RIFUGIO
RIFUGIO
Single-Family House RIFUGIO: in a Steep Hillside Setting
At the edge of a forest, RIFUGIO steps down the slope across three levels as a modern hillside house, with a base of natural stone and a wide view over the landscape.
Rifugio: A House on the Slope
Single-Family House with secondary suite | Location: steep hillside setting at the edge of a forest | Living floor space: 300 m² | Volume: 1,885 m³ | Rooms: 6 rooms + 2.5-room secondary suite | Construction: masonry construction
The name RIFUGIO, Italian for mountain shelter, describes the stance of the house. The lower level of grey natural stone anchors the volume in the steep terrain, while a light plastered storey sits above it beneath a sloping roof. The house is sheltered within the hillside and at the same time opens the view over forest and landscape.
Stepped Into the Slope
The plot drops noticeably toward the edge of the forest. Seen from the access side, RIFUGIO appears as a compact, single-storey volume with a carport and a secondary suite, while the house develops two further levels into the slope below. Retaining walls of exposed concrete hold the terrain, and with each level the volume opens further toward the landscape.
Open Floor Plan on Three Levels
On the uppermost level lie the carport and a self-contained secondary suite with an open living, dining and kitchen area and one bedroom. A stair leads down to the main floor, where living, dining and cooking form an open floor plan along the garden side and extend through a covered terrace into the outdoor area. One level further down lie the office, a further bedroom, the master suite with dressing room and bathroom, and a wellness room, set apart from the living floor above.
Grey natural stone shapes the facade of the lower volume and ties the masonry house to the rocky ground of the slope. Above it sits a light plastered storey beneath a dark, sloping roof. On the garden side, the roof cantilevers far outward and forms a covered outdoor area, whose timber soffit continues inside above the living space.
