The walls of this Italian villa, designed by Giordano Hadamik Architects, are formed of natural stone excavated from the home's site.
Villa Nemes is partially embedded into the Ligurian landscape. To help it merge with its setting, its architects chose to clad the exterior walls with a material that was readily available to them.
Natural stone forms the exterior walls
With stone forming much of the groundscape in this region, this approach follows a tradition dating back through generations.
"This natural stone, present just below the first few metres of earth, has been used for centuries to build the renowned Ligurian terraced hills," explained architect and studio co-founder, Daniele Giordano.
The house is set into the landscape. Photo is by Giordano Hadamik Architects Villa Nemes functions as a holiday home for a family who live in Germany. It is designed to have a simple layout with plenty of room for hosting guests.
The architects planned the building as two blocks, both set into the hillside. One block contains five bedrooms and three bathrooms, while the other is an open-plan space for dining, relaxing or entertaining. There's also a separate garage block.
Large windows allow spaces to open to the deck
Sustainability was one of the primary considerations in the design of the building's form. As well as the natural stone walls, the building features a planted roof and a heavily insulated structure, designed to eliminate heat loss.

Large windows front the bu...