Casa Salve by Massimo Iosa Ghini

Massimo Iosa Ghini designed and built a Mediterranean-style home on the Salento peninsula in Italy, adopting a sustainable design approach that engages with the territory.



One of the most recent projects by Massimo Iosa Ghini, Italian architect and designer, is a villa in the countryside of the Salento peninsula, surrounded by olives and maritime pines and just a few kilometres from the seaside.





He adopted traditional techniques and local materials in his design of the single-level volume; it is based on the concept of the Salento farmhouses and is built around a large open space that holds the living area, dining room and kitchen. An outdoor patio with pergola extends from the indoor living area and the bedrooms all open off the open space.





Iosa Ghini carefully selected the materials to blend in with the countryside. Pietra Chianca for the outdoor pavement, large porcelain stoneware slabs for the interiors and Acquarica tufa for the wall coverings. He also built a separate ‘pajara’, a traditional construction with a conical roof, made from local dry stone.





Iosa Ghini’s project features passive climate control techniques such as sunshades, low-emission glass, green pergolas, and the natural shade provided by trees on the site. In addition, the inaccessible roof areas house photovoltaic panels for active energy conservation and responsible enjoyment of the countryside. The flat roof has been set up as a sun-deck and gives great views over the countryside. 

(Christiane Bürklein)

Project: Massimo Iosa Ghini
Location: Salve (LE), Italia
Year: 2014
Images courtesy of Iosa Ghini Associati
Videointerview with Massimo Iosa Ghini