The design for the new Multifunctional Hub stems from a long and elaborate analysis of the local traditional architecture, and in particular of the rural vernacular buildings characteristic of Sappada and, more broadly, of the eastern Dolomites. A study of the morpho-typological research by Eduardo Gellner revealed recurring traits, which have guided the design strategy from the very first ideas: the compact and sober volume of the traditional wooden houses, organised under a single unitary double-pitched canopy; the stone base at ground level that corresponds to the barn and protects the wooden structure from contact with the snow; the slatted shutters in spruce wood, typical of barns, that form complex moth-eaten compositions on the façade; the loggias, terraces, stairs and external circulation systems that establish a rich relationship between the domestic and public spheres. These elements were absorbed and synthesised by the new building, configured as a simple two-storey volume, embedded in a natural concavity of the topography.
The plan is elongated, following the orographic lines it appears to derive from; the roof is double pitched, sloping so that its two extremities almost touch the floor, anchoring the building to the ground. The building fixes itself to the ground through a concrete base that protects the upper volume from contact with the snow and follows, to the south, the slope of the terrain; this peculiarity allows the southern front to capture a maximum amount of natural light and carry it to the lower floors. The internal space is denoted by the duality between the upper civic staircase, a timber and metal structure resting on the ground that faces both the river to the South and the historic centre to the North, and the spaces on the lower floors, particularly the large polyvalent hall that was conceived as a cave excavated from the concrete plinth of the retaining wall. A double ramp-staircase system parallel to the external facades connects the two spheres and accompanies the visitor along an immersive experience within the “warm belly” of the building.
At twilight and in the evening, the architecture becomes a “lantern in the landscape”, waiting to welcome its visitors. Northwards, the reduced height makes the building a discrete presence, camouflaged between the existing mountain cabins.
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Project team: ETB
Partner in charge: Alessandro Tessari
Project: Multifunctional Hub. Sappada – Plodn, Italy
Status: Ongoing
Date: 09.2022
Client: Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia
