Place: Brusson, Dist. Faucille (AO), SR 45 n.1
Authors: Claudio Conte and Leonardo Fiori
Chronology: 1955 | 1963
Itinerary: Italy goes on vacation
Uso: Mountain resort
In this project signed by Claudio Conte and Leonardo Fiori, the theme of architectural rooting to the landscape is combined with the social and pedagogical value of the institution desired by Adriano Olivetti. The site was designed for the summer stay of company employees’ children, similar to the contemporary Tuscan holiday camps of Marina di Massa and Donoratico. The plant’s two wings branch off from a central common service nucleus. They consist of the repetition of autonomous but interconnected units that adapt their position to the configuration of the natural slope on which the complex is set.
The terminal element of the complex’s main spine, the gym, opens with a large window onto the surrounding landscape.
The refined façade design is characterized by the modular repetition of vertical wooden elements that fulfil the dual task of returning a human measure to the complex’s large size and regulating the natural sunshine.
Inside, the composition’s prevailing figures are represented by the strong presence of wooden frames, joining to form an articulated design in contrast with the white of the opaque partitions, and by the presence of monumental pillars in reinforced concrete with a hexadecagonal plan.
In the use of local wood, some typical mountain architectural stylistic features, and in the composition articulated in continuous fractures that refer to the surrounding rocky landscape, the project demonstrates the will to create rooting with the place through the filter of original research on the modern language of architecture.