Schäfer House, San Candido Real Estate, Italy, North East Italy Villa, Italian Architecture Photos
Schäfer House in San Candido
27 July 2020
Schäfer House
Design: Plasma Studio
Location: San Candido, the Dolomites, North East Italy
The Schäfer House building is located in the historical center of San Candido, a small touristic village in the Dolomites. The design is by Plasma Studio.

In the first three storeys (including one underground floor) it houses a department store while the upper three storeys have been transformed from a partly underused attic space into four large, independent apartments for the owner and his 3 daughters.

One façade faces a public plaza protected by local planning regulations could only be raised to the level of the neighboring roofs. Efforts were directed towards the rear façade, where it was possible to slice the inclined plane of the typical pitch roof and enable daylight to penetrate into the new living spaces whilst creating generous exterior balconies.
Seemingly simple and straightforward, the proposal digs deep into a complicated discussion: the conservation of the pronounced local vernacular townscape and building fabric permits a plethora of additive forms, i.e. dormers that in turn enable the occupation of attic space but the deductive equivalent- carving out from the triangular volume- which is actually more purist and less intrusive is received with reticence. This project aims to open up the discussion by respectfully workin...