Casa Riga con agriturismo

A landscape of great beauty created over centuries of industrious agriculture is a tangible resource, both cultural and economic; Casa Riga was designed to house both the family farming the land and the future rural tourist accommodation. Invisible from above, the structure, a bold horizontal mark on the land, can be glimpsed lower down the slope as it cuts through the valley. The project for a tranquil country retreat meets requirements for economic development while enhanced by its architecture. Surrounded by beauty, design transforms architecture into homage, concealing it in an agricultural landscape.

A unique area of land characterized by its westward sloping incline, sculptured from the surrounding earth comprised mainly of orchard and lawn. To the south lies a wood and the Rio Maserac: a harmonized and contextual landscape.

At the request of the client’s access to the building has been realized following the natural lines of the surrounding landscape, so as to make it "invisible" from the mountain above, and be perceived as a single horizontal cut from belowe. The building is not ‘placed’ on the ground, but it is in the ground: it is the natural slope that houses the volume of the building. Architecture and topography meet.

The entire high energy-efficient building employs passive air conditioning systems and is certified as ClimateHouse Gold. The underground structure is made entirely of wood whilst the finishing touches are constructed from local materials.