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Casale Nostos is our family's intimate attempt to combine energy sustainability, landscape and architecture.
In the 2016, Renato and Gianna began their search for a house in the countryside, a place immersed in the nature, to create a refuge—a space to spend their retirement years—but also a lab. where they could continue experimenting with the things of a new world.
The existing site was characterized by a terraced environment with an ancient farmhouse nestled in a small olive grove, offering a view of the Sorrento coast. In 2019, restoration work began on the farmhouse, which featured the typical rural architectural forms of Massese farmhouses, with black tuff stone cladding.
The choices behind the project were driven by two main urgencies: on one hand, to honor the territory and local architectural culture, and on the other, to seek as much unity and integration as possible between these elements and the new forms of energy sustainability highlighted by the Passive House principles
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The very first action has been taken on the greenery, necessary to integrate the farmhouse with the existing landscape. Efforts were made to preserve and respect the Mediterranean natural scenery of the area. We planted more than 500 native plant species, among the wide variety of spontaneous plants found in the Mediterranean scrub.
For the exterior spaces, the tradition of dry-stone construction was revived. The local sandstone stones, found during the excavation works, were reused to create all the external wall cladding of the house. For the new facade of the farmhouse, the goal was to create a fluid, passive house, shaped by the forces of nature. Light, air, and earth, through insulation and ventilation systems, wood fiber cladding, and natural clay plaster, have become part of the architecture, creating continuity between the farmhouse and the surrounding landscape.
Casale Nostos intent to be an icon of sustainable architecture and construction