A barn from the 1960s, turned into a workplace for an artist, an experimental and narrative environment where the light and surrounding hills shape the architecture.

The barn is located in the village of Varignana-Palesio, within the municipality of San Pietro Terme, in the province of Bologna, Italy.

The needs of the client were translated by Ciclostile Architettura into design gestures, in line with the essence of the building. The original structure is not of a particular architectural quality, but rather it is interesting owing to the spaces that it can hold inside.

Ciclostile Architecture is an architecture practice based in Bologna and led by Giacomo Beccari, Gaia Calamosca, Alessandro Miti, focusing in urban regeneration, building recovery and participatory design.

This space takes advantage of the existing heights to get a bright and ventilated space.

Another fundamental element of the project is symmetry. The structural shape of the ground floor is given by a reinforced concrete structure with two rows of pillars marking the plan.

In fact, the project started from the pillars to rearrange the rooms, and following the needs of the client.

The plan was divided into three parts: two wider spaces characterised by a laboratory and a study, and a third dedicated to services.

This area also becomes a filter zone between the two main spaces.

A third fundamental aspect of the project is the relationship with the landscape, which is pursued through a greater visual connection.

This connection is materialised throughout the transformation of the facades, with the creation of large openings to increase the internal- external relationship in the first floor space.