Cascina Nuova
Edoardo Milesi & ARCHOS’s project for a private house in the countryside of Lombardy
The added value in working on an existing building does not necessarily derive from the value of the building as an asset in itself. Historical architecture, even media architecture, can be a valuable source of quality.
The renovation of Cascina Nuova, near Bergamo, which bears the signature of Edoardo Milesi & ARCHOS summarizes this important concept.
The characteristics of the original farmhouse (one of the Italian words to indicate the farmhouse) are completely ordinary for the large, productive and residential complexes built in the past in the Po Valley; considering instead a contemporary home, they are unquestionably exceptional. Important examples are the vaulted ceilings on the ground floor and the columns that support them, the oversized and uneven internal heights, the grain of the brick walls and the same proportions of the rooms.
Edoardo Milesi & ARCHOS' project focuses primarily on the enhancement of these qualities and adaptation to contemporary life. The use of traditional materials in a contemporary key, introduce new textures and dialogue with the existing building.
The glass and steel solar greenhouses have a dual purpose: on a spatial level they define a filter between the interior and the outside world, while on a technical level they improve comfort and sustainability, accumulating heat in the coldest months.
These added elements are clearly distinct, in a contrast made evident but harmonious, claiming the right of the modern to exist and to show themselves even in an ancient context.
