Working in the Nature

LCA architetti designed his office in the North of Italy: a building with a wooden frame structure, designed according to the principles of sustainable architecture, in which interior opaque and transparent boxes follow each other rhythmically.

The site, once occupied by another building, is closed to Varese city center.

From the beginning the architects decided to have a sustainable approach and to realize the new building on the existing trace, so as not to waste other land.

The concept of the project is really clear: it’s a two-storey building (8 m high) with a simple rectangular plan and a wooden frame structure. The pitched roof with no eaves recalls the children archetypal house. The ground floor consists of three opaque boxes, alternated to glass surfaces: this system allows a cross relationship between the interior space and the garden.

This relationship completely changes on the first floor, where the space has a longitudinal direction. It opens on the short sides with a cantilevered volume (that hosts the meeting room) on the east side and a small loggia on the west side, facing a park.

LCA architetti, Working in the Nature, Varese, Italy

The facade on the ground floor is a white plaster wall. Otherwise the roof and the first floor are covered by a dark metal cladding which gives a contemporary character to the building.

In this building, certified Casa Clima Classe A, energy savings and comfort are guaranteed by many features: the wooden frame structure, the thermal insulation coating (made of wood fiber), the limited use of glues, the low energy consumption, the radiant floor, and the LED lighting.

The garden hosts flowerbeds and grass besides some plants like bamboo and Japanese maples. The wooden decks which mark the entrances can also be enjoyed during the summertime.