Riel – Il Fienile is the name of the residential complex to the South of Bolzano designed by monovolume architecture + design to offer a new, smart and sustainable housing model.
The complex has a total of 38 residential units ranging from one- to four-room apartments and was built to host young workers and couples in a strategically located area close to the industrial zone and the city centre.
The communal park with relaxation, fitness and sports areas for residents is the true heart of the project: this green space, with trees and flowers, is enriched by smart technologies such as Wi- Fi connection for smart working, charging stations for electric cars as well as bike sheds and a parcel repository with smart lock technology; in addition, horizontal flower beds made of metal that can be used as urban gardens.
The project consists of the construction of two new buildings and the revitalisation of an old barn, whereby the double pitch roof and the supporting columns of the latter are preserved and integrated into the new structure. Light enters the interior of the barn through deliberate geometric cuts in the roof and walls of the existing structure.
The two new buildings embody the stylistic evolution, characterised by large terraces and a façade whose rhythm is broken by vertical bronze-coloured slats that rise to the roof and alternate with the supporting structure of cross-laminated timber.
On one side, the architectural intervention aims to leave the supporting structure of the buildings visible; on the other side, the fusion with the surrounding landscape creates a new residential model with an urban feel, reinterpreting the interplay between historical memory and smart future in a contemporary way.
