straw house

The straw house is an experimental project by the LCA studio in Varese. It involves the renovation of a detached house from the early 1960s in Travedona Monate (Varese) and the conversion of its attic into living space. The building is a compact, square volume with a four-pitched roof, two storeys above ground and a few extensions added in later years. The idea is to turn it into a piece of contemporary architecture while keeping its homely character. The architectural design – redrawing the openings and roof slopes and removing later additions – goes hand in hand with experimenting with natural materials such as wood and, above all, straw for the external insulation (a low-cost material with excellent insulating properties). On the south side, set into the roof slope fitted with photovoltaic panels, a wooden box houses the client's study. The north side is kept more closed to avoid heat loss; this is lightened by a long, narrow ribbon window in the attic framing splendid views of the surrounding landscape. Inside, the house offers great spatial quality both horizontally, thanks to the removal of some partition walls, and vertically, thanks to the new wooden staircase, whose long balustrade runs like a ribbon all the way up to the converted attic. Green building, natural materials, close attention to energy saving and sustainability are key features of the project and of the philosophy behind the LCA studio.