Page 95 - AIT0320_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Armando Ruinelli, CH-Soglio
„Das Ergebnis ist eine Architektur,
bei der man die Sorgfalt der Ausführung und
die Stimmung der Materialien wahrnimmt,
Ein Raum, der den Besucher emotional einbindet.“
Armando Ruinelli
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan Grundriss Obergschoss • Upper floor plan 2004 – the so-called Roccolo Tower by Miller & Maranta – in the im-
Querschnitt • Transversal section Längsschnitt • Longitudinal section
Bauherr • Client Fondazione Garbald, CH-Zürich
Standort • Location Via Garbald 7A, CH-Castasegna
Fotos • Photos Ralph Feiner (1), Raymond Meier (6),
Marcello Mariana (2, 3, 4, 5, Porträt)
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 142
SCHOLARS RESIDENCE
IN CASTASEGNA
The sleepy mountain village of Castasegna is located
on the Swiss-Italian border, deep in the picturesque
Bergell Valley and surrounded by chestnut groves. Not
necessarily a place where you would expect to find an
abundance of exciting buildings? Far from it, as Ar-
mando Ruinelli's latest building here fits seamlessly
into an architecturally prominent neighbourhood.
W hen you hear architect Armando Ruinelli talk about his home
town and the surrounding region, you get the feeling that the
clocks really do seem to be ticking a little slower in this valley land-
scape between Italy and Switzerland, surrounded by high mountains.
The placidness and serenity with which Ruinelli, who has had his own
office in his birthplace Soglio since 1982, talks about his buildings, fu-
ture projects or his ideas for the future of the valley is truly impressive.
A calm and composure that not only reflects the surrounding natural
idyll, but is also evident in the plain and unagitated architectural vo-
cabulary implemented by Ruinelli – who builds mainly in the Bergell
Valley. His latest building, realised in Castasegna, just a few kilome-
tres from Soglio, also impresses with this calm approach. On top of
that, the immediate surroundings of the building are also quite sen-
sational: in addition to Villa Garbald, a Gottfried Semper building da-
ting from 1862 (see AIT 10.2019), there is also an extension opened in
mediate vicinity of the latest addition. The new Ruinelli building, de-
signed as a complement to this complex, is intended to provide a re-
treat for individuals in addition to its function as a seminar facility. Its
cubature goes back to a former chestnut drying house, which previo-
usly stood on the same site. Thus, the building, which is finished with
a rough exterior plaster, blends in carefully with the traditional village
structure and the surrounding nature. And the design of the interiors
also deals with tradition on a contemporary level: elaborately crafted
walls of tamped concrete give the rooms their rustic charm, a whitish
mortar floor brightens up the ground floor, and the furniture, doors,
window frames and panelling made of chestnut wood give the whole
interior the necessary warmth. Precisely because the layout and fur-
nishing of the rooms is always limited to the essentials, the interior
exudes precisely this feeling of decelerated care, which the architect
also conveys in his stories.
AIT 3.2020 • 095