Concete home by Didonè Comacchio Architects is softened with wooden slats in Italy

A concrete private house designed by Italian architecture firm Didonè Comacchio Architects is softened with wooden slats on the outskirts of Bassano del Grappa (VI) in Italy.

Named House NF, the 220-square-metre house, located at the foot of the Alps, is a low-rise concrete home featuring wooden slats in the front street, creating a curiosity towards inside.

Image © Simone Bossi

Didonè Comacchio Architects created a house that has an interesting view to the north of the entrance to the Valsugana, between the western slope of Monte Grappa – recently a UNESCO heritage site – and the eastern slope of the Asiago plateau.

On the other hand, to the south, above the crowns of a long olive grove, the historic center of Bassano del Grappa can be seen.

Image © Simone Bossi

The initial idea was to capture part of the greenery present through the courtyards in the basement of the building. The first courtyard is located in the entrance area and the second towards the garden.

The architectural language of the house is based on two different functions: it becomes a visual filter in the entrance area, to keep the prying eyes of passers-by away, and a framing towards the outside in the garden and olive grove area.

Image © Simone Bossi

In the middle of the green roof peeks out a small simple volume where there is a small study that opens onto a small panoramic terrace.

From the street, the building appears closed, the view towards the outside is filtered by a partition of wooden slats to create a “see-through” effect to give the owners the right amount of privacy.

Image © Simone Bossi

Conversely, towards the garden, where the view is protected by the volume of the building, the view opens up, making it become the long olive grove is an element also present in the internal spaces of the living area.

Image © Simone Bossi

The entire structure is made of concrete material. The first 2.7 meters in height are cast on wooden formworks, and this texture is taken up by the sliding wooden shutters.

From 2.7 meters up, the concrete becomes smooth, to highlight the two different vocations of the house, also with the material, the more introspective one on the ground floor and the more open one on the first floor.