“The project has become a way to interpret and amplify the message of Vaia and all the other phenomena caused by global warming, which show us that nature is reacting to human actions that have nothing natural about them,” De Lucchi says. But it has also become a way to communicate the potential of wood, the architect’s favorite material. “Wood is a truly beautiful, living material to be explored, because it has a thousand secrets,” he explains. “It can alter itself, changing its look, transforming, but it always has a second life, even after the tree has been felled, cut, crafted, reconstituted.”

In this case, De Lucchi has chosen wood together with the owners of the Zirmerhof, whom he met as a guest in their hotel, with friends, in 2005-06, the beginning of a process of dialogue, ideas and proposals that had already opened up unexpected relationships, many years before the ruinous arrival of Vaia. The wood of salvaged spruce trees has been used to build beams and load-bearing walls of the six rooms that form the two Meadow Houses, while recovered larch wood has been used for formwork, cladding, floors and internal partitions. Linking back to an age-old construction technique that is still in use, larch shingles have been used for the two roofs, giving a soft, rounded form to the houses.

The first one is circular, with two suites on different levels; the second is linear, composed of four apartments, again on two levels, and a central full-height convivial space. The two houses have elements in common, such as the panoramic terraces on the upper level, and the arches of the continuous portico at the ground floor. In the project, the theme of sustainability is addressed by using zero-km materials connected to a specific territory and local skills and resources. The architect Robert Veneri has guided a team of professionals and artisans selected from those with extensive experience in the zone.

“This was the biggest satisfaction, because when the work was done they were very proud of the results: this was the first signal that the idea was working,” De Lucchi recalls. “The freedom of lines and geometric forms offered by the use of shingles is fascinating, especially in relation to their chromatic metamorphosis over time. It is said that the shingle changes over the years, taking on a silvery gray tone according to the quantity of light it receives from the full moon on its damp surface. It is destined to last a long time because it is formed by three very light layers, simply ripped off the log, without cutting, and thus impermeable to rainwater, which slides off without entering the wood fiber.”

The overall impression is one of sinuous volumes covered by larch shingles, like two architectural sculptures that open up new horizons. They stand on a sloping meadow, in front of the large historic structure of the hotel, with views of the forested landscape of the Valle dell’Adige, surrounded by the peaks of the Dolomites, as if they were two more little hills, framed by their casements and causing no disturbance for the eyes or the mind. They form the borders of an ideal clearing to welcome guests, taking the place of the old eyesore of a parking lot, which has been repositioned in a secluded lateral zone.

“I liked the idea of a settlement at 1600 meters, immersed in silence and beauty, the aromas and colors of nature,” De Lucchi says. “The Zirmerhof is an inspirational place, where you go above all to share an experience that makes you feel good, far from the frenzy of the city. In fact, the Padiglione Zero and the Expo Center for Expo Milano 2015 were designed right here, where there are many different tables, because around a table everything happens, you can eat, talk, make drawings; the table is a spontaneous center, on various scales, from the piazza to the small table in front of a stove,” he concludes.

“I liked the idea of a settlement at 1600 meters, immersed in silence and beauty, the aromas and colors of nature,” De Lucchi says. “The Zirmerhof is an inspirational place, where you go above all to share an experience that makes you feel good, far from the frenzy of the city. In fact, the Padiglione Zero and the Expo Center for Expo Milano 2015 were designed right here, where there are many different tables, because around a table everything happens, you can eat, talk, make drawings; the table is a spontaneous center, on various scales, from the piazza to the small table in front of a stove,” he concludes.

Inside the Case del Prato, the revitalizing effect of the site becomes even stronger. Every detail – small and large objects, including beds, upholstered furnishings, wardrobes, lamps, carpets, fabrics – has been designed for the occasion, to establish relations with the history and sensibilities of the place, in harmony with stone pine, red spruce, larch and walnut, selected to set the individual tone of each room, where the necessary technology exists, but is built-in, invisible.

“The design of the interiors has become a signature installation that completes the architectural vision,” Pico De Lucchi explains, general director of Produzione Privata, the experimental laboratory of Michele De Lucchi founded in 1990, which has now become a true brand with about 70 products in its catalogue, all made in keeping with original values of craftsmanship, and material of natural source. These products are popular around the world, from Japan to Australia. “For the Zirmerhof we have prototyped, engineered and self-produced 17 unique objects with 127 variants and 14 different carpets, all in six months, of which three were during the Covid lockdown,” he continues.