Casa Patio: Life around an Olive Tree

A home designed by LOMA Architetti, Casa Patio stands at a point in the Romagna countryside where homes give way to farmland.

The project explores contemporary living in all its complexity, balancing functional requirements with emotional qualities, spatial organization with architectural composition, in a modern reinterpretation of the patio house typology.

Casa Patio: A geometric plan balancing openness and closure

The home is organized around a rigorously symmetrical plan, inspired by historical models reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. At its center is the patio, conceived as a modern Roman atrium – the social, distributive, and light-filled heart of the dwelling. With glass walls on all four sides, the patio links directly to the living areas – living room, kitchen, dining room, and study – bringing natural light deep into the home and promoting cross-ventilation.

The interior combines the spatial continuity of an open-plan layout with the efficiency of rooms for specific activities. So, while the interconnected living areas unfold around the courtyard, the bedrooms are treated as independent volumes occupying the four corners of the house. Lower and more contained, the passageways between rooms act as architectural thresholds, marking the transition from shared to private spaces.

The olive tree as a visual and symbolic fulcrum

The focal point of the dwelling is the large olive tree at the center of the patio. Framed by glass walls on all four sides, it is visible from almost every room as well as from outside. The design does not impose itself on the landscape but welcomes it with respect and sensitivity, with symmetrical openings softening the boundary between interior and exterior, and nature treated as an almost sacred presence.

Inside, the use of different wood species for flooring, custom elements, tables, and seating creates a fertile dialogue between nature and architecture, as if the project has transformed the living material of the olive tree into domestic space.

Sustainable strategies

The design team approached Casa Patio with close attention to energy and environmental performance. The reinforced concrete structure with brick infill walls incorporates high-performance thermal insulation, while the ventilated roof is finished with reclaimed tiles – a choice that combines efficiency, reuse, and continuity with the local rural tradition.

The building is equipped with a photovoltaic array and battery storage system that powers a heat pump for radiant floor heating. A mechanical ventilation system ensures constant air exchange, improving indoor comfort.

With its large overhang and pronounced horizontality, the four-sided roof reinforces the sense of shelter while directing the eye toward the horizon of the plain. The result is a measured residential project that establishes a fruitful dialogue between construction and landscape, tradition and innovation.

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