Restauro a Reggio Emilia
In the countryside between Parma and Reggio Emilia there are several ancient farms, now abandoned or in ruins. All of them have the same features, so that it is possible to recognize a building type: a compact block on three levels hosting the farmer’s residence, completed by a stretched volume hosting the cattle at the ground floor and the hay at the first floor. The cattleshed has three naves divided by brick columns supporting a vaulted brick ceiling, the barn consists in a big hall opened to the South, with pillars supporting oak trusses and a brick roof; both they are screened from the sun by a deep and high portico with brick paving.
The project consist in a conservative restoration of the cattleshed volume and in a renovation of the dwelling spaces. All the existing brick and stone walls, all the brick floors and roofs have been maintened, or, if damaged, they have been dismantled, restored piece by piece and reassembled; the same work has been done for the oak beams, the doors, the iron railings, the stairs and all the elements that it was possible to recover. Therefore in this way a project can preserve the witnesses of a long tale.
Since the house is located in an active earthquake zone, the structure has been reinforced with steel prosthesis, hidden into the walls, the wood beams and the roofs.