Extending the smart way, project by Daniele Menichini

Italian architect, Daniele Menichini added a private home to a hotel by inserting an eco-sustainable module into the existing building. A natural graft, just like a sea anemone on a crab.



Italian architect, Daniele Menichini, as always flown the sustainability flag in his projects; his design approach encompasses every single detail to keep down the environmental impact and to engage with the territory.





The project for an extension in Revine Lago (TV) recovers the top floor of a hotel complex and its large pocket terrace connected to the existing structure. Menichini cut away a portion of the roof and dropped in one of his timber eco-sustainable modules. 
A very streamlined design choice: the wooden parallelepiped module is positioned like a natural graft onto the existing structure with a large build-up of additions in different styles, and Daniele Menichini uses a marine metaphor to described the concept, like a “sea anemone that attaches itself to a crab’s shell as a reliable base from which to draw life from.”.





The anchor points connecting the prefabricated module to the base are hidden, it is all earthquake resistant and conforms with sustainable design standards to guarantee almost zero energy consumption based on renewable sources.



Menichini’s extension also responds to the new zero land take directives, and at the same time this contemporary, green living solution has a lot of class.

(Christiane Bürklein)

Project: Daniele Menichini, www.studiomenichini.it
Year: 2014
Location: Revine Lago (TV), Italy
Photography: Courtesy of Daniele Menichini