House H / Plasma studio

Curated by María Francisca González

Architects: Plasma studio
Area: 429 m²
Year: 2016
Photographs:Holger Kehne
Manufacturers: Investwood, Admonter, Georg Bechter Licht

Text description provided by the architects. The building stands in the borough of Santa Maria, place of pilgrimage near Dobbiaco. At the edge of the village, the site consists of a slope towards South, facing the sun and the Dolomites. The idea of the project was developed starting from the restrictions imposed by legislation, such as minimized building surface and the requirement of a pitched roof parallel to the slope.

House H / Plasma studio - Interior Photography — © Holger Kehne

The final volume and the concept of the whole project is the result of a subtraction process. Starting with the maximum volume (as derived from given height and surface) certain parts of the volume were substracted to create specific functions; a covered space for parking, balconies protected from the weather, and the terraces in the attic level which introduce light into the house.

While achieving the maximum volume permitted by law, the size of the building is reduced and resulted in a very compact internal circulation. The house is divided into two dwellings. The main house, used by the family of the client, is set over 3 floors. At the entry level there are the bedrooms, at the lower level the living area and kitchen with access to the garden and in the basement the secondary rooms. In the small attic there is a second apartment, which enjoys spacious terraces obtained from the volumetric removal.

Material
The choice of materials follows the philosophy of reduce, which is proper the entire building. Exterior walls and roof are made with one single material, white cedar shingles, a traditional local material system with exceptional resistance to weathering. Initially pearl-colored, it will over time change into a uniform light grey. The only other material are the glazing, used for the entire height of the openings, and the metal frames and stainless steel edge details.

Particular attention was paid to reducing the carbon footprint of the building by employing windows with triple glazing, controlled ventilation, a heating system with pellet stove and extended insulation with wooden fibers. In the interior lime-based plaster throughout guarantees excellent acoustic performance and moisture control

Product Description:
Valchromat is an innovative product that combines the natural features of wood to the brightness of colours and, because of its unique flexibility, allows exploring the third dimension, the beauty of textures and the best of engineering.

Valchromat is not MDF. It is an evolution of the MDF.
The added value of Valchromat comes not only from colour but also from its distinctive composition and manufacturing process. It is a wood fibre panel coloured throughout, where fibres are coloured individually, impregnated with organic dyes and bonded together by a special resin which gives Valchromat unique physic and mechanical features.