Project: Refugee Meranza
Architects: Architekt Andreas Gruber
Location: Maranza, Italy
Area: 2,152 sf
Photographs by: Courtesy of Architekt Andreas Gruber
Refugee Meranza by Architekt Andreas Gruber
Architekt Andreas Gruber has designed a spectacular modern home tucked into a small opening in a pine forest near South Tyrol in Maranza, Italy. This idyllic location is perfect for a home that focuses on bringing the nature inside.
Refugee Meranza is glazed with large windows that not only frame the picturesque nature but also shower the interior with natural light and yet there is still a strong focus on privacy as well as luxury in its design.
The site is located in Meransen / South Tyrol in an idyllic enclave of spruce wood and great views of the Dolomites. The area is accessed by a simple path that leads as a hiking trail to the alpine destinations on the local mountain called “Gitschberg”. The winter ski slope is not far from the grounds and can be reached on foot. Also, a creek passes the site, which invites for Cooling in the summertime and in the winter after the sauna session for a cold shower. In this sense, the user is closely connected with the surrounding nature and enjoys its countless advantages.
The desire for individual living arrangements as well as the local building culture are the determining factors for the architectural design concept for the Obomila Waldchalets in Meransen. Architect Andreas Gruber of architektgruber.com in Schabs/ South Tyrol has designed a building structure with three units for a touristic concept. The structure is tailored to the needs of the guest and invites you to feel well. The fan shape creates privacy and provides different views of the surrounding nature whose unique qualities are equally led to the building interior. The oversized glass cut-outs frame the respective landscapes and make each residential unit unique.
The living room and a bedroom will also be preceded by a spacious, weather-protected terrace that will be heavily used, especially during the summer. The names of the buildings are derived from the historical field names of the place and are in this sense strongly rooted in the location. The units touch each other slightly at their vertices but do not fuse together. This creates interesting niches that allow the original terrain to be sensitively read. The goal of the architect was to largely preserve the natural slope and to intervene as little as possible. This respectful attitude toward nature is evident in many of his projects.
The units are autonomously developed via a common slope-side pre-area and are divided into three levels. A centrally arranged spiral staircase, executed in black steel, stands in each unit as a connecting element and equally provides a creative accent. The inner workings of the units are analogous to the adjacent forest in natural and brushed spruce wood. The scent of the natural wood underlines the perception as a hut and calms pleasant. Complemented with a private spa, which is protected in the forest out, the Obomilla forest chalets invite you to a relaxing holiday.
