CA’ DEL TERO, CASA CORTILE

bartke pedrazzini architects, 2022

Through significant redevelopment, two pre-existing buildings in Via delle Vigne in Minusio were converted. The project involved the partial demolition and transformation of a previously inhabited building and the renovation and extension of a rustic house, which had been abandoned for almost a century. Both houses have their roots in the 18th century, although at the beginning of the project, the signs of history were not always recognisable. The architectural proposal aims to identify the potential inherent in the existing buildings, dialoguing with history and con- tacting with the built urban fabric, giving new space to collective memory. As in a palimpsest, the added layers were removed, to make room for a new narrative.

Ca' del Tero

The partial demolition and renovation of the inhabited building, on the east side of the plot, rediscovers the typological and architectural essentiality of the original volume of the house. The building, starting in the 1950s, was partially concealed, at various times, by precarious interventions and unfortunate extensions, distorting its volume and architectural legibility. Through the demolition work, from which all the postiched additions to the original 19th-century structure have been removed, the building rediscovers its original volume and as a result of new transformation and renovation work takes on a contemporary and unified character.

Casa Cortile

The rustic building to the west of the plot, which had been disused for more than a century, is freed of its outbuildings and extended with a new concrete volume that fits into the level of the ground. In this way, a new balance is created: an intimate courtyard is formed in the centre, half buried in the slope. The contrasts between old and new are accentuated to form a larger whole, where concrete and stone complement each other. The elevated overlook allows for an indirect relationship with the outside, giving a sense of protection and offering a view of the surrounding mountain landscape.