LIVING INSIDE-OUT!

Within the city of Parma, located in Northern Italy, the international design and innovation firm known as Carlo Ratti Associatti (CRA) has incorporated a Ficus tree into the design of a forward-thinking residential structure. A project that disrupts conventional demarcations between rooms and floors is presented by the designers as the first step of CRA’s winning master plan for Mutti, a tomato company, which was submitted in 2017. The plan calls for a closer integration between nature and the built environment. Instead, the designers offer a stepped-plan that breaks away from a stereotyped typology. The farmhouse, which is now undergoing renovations, is arranged with its program centered around a Ficus religiosa tree that is growing inside the main living space and is ten meters tall. With a stepped layout that encircles the tree, a series of interconnected rooms give rise to six domestic spaces. Three of these spaces are located above the entrance, and three are located below it. Each of these spaces is dedicated to a particular activity, such as practicing yoga, listening to music, reading, eating together, sharing a drink, maintaining a wine cellar, and storing dry-cured ham for aging. Each space is located at a distinct level of the tree, which is a three-dimensional sequence that adheres to the theory of Raumplan developed by Adolf Loos. The notion of biophilia, which refers to the natural drive to interact with other forms of life, is applicable in this situation since the dwelling opens out into the expansive orchard, where donkeys and other animals may be seen strolling. Not only that, but each level offers a unique viewpoint on the natural world. In point of fact, in order to create an ideal environment for the tree to flourish, the designers maximized the amount of natural light that entered the space by constructing a south-facing glass wall that was ten meters (33 feet) high. This wall was designed to complement the all-season tree, which is fifty years old and enjoys consistent temperatures throughout the year. As a result, the house, which has been given the name “Greenary,” is neither a tree house or a house that is perched on a tree. The structure is a home that was built around a tree. For the designers, occupying each of the rooms will be something similar to inhabiting a tree; but, for us, the tree is the primary resident of this area. This is an ironic situation. Take a look at the pictures on the website indiaartndesign.com. Residential architecture, residential typology, building-around-a-tree, nature and building, interior architecture, and are some of the related articles.