Diffuse B&B involves an ancient barn restoration and the design of a new small common structure. The project area is located in Palanzo, a small village near Como. It is on the side of a hill and it has a wonderful view of Como lake. On the site are present twelwe small buildings to convert into a diffuse Bed & Breakfast.

 

I choose a two floor barn that is now abandoned in order to design a structure with two indipendent accomodation. This unit is located on a sloope and for this reason it has two separate main doors: the south door is for the first floor and the north floor is for the ground. The external walls are made by local stones and they are a typical characteristic of that area. I decided to mantain the walls as main structure but I designed the interiors as open space to fell them bigger then they are now. In the first floor apartment I choose to realize a loft in order to have more space. It is realized with a wooden structure in orden to built it easily and with cheap materials. The new building is a compromise between traditional

techniques and modern solutions. It is thought to be similar to the other buildings in order to camouflage it into the landscape. It is located on the hill side, near a small river. The south facade is as tall as the other houses while the north facade is taller than the others. The main structure is made by thick walls and they are made by the same local stone of the other traditional buildings. Conversely the central part is a light structure. It permit to have a big contrast between the internal light of the barns and the high luminosity of this solution. It provides also a surprise effect to the guests.I choose to protect the big windows with vertical wood laths to make the structure in tune with the woods in fron of it. I designed them also to make a tribute to Alvar Aalto’s villa Mairea.Another aspect involved in the project regards landscape recovery.

 

I studied the existing tree species and I decided what were healty and what were to be replaced. I desig- ned also relax zones, playgrounds and pic nic areas to promote that place as a touristic zone to get relax and funny activities.