Residence Paramount-Alma, a Tyrolean guest house with 6 holiday apartments from the 1960s adorned with a pitched roof was renovated into a home for a young family of five in the mountain community of Sesto, Alto Adige. Thus the under-utilized roof space gave way to a striking angular crown, which transforms this old chalet into an almost futuristic building. This crown in larch wood on metallic structure follows two distinct paths. The first stretches across the site, picking up the topography on either end of the building and climbing to enclose a third story balcony. The corners of the core building are left exposed on purpose, to acknowledge its presence. A second path folds around around the chimney to then return to the ground. The spaces between the exterior walls and wooden bands become larger at ground level to offer sheltered outdoor living spaces. The interior of this family home is characterized by 360-degree views. One the most spectacular is the view of the sky through an incision over the central stair. This opening delivers an immediate reading of exterior weather conditions, collecting precipitation and receiving direct sunlight. The main living spaces are spread over two floors. The first floor hosts the bedrooms and a sky lit corridor, whereas on the second floors there is an open plan kitchen, dining and family room, structured around a fireplace. By grouping functional elements in orthogonal cores, the surrounding space is liberated. The exterior walls of the main living spaces collapse inwards to catch light, views and varying degrees of enclosure.
The outer skin in larch wood is built on a galvanized steel structure. A consistently limited color code was applied to the exterior, allowing the volume to dissolve into the surrounding hillside when viewed from afar.
Contemporary Renovation of a Mountain Residence by Plasma Studio
