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NOA - Italy
Lukas Rungger and Stefan Rier met while working as project architects with the renowned architect and designer Matteo Thun in Milan, being responsible for a series of challenging projects in the field of tourism, modern living and contemporary workplaces.
Before joining forces to found noa* back home in Bozen/Bolzano in 2010, both Lukas and Stefan improved their skills and finetuned their work-ethos during a decade of work experiences both locally and abroad.
They gained particularly diverse cultural and social influences from living and working in New York, London, Berlin, Milan, Ferrara and Graz...which until present remains the crucial influence and input on their recent designs.
Lukas Rungger (born 1977) graduated in architecture from Technical University Graz (Austria) and worked first as architect and project leader with Prof. Hans Gangoly in Graz and then moved to London to work with Softroom and finally in Milan with Matteo Thun. After having gained his diploma in Brooklyn (NYC) and his professional qualification as architect from IUAV Venezia (Italy), Lukas has been extensively involved in a variety of projects mainly in the field of urban planning, housing, hotels and interior architecture of bars, shops and restaurants. He was a member of the Royal Institute of British Architecture and is now a member of the Architectural Chamber of Bozen/Bolzano.
Stefan Rier (born 1979) graduated in interior design from Centro Studi „Andrea Palladio“ Verona (Italy) and in architecture from Technical University Ferrara (Italy). He worked first as architect and project leader with Arch. Demetz, and then moved to Bergamo to work with Prof. Massimiliano Mandarini and finally in Milan with Matteo Thun. He received his professional qualification as interior designer and architect from Universita di Genova. Stefan has been focusing on a series of projects from sustainable housing to hotels, extending to interiors, landscaping and bespoke furniture design. He is now a member of the Architectural Chamber of Bozen/Bolzano.
Project Description
The Villa “Am Steinbruch”, a private house hosting two families, is established in the outskirts of the village of Soprabolzano (Italy) facing the great mountain panorama of the Dolomites. The place is a former quarry, which was the starting point in the development of the concept.
The aim was to implement the architecture into the surrounding in the most natural way; therefore it was important to underline and reinforce local building traditions. The natural stone wall forms the basis of the architecture and softly melts into the landscape. Two simple houses with pitched roofs and covered all over with shingles sit on the stone wall and are looking towards the most impressive mountains scenery.
The lower parts of the building, the spaces behind the stone wall host the more private sleeping rooms and bathrooms; that part of the building is embedded in the hillside situation in order to become one with the landscape
The more public areas such as the living and dining area are placed on two floors above the sleeping rooms and form the volumes with pitched roofs. The space is organized as an open floor plan with big openings toward the alpine scenery.
The building combines building tradition with contemporary architecture while always looking for a strong connection to the surrounding landscape.