Low-lying house 

Located in a uniquely South-Tyrolean landscape of apple groves and vineyards, the house zigzags across a narrow, elongated slot of land, hugging low to the ground to offer but a glimpse of the traditionally tiled roof to those passing by.

The natural slope of the site steps down through the main living spaces of the house at the ground floor to allow for an open view across the house and along the whole length of the property.  What results is a volume at once sprawling and gangly along the north-south direction, and suddenly compact and vertical when seen frontally.

During the initial excavation work an enormous porphyry boulder was found exactly where the wine-cellar and water court were to be located in the lower levels, providing a unique opportunity to re-think the connection between the house and the ground into which it was being constructed.  

The water garden is carved into the highest point of the boulder whose jagged profile is then found running into the wine-tasting room and wine cellar (the client is a prominent oenologist).  A large copper spout dips down from the cantilevered roof off of the master bedroom to direct the rain-water into the cavernous water garden below.