“Daylight is essential, when it comes to bringing life to the interior or creating hierarchies between the rooms. Daylight enables seeing the beauty of wood, stone or any other material used.”

- Domenico Benetti, architect at Benetti Grigolo Architetti

Domenico Benetti and Massimo Grigolo’s range of projects cover a broad field: from residential buildings through luxurious commercial projects; to public facilities, including tourism infrastructure. Thanks to their project for Asiago Golf Club they met their future clients, for whom they designed a weekend house in 2015. The client wished a place where all of his family could spend time together. He fell in love with the nature surrounding the site and the vast views over Val d’Assa and decided to build his holiday nest there. The architects mastered the challenge, creating a building which, despite its large dimensions, seamlessly blends into nature. The surrounding infrastructure, such as a garage, is integrated into the slope and so not perceived as a separate volume. There are also as little as possible paved surfaces on the site.

Architects: Benetti Grigolo Architetti

The architects' extensive research on reinterpreting traditional architecture resulted in a rectangular volume with a sloped roof, clad in raw larch boards and stripped of unnecessary retro–decorations. The interior did not follow the traditional typology, as the desired room sizes and the relation to the outside in a modern holiday house has changed since the old days. The need for protection against the weather conditions only belongs to the past. The clients' wish for living in the landscape – and in the sun – reflects the contemporary attitude towards nature.

Living room with sloped wooden ceiling and VELUX roof window, green seating.

Architects: Benetti Grigolo Architetti; Photos: Andrea Segliani

"Our client understood the beauty of bright zenithal light, illuminating the room from its highest point and brightening up the surface of the ceiling. He even suggested more roof windows, but there was simply not enough space."

- Domenico Benetti, architect at Benetti Grigolo Architetti

The wood is omnipresent in the project, in all forms: outside raw and bleached by the sun, inside naturally honey-coloured, contrasted by concrete grey walls of the bathrooms and large glazings, as well as the colourful, modern furniture. The house is designed around a large living area overlooking the unspoilt panorama. A large room with a glazed wall is protected from overheating thanks to a setback. The loggia extends into a terrace protruding from the volume. A fully glazed facade is protected from the direct sunshine and frames the landscape like a painting, while VELUX roof windows above a double-height area compensate the loss of light caused by introducing a deep loggia. The double-height space allows views to and from the sleeping area above. A panoramic staircase and a row of smaller openings along the northern façade are connecting all three levels allow perceiving the space as one.

Modern living room with wooden interior, green sofa, and large glass windows.

Architects: Benetti Grigolo Architetti; Photos: Andrea Segliani

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Contrasting the open spaces of the day area, the six bedrooms – all with in-suite bathrooms and wardrobes – are functional and cosy. The ones on the top floor, under the sloped roof, are lit from the top. Roof windows in the bedrooms are large and located on a level which allows views towards the valley, while the bathrooms' smaller openings are positioned higher, to ensure privacy. The view outside is orientated towards one direction – the panoramic view – while all other facades are closed to avoid visual connections to the neighbours.