The project originated from the clients’ request to unify two existing apartments arranged on different levels through the construction of an internal staircase, as well as from the need to enlarge the kitchen on the first floor.

To accommodate the new staircase and the expanded kitchen, a new extension volume was designed. Its construction required the demolition of two stone retaining walls in the garden; the salvaged material was reused to build the façade of the extension, establishing a direct dialogue with both the surrounding context and the existing building.

As the ground floor is partially below grade, a new concrete retaining wall was required. From the internal staircase onward, the entire extension, including the walls and the flat roof of the upper floor, was instead built using a timber structure, a choice that ensured structural lightness and rapid construction.

Due to the particular location of Casa Selma, situated below the cantonal road, the installation of a construction crane would have been excessively costly. All materials were therefore transported to the site by helicopter, significantly influencing site organization and logistics. In this respect, the decision to adopt a timber structure and to reuse the existing stone was also a consequence of construction-site constraints related to the absence of a crane.

In parallel, the project included a substantial improvement in the energy performance of the existing building through the installation of external thermal insulation, a heat pump system, provisions for future solar panels, and the replacement of the window frames.

 

Client.  Privat

Assignment.  Design and site supervision
Project Team.  Gianmarco Maina, Giulia Spazzini