Atelier Alice Trepp | Mino Caggiula Architects

ATELIER ALICE TREPP

Location: Origlio, Switzerland
Building area: 454 sqm
Date: 2016 – 2019

Atelier Alice Trepp, located in Origlio, a small and stunning village, is an atelier designed for Alice Trepp, an Ecuadorian sculptress. The site is characterized by a gentle descending slope, the view of the pastures and of Monte Tamaro, and the coolness given by the lake. The site resembles the Greek theatres that used to lie on hill slopes, often in locations that offered a fascinating view and a spectacular perspective. The concept of lying on a natural slope gave the idea for Atelier Alice Trepp. The shape develops from the analysis of the contour lines and the folding of two of them upwards, under which the building is inserted by cutting out sinuous spaces and movements. The volumes take shape like leaves lifted from the ground, so that the architecture actually seems to be a part of Earth itself. The symbiosis with the context is emphasised by the continuous and essential presence of the vegetation, that transforms the villa into a large expanse with an opening. It resembles a natural cave with its open-air cenote into which the light and the evanescent green dive, reflecting and refracting in a pool of water that creates light shows, vibrations and sounds.