Villa Asciano, Tuscany

For their latest venture, ASZarchitetti and Super future Design collaborated to instill their unique design philosophies into a distinct project – rebuilding a farmhouse in southern Tuscany to have modern elements and contemporary aspects. Given the proposal, they approached the project with caution since they needed to make sure that they created a new concept without compromising the integrity of the previous structure.

The old heritage farmhouse was surrounded by a magnificent landscape and featured a natural pond – a depiction of the fascinating ecosystem in itself, it was located in the Crete Senesi area in Tuscany, South of Siena. The project comprised a complete remodeling and rebuilding job, but with important conditions that needed to be met. Most significantly, the entire structure had to be rebuilt while utilizing old materials at the same time.

The main theme behind the project was to adopt a modern methodology in rebuilding the house. At the same time, they needed to respect the traditional and rural architecture of the historically important area. Instead of taking up a mimicking outlook, they drew clear inspiration from the original building. Of course, they had to make their contemporary advances explicit as well. The result would be an eclectic mix of unique aspects on opposing sides of the spectrum – the old and new, the predictable and the unknown, and most obvious, conservative nature as well as a futuristic one.

It’s easy to wonder what made their client, in this case, think that an old farmhouse, reclaimed by nature, would be a perfect home. More than just the historical structure, the captivating landscape surrounding it made the prospect of living there a serene experience. The client, who is a photographer, felt that the home would be an epicenter of a natural expanse that enticed the senses with a palette of sights, sounds, and smells, all of which would help make memories and emotions. In an era when most people would prefer living in locations at the pulse of urban development, such a divergent perspective was pivotal for how they saw their surroundings. It also helped them form a distinct framework for designing and rebuilding the farmhouse.

Some of the most eye-catching characteristics of the project include the sustainable method of reusing existing materials in a modern style. In addition, there were other features, like sleek metal cornices at the openings and frameless windows. They developed a customized design process to meet the needs of the project. Construction was executed as per the traditional design. That is, they used the previous outline to establish a new structure. However, they supported it with next-generation technology to maintain better engineering standards. This was proven by the resulting structure’s robustness, adherence to the latest anti-seismic codes, enhanced thermal performance, and energy efficiency.