Built on a church estate in the mountains of Italy’s autonomous Bavarian South Tyrol province, this home is not a single building but a full set. Constructed just downhill of the historic chapel, three brand-new buildings consist of a main home, guest quarters, and a detached sauna. Each of the three is constructed from a different combination of traditional Italian building materials, with the most complex material mix belonging to the main home. That building also consists of the most detailed architecture of the buildings on the property, with multiple layers of structure and suspended additions. Together in all, the property’s three new structures and one old building form an attractive package as a private estate complex.
The main home’s interior is unique in its intricacy, blending even more finishes than its exterior does. Within the high glass window walls of the dwelling sits a set of rooms with distinct and individual personalities, defined by color choice, architectural details, and material mixes. Eating spaces are sleek and dark, with the environment of a high-end bar or restaurant. Living areas introduce more color variety in the vein of a chic lounge. Private rooms each have their own two-color theme, which carries over into attached bathrooms and furniture pieces. A huge amount of design work went into the home’s interior, and the end product is an indoor composition that matches the impressive exterior of the building.
Though constructed by a combination of traditional and weathered materials, the main house is undeniably modern. All its shapes and design cues form a thoroughly contemporary exterior.
The outer stone wall of the house forms an outdoor corridor on one side, leading to its entrance. The staircase up to the entrance is encased in glass for the sake of aesthetics, giving contrasting views of the traditional stone outer wall.
After a long staircase, the entry door itself is minimal, with a square platform porch and an indent in the facade siding leading indoors.
The property, with its new buildings constructed around the grounds of a centuries-old church, has three contemporary structures. Of those three structures, two have long grass roof coverings.
The sauna building is the most minimal on the property, a simple rectangular concrete prism with a rooftop garden indent.
The main home is even more futuristic inside than it is on the outside, with a wide array of materials, colors, and textures present to create a variety of environments.
The kitchen and dining area is fairly dark and elegant in tone, accented by occasional lighter pieces like the wood flooring or glossy white refrigerator. A casual eating area set outside one wall makes up the square extension to its inner wall seen from outside.
Vast windows, stemming directly from the floor and ending almost at ceiling height, provide wide views of the Italian mountainside landscape beyond.
As the main living areas of the house transition from dining to general activity, the color palette brightens. Certain furniture pieces and permanent structural fixtures introduce more white and even neon hues.
A spacious master bedroom takes up one corner of the modern abode, complete with an integrated bed, side table, and shelving combination.
The smaller bathroom of the house has a translucent patterned false roof and blue wall paint, features not seen anywhere else inside.
The master bathroom shares its green and black color scheme with the bedroom it’s attached to, but in here green dominates instead of black. The countertop is minimal, asymmetrical, and utterly contemporary, flowing into the wall at one end with a sharply rectangular basin.
Bergmeister Wolf Architekten
