CASA 4

Project

267656

Status

Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS : existing completed examples

Project title

CASA 4

Full project title

Description

The house wanted to be born from the earth and have the colours of the earth. The building is part of a virtuous process of true circular and green economy, therefore it has a high ethical value. The Casa Quattro is self-powered and made almost entirely of natural materials. Casa quattro is an experimental post-covid residence, conceived to do smartworking immersed in nature, to imagine a new more sustainable way of building with a very low environmental impact.

Where was your project implemented in the EU?

When was your project implemented?

Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

Which programme(s) or fund(s)? Provide the name of the programme(s)/fund(s), the strand/action line as relevant and the year.

Please provide a summary of your project

Casa 4 represents a radically different way of building and living in a truly sustainable way. Casa 4 is not just an architectural project but represents a new approach for the construction of small-scale buildings spread throughout the territory, a small but concrete step to address and contain the climate emergency by accompanying people towards real change It is an example that many can put into practice; each in their own way, in relation to their own physical and cultural context, the values that Casa 4 embodies. We have designed a house using almost exclusively natural and recyclable materials. We have encouraged and activated dynamics linked to the development of a circular economy linked to the territory that safeguards agriculture, which recovers waste raw materials (rice straw) from it and reuses them to insulate buildings. Casa 4 is a simple architecture but full of soul and love for the people who live there and for our planet. The interior space revolves all around the living environment where a large glazed veranda connects the interior of the house with the surrounding nature. We wanted to give those who live in Casa 4 the daily, unrepeatable and wonderful spectacle of the earth, the trees, the sky. We have not given up on architecture, creating contemporary interior spaces, experimenting with new materials, working with natural light and applying new construction technologies to have a passive and carbonzero building. We believe that Casa 4 should be rewarded because it is a concrete step and an excellent example that many designers and many people can imitate and improve to safeguard the resources and wonders of our Earth.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met

the main objectives in terms of sustainability were: the reuse of waste materials such as rice straw to insulate the house; the almost exclusive use of natural materials from renewable sources such as wood and cork; the possibility of recycling the various constructive components of the building; the exploitation of solar radiation in bioclimatic terms; the optimization of the contributions of natural light and ventilation; the drastic reduction in consumption.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met

The treatment of the cork panels is just as innovative: pantographed in 3D, the slabs of this matter, which is commonly considered a “poor” one, turn into finely decorated surfaces. A closer look reveals the smooth light and shade effects on what seemed at first a neat block. This is indeed a experiment of combination of a rigorous formal composition, sustainability-oriented technology with a self-satisfied formal divertissement.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion and how these have been met

Casa 4 is an inclusive project because it connects social and environmental sustainability objectives. The choice to operate by activating virtuous processes of circular economy linked to the territory is a clear testimony of this approach. Today, many products related to rice cultivation are not used and are considered waste. At the same time, globalization has put farmers in northern Italy in serious crisis, who have great difficulty in being competitive with the Asian countries that trade rice at much lower costs. This put the entire production system in serious difficulty. The creation of a new additional economic resource, through the use of rice bales for construction purposes, has allowed these farmers not to close their business, obtaining new economic resources and safeguarding the millenary history of their territory.

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

Casa 4 is a zero-impact building, a new way of conceiving contemporary living. Building healthy homes, with natural materials that can be renewed and recycled in nature, represents a concrete and effective response to the climate emergency. The choice: to use raw materials linked to the territory, to create a healthy indoor environment for those who live in the building, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to zero, not to use gas, to make the most of free sources of light and solar radiation; these are all elements present and solved in the design and construction of Casa 4.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project

The private customers of Casa 4 were directly involved in the development of the project. The final choice that led to the creation of a highly sustainable and one-of-a-kind house. It was the result of a long journey that saw the designer guide the choices of the customers towards ever more natural horizons. Over time, the first idea that involved the construction of a decidedly more traditional house gave way to the desire to live in a bio-ecological house and in direct relationship with the nature of the place. Their courage and trust have given rise to a different and innovative way of thinking and building a house; a concrete step towards a more sustainable world that many of us can create.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project

Casa 4 is the demonstration that residential and sustainable architecture can be built at low cost, using the resources present on the territory, as waste and recovery materials. The attempt is to formulate a new way that associates good architecture with environmental sensitivity, trying and defining the basic strategies for a different way of building, limiting as much as possible the use of industrial chemistry and petroleum; selecting natural, renewable and recyclable materials. Experimenting with new technical and aesthetic solutions, paving the way for the definition of a new architectural style in close relationship with nature.

Please explain how the project led to results or learnings which could be transferred to other interested parties

The project has developed some construction techniques, such as the development of a wall with a wooden structure insulated with rice straw, which can be industrialized and spread all over the world. Rice and, consequently, its waste materials such as chaff, husk and above all straw can be effectively used in the construction field. This would make it possible to keep the entire agricultural sector alive, developing a new ecological construction technique for the construction of truly sustainable, well insulated and completely recyclable buildings.

Is an evaluation report or any relevant independent evaluation source available?

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the Awards more than once under the same category and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.