Concept
In Roure, a mountain village located in Val Chisone, on the borders of the Orsiera Rocciavrè Natural Park, we were commissioned to transform an abandoned chalet into a chalet comprising two residential units. The goal is to integrate the structure into the distinctive natural environment of the village, while ensuring state-of-the-art technical solutions and minimal consumption.
Given the natural and scenic context of the area, we chose to equip the building with large openings to the outside to ensure thermal comfort in winter and, at the same time, allow for an expansion of the interior space during summer.
2022 - 2024
Project Development
The first step was to ascertain the volumetric consistency of the property: the existing lodge was in a very advanced state of disrepair and it was not possible to recover its structures. To safely survey the property and its inclusion in the surrounding environment, it was necessary to create a detailed model of the entire area.
To create the point cloud, we carried out an initial survey with a drone equipped with a camera system for photogrammetry. It was thus possible to assemble a dense point cloud as one of the outputs of the three-dimensional image and obtain a Digital Surface Model (DSM). Instead, to survey the existing sediment more precisely, we carried out a survey with a camera equipped with LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology: thanks to the latest generation laser scanner, it is possible to obtain high-resolution topographic surveys. The new chalet repurposes the same site and massing as the previous building. The intervention is defined as building renovation by demolition and reconstruction with seismic adjustment and energy efficiency.
For the building renovation, it was essential to conduct a depth study of local materials. The load-bearing structure of the ground floor was made of reinforced concrete, while the upper level has a load-bearing structure of solid wood. The entire building was clad using local stones salvaged from demolition. The roof covering for the portion not occupied by the photovoltaic system was made of slab.
The building envelope was made with a type of blocks that involves the insertion of an environmentally friendly mineral granulate, composed of 100 percent basalt, into the small chambers of the bricks. This results in increased thermal and acoustic performance.
Exterior render
This category of blocks is characterized by relatively high thermal conductivity values that enable it to meet the legal requirements for achieving excellent energy efficiency. It is a complete system for the construction of passive envelope with monolithic masonry in order to ensure excellent thermal insulation to protect the interior from the harsh winter temperatures typical of mountain areas.
The building, precisely because of its excellent thermal insulation, was equipped only with a mechanical ventilation system. In conjunction with the heat recovery unit, a flexible outdoor air treatment system was provided that could not only neutralize the outdoor air load but also abate the very low ambient heat loads. The air treatment system uses a small outdoor heat pump unit (maximum consumption of about 800 watts). The annual consumption is almost totally met by the photovoltaic system (15 kWp – peak kilowatts) positioned on the roof with an EAST/WEST exposure.
Kitchen render
Kitchen render
Living room render
