Ricovero Casa Vecie: A Contemporary Take on a Traditional Barchessa

Set in the hills of Grezzana, in the Italian province of Verona, Casa Vecie is a farmhouse complex designed by MASAAI studio. The project involved creating a new utilities area, a staff changing room, and an open-front machinery shed.

Casa Vecie was designed partially below ground level to minimize its visual impact on the surrounding landscape. Located in a secluded valley, its integration with its setting was further enhanced by a careful selection of materials.

The project draws its inspiration from a traditional barchessa, a rural building typical of Venetian architecture, originally designed as a service building that separated the main home from the farmworkers’ quarters.

The structure has an L-shaped plan, with its interior side opening onto a graveled open space that is easily accessible by farm machinery. Its outer side has a more austere, enclosed appearance, with plastered masonry on the lower section and natural larch cladding above it.

The timber façades incorporate regularly spaced circular concrete columns. Colored with natural oxides, they harmonize with the hues of the soil and the surrounding landscape. These columns support a timber-trussed gable roof with terracotta tiles, further reinforcing the dialogue between architecture and nature.

>>> Discover the Locanda Case Vecie project