The Villa

‘Villa Maggiore’ is in the Northern Lakes district of Italy. It is a 450m2, 1920s villa spread over three floors, a cellar and attic. The second floor was never finished, and, the villa was not used for the last ten years. The second floor had no windows, unfinished concrete walls, exposed wooden ceiling, and no fittings.

2017.09 | Villa Maggiore

2017.09 | Villa Maggiore

2017.09 | Villa Maggiore

2018.09 | Mel Feldmuller enjoying the view from Villa Maggiore’s second floor

Harvest Map Italia

Scouting materials from laptops and on the road

During the end of 2017, under initiative of Cèsare Peeren the team Harvest Map Italy was formed. Harvest Map is an open source web platform for sharing waste material finds. With the support of Dutch and local organisations the platform is now available also in Italian language; implemented with many of the finds scouted during the workshop at Villa Maggiore.

2017.09 | The Harvest Map Italia team supervised by Mel Feldmuller and Elisa Saturno at Villa Maggiore

Waste materials suitable for use in the project were ‘harvested’. Italian architecture and design students were taught how to find, or ‘harvest’ suitable waste in ‘Harvesting Workshops’ held at the villa. From this more than 130 waste materials with potential for use in design and architecture were found over the following year in the region around Milan.

Some of the materials scouted during the Superuse Workshop at Villa Maggiore

Publicly available waste materials were posted on ‘Harvest Map’, a open source web platform developed by Superuse Studios to connect suppliers and users of waste. As a result of this project, the Italian version of Harvest Map was developed. Harvest Map Italy was launched in March 2018 at ‘Fa’ la cosa giusta’ fair in Milan. Twenty-two of the waste materials found were used in ‘Villa Maggiore’ while materials posted on Harvest Map are available to be implemented in other projects in the region.

2017.10 | Superuse workshop Harvest Map at Villa Maggiore

2017.10 | Césare Peeren during material scouting

2018.10 | Some of the laser-cut samples selected for the interiors

Climate / spatial study

The challenge is primarily about reducing the amount of energy used in the Villa. Then ensuring that the energy that is needed is produced as sustainably as possible.  If the ‘Villa’ can make all the energy it uses it will technically become a ‘zero’ energy home.

Our heating and cooling strategy is to firstly examine the passive heating and cooling options that use the local weather conditions (such as prevailing hot and cold winds) and which works with the Villa’s architecture, and which also calls for living in the Villa in a way that aligns with it’s natural internal micro-climates.

Creating the silk bumpers for the wall insulation experiment

The central room of the 1st floor during the installation of the silk bumper

Below: Mel Feldmuller explaining the silk insulation test. See the extended post dedicated to ENERGY DESIGN by Superuse Studio Cèsare Peeren  on Behance

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The first approach to a spatial study, especially on the 2nd floor was performed on 1:1 scale by using empty cardboard boxes and some of the materials already harvested.

Furniture Jam Session

The interior fit-out is entirely from waste materials sourced from the Milan region over the previous year. The interior was custom built on site by an international group of waste designer/builders in 2 x 2 week ‘furniture jam sessions’. As for music jam sessions, though materials and conditions were supplied, there was no pre-defined plan or design.

Cèsare Peeren and Elisa Saturno preparing the selected materials for the design process.

Above: some of the material chosen for the interiors design.

2018.10 | work in progress at Villa Maggiore

Many efforts has been spent on creating the right conditions for the team to work. Breaks were also important moments to gain together, recharge, enjoy the landscape and exchange ideas. →See also the dedicated post by Superuse Studio Cèsare Peeren | Our Day on Behance

2018.09 | Work in progress: the cloak room wardrobe by Studio Cifra

floor 0 | Ground

Firehosescape

by Co2RO

Superused materials: foam board sandwich panels, fire hose, fire extinguishers, fire extinguisher nozzles, fire extinguisher trolleys, dead stock laminate, foam sheets, first split neoprene, metal post holders.

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2018.10 | Villa Maggiore’s living room: the Firehosescape by Co2RO | Marco Broeders

 

2018.10 | Villa Maggiore’s living room: the Firehosescape by Co2RO | Marco Broeders

2018.10 | The mobile media set with integrated lighting by Co2RO on the beautiful floor made with left-overs of Malta

2018.10 | Villa Maggiore’s living room: the Firehosescape by Co2RO | Marco Broeders

2018.10 | Villa Maggiore’s living room: the Firehosescape by Co2RO | Marco Broeders

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Ground floor

Dining room

by Studio Cifra

Superused materials: Larch wood from discarded school fence, exhibition waste

materials (engraved perspex, Black and White display boxes, wooden boxes, MDF

board, metal frames, foam board), sheets of laser cut metal waste.

Villa Maggiore’s dining table by Studio Cifra.

2018.10 | The dining room by Studio Cifra

2018.10 | The dining room by Studio Cifra

Davide Rampanelli [Studio Cifra] on the newly made dining table

2018.09 | The making of the dining room ‘s furniture

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GROUND FLOOR

Cloak room wardrobe and storage cupboard

BY STUDIO CIFRA

Superused materials: exhibition waste materials: wooden boxes, MDF board, metal frames, foam board.

Villa Maggiore’s storage room by Studio Cifra

Villa Maggiore’s storage room by Studio Cifra

Details of the storage room

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floor 1 | Sao Paolo

Boxed

by Superuse Studios Team

Travel chests and cupboards in the rooms Sao Paulo Favella, Beijing and New York.

Superused materials: black and white display boxes, fire extinguisher nozzles, wooden roller blinds, louvre doors, fire hose, horse riding jump pole, fire extinguishers, neoprene.

BOXED in the Sao Paolo Favela’s room by Superuse Studio Team

BOXED in the Sao Paolo Favela’s room by Superuse Studio Team

The Sao Paolo Favela room

Details of BOXED in the Sao Paolo Favela room

Above: BOXED installed in the Sao Paolo room | Below: the making of Sao Paolo room

floor 1 | New York

BY SUPERUSE STUDIOS TEAM

TRAVEL CHESTS AND CUPBOARDS

Superused materials: black and white display boxes, fire extinguisher nozzles, fire hose, horse riding jump pole, fire extinguishers, neoprene, laser cut steel foil.

BOXED in the New York room

BOXED in the New York room

2018.10 | New York room

Details of the New York room

BOXED in the New York room

Details of the New York room

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Cèsare working on New York room’s headboard

floor 1 | Beijing

BY SUPERUSE STUDIOS TEAM

TRAVEL CHESTS AND CUPBOARDS

Superused materials: black and white display boxes, fire extinguisher nozzles, louvre doors, neoprene.

2018.10 | The nearly finished Beijing room

BOXED in the Beijing room by Superuse Studio Team

BOXED in the Beijing room by Superuse Studio Team

BOXED in the Beijing room by Superuse Studio Team

BOXED in the Beijing room by Superuse Studio Team

the making of BOXED for the Beijing room

Peter De Jong [Superuse Lab] installing BOXED in the Beijing room

floor 1 | Wien

WIEN

BY SUPERUSE TEAM

Superused materials: waste metal frames, foam board sandwich panels, dead stock laminate, wooden roller blinds, silk.

Wien room by Superuse Studio Team

Detail of Wien room by Superuse Studio Team

Detail of Wien room by Superuse Studio Team

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Marco Zaccara [Mima Works] finishing the Wien room

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floor 1 | Bathrooms

Bathrooms of the 1st floor renewed by using left over malta from other building projects

Bathrooms of the 1st floor renewed by using left over malta from other building projects

Bathrooms of the 1st floor renewed by using left over malta from other building projects

Bathrooms of the 1st floor renewed by using left over malta from other building projects

Malta of different colours has been combined organically inspired by the skies of the Italian northern lakes district

floor 2 | Paris

BY REFUNC

HOLIDAY HOTEL ROOM WITH SHOWER AND WASH BASIN

Superused materials: wood; window frames; exhibition perspex; wooden roller blinds; fire hose; fire extinguisher trolleys; fire extinguishers, nozzles and brackets; foam board; light boxes; wooden louvre doors.

The Paris room by Refunc

The Paris room by Refunc

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Refunc’s team prototyping the first hanging-bed structure

Refunc | work in progress at the 2nd floor

floor 2 | Melbourne

by Refunc

Holiday hotel room with shower and wash basin

Superused materials: wood; window frames; exhibition perspex; wooden roller blinds; fire hose; fire extinguisher trolleys; fire extinguishers, nozzles and brackets; foam board; light boxes; wooden louvre doors.

2018.10 | Melbourne room by Refunc

Melbourne room by Refunc

Melbourne room by Refunc

2018.10 | Melbourne room by Refunc

Details of the Melbourne room by Refunc

Details of the Melbourne room by Refunc

Details of the Melbourne room by Refunc

Jan Koerbes [Refunc] finishing the Melbourne headboard

floor 2 | Tokyo

BY REFUNC

HOLIDAY HOTEL ROOM WITH SHOWER AND WASH BASIN

Superused materials: wood; window frames; exhibition perspex; wooden roller blinds; fire hose; fire extinguisher trolleys; fire extinguishers; nozzles and brackets; foam board; light boxes; wooden louvre doors.

The Tokyo room by Refunc

Impression of the Tokyo room which is awaiting to be finished with one of my photos as wallpaper

Detail of the Tokyo room by Refunc

The Tokyo room by Refunc [Awaiting to be finished with wallpaper]

Detail of the Tokyo room’s shower by Refunc

The Lightbox in the Tokyo room

Detail of the Tokyo room by Refunc

Detail of the Tokyo room’s shower by Refunc

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Denis Oudendijk [Refunc] finishing the Tokyo room’s shower

floor 3 | the attic

The attic is the floor where many of the systems dedicated to energy and climatization comes together. If you are interested in exploring more about this subject see the extended post dedicated to ENERGY DESIGN by Superuse Studio Cèsare Peeren  on Behance

2018.09 | Marco Zaccara’s private space in the attic during the Furniture Jam Session

Publish this story

None of the above cited text and photos are meant to be published without approval of the authors. If this project has captured your attention and you are wishing to publish it, please visit the dedicated posts on BEHANCE.

For text related requests email Césare Peeren.

For more information on Harvest Map Italy please contact Elisa Saturno.

For any request regarding the publication of the photographs and hi-resolutions files

please download and fill the → Acquire guidelines and/or email me. Thank you. Denis Guzzo

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SUPPORTED BY

.Superuse Studios, Rotterdam, NL | Giacimenti Urbani, Milan, IT | RE-USE.EU

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Download here the Press Release 2019.02_VillaMaggiore.pdf