recycled green glass panels encase this italian villa by bergmeisterwolf 

this villa by architecture firm bergmeisterwolf architekten has a subtle presence in the surrounding landscape thanks to a glass encasement that softens its detail. located in vahrn, an area in the province of south tyrol in northern italy, the project adds to an already-existing volume new spaces for the family that inhabits it.

images courtesy of the architects

the new monolithic building integrates itself into the existing urban tissue through its design and form. it creates an introverted way of living, where vertical walls both close the space and allow glimpses of the surrounding landscape. recycled green glass panels blur the surroundings, creating an evanescent but recognizable structure, perceivable also from the outside.

‘the new building is docked to the existing villa volgger by a floating glass area,’ bergmeisterwolf architekten explains. ‘below it, the ground floor is occupied by the son of the family.’

the new building plays with colour and texture with grains of glass that give a 3-dimensionality to the green pigmented plaster. this is further enhanced by the frosted glass that clads the structure and the deep incisions that give importance to each opening, framing the structure’s various features as design elements.

‘in this way the overall effect of the facade and its depth is enhanced. behind the almost transparent glass there is just a blurred greenish materiality, still perceptible and recognizable.’

‘the new building is independent but at the same time integrated with the old one. certain features of the old building are taken up and applied to the new structure, bringing the two buildings into connection with each other.’

‘for instance the shutters of the old villa are taken up and reinterpreted, working as a protection and a distinguishing feature of the two buildings.’

project info:

architects: bergmeisterwolf
builder: ruth volgger
location: vahrn, italy
completion: 2017
site area: 380 m²
photography: gustav willeit