the existing buildings? What measures had to be included in the project?
Matthew: Villa Padronale was inhabited until 2009, since then it has been standing empty. Barchessa has been a wasteland even longer. With such age-old buildings, without heating them and making ongoing repairs, their technical condition is deteriorating significantly with each passing year. The roofing on both buildings needs to be replaced, and the ceilings in some areas of Barchessa also need to be reinforced. In addition, the building needs to be protected from moisture. In our case, the best way to introduce horizontal insulation seems to be pressure injection.
Barchessa, visualization
© blsk.studio
Since both buildings are historic monuments and subject to conservation protection, we knew that any interference had to be kept to a minimum and dictated by practical considerations. One of the more significant visual changes we have allowed for the exterior is the introduction of large glazing in the eastern elevation of the Barchessa in place of the beautiful arched openings that constitute the entrances to the stables. Other than that, we will try to secure the elevations without changes, with restoration of window and door woodwork and shutters.
Large glazing in the eastern elevation of the Barchessa
© blsk.studio
In the interiors of both buildings, where possible, we try to leave the historic fabric. In Barchessa, we plan to run sanitary installations and ventilation in the kitchen and toilet modules, which will be independent structures. This will avoid the need to interfere with the existing fabric and give us the opportunity to make the kitchen rooms, and bathrooms to a high standard.
challenges and green solutions
Ola: What was the most difficult part of this project, and what are you most satisfied with?
Matthew: The most difficult, but also the most interesting, was looking for and, we hope, finding the right balance between what we need to change and what we should leave. This aspect was also important to us for ecological reasons. We made a number of analyses and attempts to use what we already have on site, such as leaving the old tiles on the villa's floors, using the existing stones on the site to build heat-accumulating walls, or using old tiles as aggregate in the terrazzo made on site.
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interior of one of the apartments in the Barchessy building
© blsk.studio
In the villa building, the layout of the apartments was a challenge. A major spatial constraint was the building's load-bearing layout, with a structural wall dividing each floor into a lit southern section and a dark northern section. In the end, we decided to open up the wall in several places, providing an opportunity for better communication between the southern living area and the rooms and bedrooms in the northern part. In order to offer an appropriate amount of furniture in the open living area, while not disturbing the open layout of the interior, we decided to introduce a piece of furniture along this wall to provide storage and at the same time allow us to hide the door to the bedroom rooms, toilet or office.
The 
interior of one of the apartments in the villa
© blsk.studio
Ola: Does design in Italy differ from that in Poland, and how?
Matthew: At a certain level of perception, the design process is no different. Of course, we have different regulations and laws, interestingly enough they are different in every region of Italy, but there is a certain layer of regulation that we have to abide by. What seems more important is that we have to analyze the economic and spatial aspects with the same attention and care, try to understand the economic, social and historical context, and with design actions fit into this context, trying to solve as many problems encountered along the way as possible.
Ola: Thank you for the interview.
