A 10-meter-tall ficus tree grows in the center of the living space of The Greenery, a farmhouse renovation and extension by studio Carlo Ratti Associati and architect Italo Rota in Italy.
Located in the countryside outside of Parma, the house was designed by Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) and Italo Rotta for Francesco Mutti, CEO of the tomato company Mutti.
After already winning an international competition in 2017 to redesign the Moti Factory, the architects were invited to design a “forever home” for the CEO on a nearby farm and granary.
Called The Greenery – a combination of the words green and granary – the house aims to “blur the boundaries between natural and artificial.” This led to the installation of a large ficus tree, called an alma, in the farm’s new open-plan living and kitchen space.
Carlo Rati, founder of the CRA, explained that “the second-century Italian architect Carlo Scarpa once said, ‘Between the tree and the house, choose the tree.”
He continued, “As I resonate with his feelings, I think we can move forward and put the two together.” “The tree stands in a new steel-clad, adjoining extension that abuts the original farmhouse, sunken slightly into the ground and features a south-facing all-glass wall and skylights.”
Within the living space, a weathered steel staircase around the tree leads to a series of descents above, which are flanked by screens that create a play of light and views.
The perforated brick windows on either side of this room create a dappled pattern of light and shade similar to that of a tree.
“Light enters the interior space through a perforated brick wall, steel staircases, and tree branches,” added Andrea Cassie, partner at CRA.
“By doing so, it melds the architectural details of the house, and leaves subtle shadows all around it.”
Landing above The Greenery’s living room and kitchen leads into the bedrooms, which are lined with thinner, taller openings and windows to provide more privacy.
At the end of the farm building is a secondary living space, opening to the landscape with a fully glazed south facing wall, protected from the sun by large shutters.
Opposite the farmhouse to the north is a workspace located in the old granary. It features similar weathered steel details and has a flexible mesh-like floor that acts as a hammock for lounging and reading.
The architects’ goal of incorporating nature into the design is also reflected in some of the project’s material options, including resin pavers that incorporate soil and orange peel.
A weathered steel canopy extends over brick pillars along the edge of the granary, creating an outdoor pool and creating a sense of continuity between the two buildings.
The landscape surrounding the two buildings was designed by Paolo Pejrone and Alberto Fusari and celebrates the region’s biodiversity.
CRA also recently collaborated with Rota to design the Italy Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020.
Completed with Matteo Gatto and F&M Ingegneria, the structure was surmounted by a roof of three upturned boats from which a curtain-rope facade hung.
Photography by Delfino Sesto Linani and Alessandro Salita of DSL Studio.