A New Beginning in the Mountains of northern italy
Italian studio NAEMAS Architekturkonzepte takes to the South Tyrolean mountains to design a residence titled Zierhof with Parlor. The dwelling stands at the edge of a highland clearing in Brenner, where soft light grazes the terrain and winter shadows retreat more slowly than the seasons. This alpine site, chosen after careful consideration, was selected not for its similarity to the past, but for its qualities in light, slope, and spatial relation to the valley below. In this elevated position, the rebuilding of a family farm destroyed by fire becomes an act of anchoring memory in new ground.
The structure is shaped by the land as much as it is by the family’s intention to rebuild without retracing their steps. A southern-facing incline opens toward the valley with a wide gesture, welcoming daylight through every season. This position secures warmth even in winter and orients the structure gently along the natural topography, affirming the family’s bond with the environment rather than nostalgia for a fixed past.
images © Gustav Willeit
NAEMAS architekturkonzepte unites Two Volumes
Zierhof with Parlor, conceived by NAEMAS Architekturkonzepte, expresses its program through a dual-volume composition that resists symmetry without feeling discordant. A sharply angled gable roof echoes traditional forms but steps askew just enough to suggest something reimagined. The cladding carries a pattern derived from the façade of the previous house, and yet this translation feels like a whisper rather than a replica, signaling continuity through abstraction.
The architects curate the interiors to balance the weight of history with the clarity of a new perspective. One volume recalls the farmhouse idiom through materials drawn from the region: larch floors, linen drapery, and Silberquarzit quarried nearby. The stair’s guardrail quietly references an old facade motif, drawing a tactile thread between generations while allowing the space to breathe differently.
Zierhof with Parlor is situated on a southern slope in Brenner for optimal year-round sunlight
Parlor Recast in Concrete and Color
With its Zierhof with Parlor, NAEMAS Architekturkonzepte proposes a new form of domesticity through the second building, where a reinterpretation of the alpine parlor unfolds. Here, exposed concrete imprinted with timber grain grounds the space, while a centrally placed tiled stove anchors it in a ritual of gathering. Color appears unexpectedly. Reds and pinks in the kitchen, and terrazzo flooring flecked with pigment all suggest vitality as a necessary architectural gesture.
In the hands of NAEMAS Architekturkonzepte, the project becomes an architecture of dualities held in quiet conversation. The pairing of tradition and invention does not seek resolution. Instead, the material, volume, and tone all offer the family a way to live among memory without being confined by it.
the site was chosen through careful analysis of orientation light and topography
program is divided into two distinct building volumes that respond differently to memory and renewal
a gable roof and patterned facade are inspired by the original farmhouse
one volume is grounded in regional tradition with local materials including larch linen and Silberquarzit
intricate detailing reflects patterns from the lost structure, maintaining a tactile link to the family’s past
the second volume reimagines the alpine parlor in exposed concrete and bold color
project info:
name: Zierhof with Parlor
architect: NAEMAS Architekturkonzepte | @naemasarchitekten
location: Brenner, Italy
construction: Oberegger
carpenter: Holzbau Brugger
design, structure details: Architect Martin Seidner, Architect Nadia Erschbaumer
area: 627 square meters
completion: 2023
photography: © Gustav Willeit | @sangu
The post intricate alpine details carved throughout ‘zierhof with parlor’ by NAEMAS architekten appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.
