Casa Cannocchiale

The Casa Cannocchiale (Telescope House) was built within a larger subdivision of residential buildings, all different by choice of the designers and the builder; in this case, moreover, the approach of semi-prefabrication was chosen, with cross-laminated timber X-Lam panels that characterize the shifted volume of the first floor.

The prefabricated technology made it possible to free itself from the underlying structure made of concrete and Poroton blocks, of a more traditional type, allowing the creation of a clean, gabled volume, oriented towards the panorama offered by the hilly landscape of the Garavaglia valley, a location not far from Turin.

The house is on three levels. A first basement level houses a large garage with some ancillary rooms; on the mezzanine floor (ground floor) a large living room opens completely onto the outside, towards the pool area, by means of large minimal windows, equipped with a highly insulated sliding system that contributes to making the entire building poorly energy-consuming. The sheets of insulating glass of great value reach levels not only of performance but also formal by the reduced thickness of the frame; at this level, thanks to the large openings, priority was given to the dialogue between the external space and the interior, also thanks to the wooden flooring around the solarium of the swimming pool.

At the same level there are also a bathroom and a bedroom open to the rear ground, completely arranged to green area. On the first floor, inside the “Cannocchiale” shifted along the visual axis towards the hills, thanks to the presence of large minimal windows, there is a large bedroom with walk-in closet and a wellness room, also open towards the hilly outdoor space, of great scenic effect. The entire volume is characterized by the variety of the two main materials used for the external cladding that stand out in white and dark contrast; the white base, clean and minimal in shape of the ground floor, contrasts with the shifted volume of the upper floor entirely covered in titanium zinc, laid with a seam system on the substructure mounted on the X-Lam structural base.

Giuseppe Barreca & Fabio Licciardi

Atelier Italia & Real Project