orma architettura completes glued laminated timber playground shelter in corsican village

orma architettura has completed a wooden structure that shelters a school playground in évisa, a village in western corsica. évisa’s architecture is characterized by large stone buildings with very simple volumetric compositions. as the village is surrounded by a forest of pine and chestnut trees, the design team wanted to source local materials and resources to realize the project.

all images by david giancatarina and julien kerdraon

the brief called for a building that would provide shelter, while informing its users about the history of the village and its surroundings. in response, orma architettura designed a glued laminated timber structure that sought to make a significant contribution to the island’s wood industry. made from locally sourced laricio pine and chestnut trees, the shelter is imagined as a homogeneous volume that recalls the massing of the neighboring buildings.

the hefty columns that support the canopy appear as tree trunks that have seemingly occupied their location for generations. the architects say that, despite the amount of trees on the island, the corsican wood industry remains under developed as there are a lack of lumber kilns in the region. this pioneering project marks the first occasion that corsican pine has been used for a glued laminated timber structure.

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project info: 

client: évisa town hall
architects: orma architettura
design office: teckicea
location: évisa, corsica, france
surface: 100 square meters
phase: completed
timeframe: 2019
carpentry company: the carpenters of corsica
wood supplier: wood from the municipal forest of évisa
photography: david giancatarina and julien kerdraon