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The design idea emerged from the desire to engage with the historical and material complexity of a layered building, located at the highest point of a historic village at the foot of Monte Donato. The concept was developed through a careful reading of the building’s transformations over time—from the extensions added after its original construction, to the damage suffered during World War II, and the partial reconstructions using salvaged materials. The intervention aimed to preserve and enhance this constructive memory, integrating new contemporary structural elements in a formal balance that does not erase but rather amplifies the historical identity of the building.
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The project is set within a context rich in identity, one of the so-called “borghi gessaioli,” small settlements that developed around open-pit gypsum quarries, now decommissioned but still visible in the landscape. Borgo Case, in particular, is characterized by modest dwellings, often self-built, using humble materials such as gypsum blocks and stones from the nearby Savena stream. The intervention engages in a respectful dialogue with this built landscape, restoring the existing historic parts and introducing new volumes that reinterpret traditional proportions and materials through a contemporary lens. The design aims for formal and material continuity, integrating seamlessly into a dense, layered urban fabric without disrupting its equilibrium. The building is listed so the volumes have remained unchanged.
The building underwent a comprehensive energy retrofit, improving all envelope components to minimize winter heat loss and enhance thermal inertia during the summer. The remaining, very limited energy demand is met by a low-temperature radiant heating system, optimized for use with an electric-powered air-to-water heat pump and integrated with photovoltaic panels. The house is certified as Energy Class A4, the highest level NZeb. The materials used for the thermal envelope are EPD-certified, ensuring a high recycled content and a careful assessment of the construction system’s full life cycle. The building has also achieved the highest standards of resistance to seismic actions.
The new elevation reinterprets the existing façade by recomposing the original openings, introducing a slight offset between the windows on the two levels. This subtle shift adds a discreet contemporary element, carefully balanced with the historic configuration. The intervention goes beyond conservation, offering a measured reinterpretation that preserves the legibility of the building’s original identity. The house is organized over two levels plus a basement, with a layout that respects the pre-existing structural arrangement. The entrance is marked by an iron staircase a lightweight yet highly expressive element that reinterprets traditional materials and artisanal techniques in a contemporary key.
Most of the interior spaces preserve original stone masonry portions, integrated with reclaimed bricks. These materials were carefully cleaned and enhanced using low-pressure sandblasting, a technique that restores the authentic texture and materiality of stone and brick surfaces while revealing the historic layering of the wall structure. This approach reinforces the building’s constructive memory, enabling an integration between old and new.
The gabled roof is slightly raised by a recessed exposed concrete seismic curb, clearly articulating the transition between the original structure and contemporary additions. The entrance gate, made of reinforcing steel rods, like the bookshelf in the study, echoes the raw, authentic aesthetic that characterizes the overall restoration.
Living in a place that retains traces of its past does not constrain contemporary use, but enriches it, offering a spatial quality dense with meaning. In this sense, architecture is not merely a present-day gesture, but a tool for dialogue between different eras.
Thinking of the project as a cognitive process for investigating the reality of a place defines the creative research of Luigi Benatti, partner at TECO+partners, an architecture studio based in Bologna. The firm consists of a team of over 30 professionals, including 6 partners, and is active in the design of residential buildings, educational facilities, sports complexes, student housing, office spaces, and industrial headquarters in Italy and abroad.
The architectural approach is driven by the pursuit of revealing and embracing the intrinsic meaning of a place, through a constant exploration of the relationship between the project and its context. Each project is conceived as a dialogue between space, function, and identity, aiming to improve the quality of urban spaces and the lives of those who inhabit them. Among the firm’s most significant works are residential complexes and student housing, numerous educational buildings across Italy, and major sports infrastructures.
