Old farm storage building turned into a modern house

The Rizza House is located in Vacallo, Ticino, Switzerland. It covers an area of 42 square meters and it was originally an old farm storage building. It was later converted into a family residence and now, after the renovation, its ground floor also functions as the meeting place for the main political party in town. The restructuring and remodeling of the house was a project by Studio Inches Architettura and it was completed in 2012.

Rizza house studio5

The house has a total floor area of 120 square meters. Restructuring and remodeling the house was particularly challenging because of the strict Swiss laws that don;t allow the modification of existing openings and roof structures of the buildings. This meant that the only major changes that could be made would have to take place inside the house. The building is a square-shaped structure with four levels and a 6 x 6 meter floor space.

Rizza house studio5
Rizza house studio5
Rizza house studio5

The exterior of the house had to remain intact. The openings remained the same and the height didn’t change either. But besides the exterior walls, everything else had to be modifies. The interior was completely emptied and rebuilt. On the outside, the house reflects the history and background of the building while on the inside it’s a modern space. The living room is a double-height space that gives a new perspective to the users.

Rizza house studio5
Rizza house studio5

The spaces are fucntionally divided but they still maintain a visual relationship with each other. Now the ground floor houses the equipment room while the kitchen and the living area are on the first floor, the study and an additional small room are on the second floor and the master bedroom on the top floor.{found on archdaily and pics by Tonatiuh Ambrosetti}.