Villa in Carovigno – A bioclimatic residence amongst the olive trees in Puglia

In Carovigno, in the Brindisi countryside of the Murgia dei Trulli, a plot of over 12,000 square metres entirely classified as an olive grove is the site of a new residence for a Belgian couple of clients. The area, bordered by dry stone walls and dotted with olive and almond trees, falls within agricultural zone E3 of the General Urban Plan: a context where building does not mean occupying, but rather integrating into a landscape balance that has been established for centuries. The design challenge was twofold: to comply with strict planning restrictions (maximum height 4 metres, floor area ratio 0.03 m³/m²) and to offer international clients a contemporary standard of living without distorting the character of the site.

The strategy adopted by Architect Micaela Colella (project lead) and the team at Barberio Colella Architetti draws on a typology deeply rooted in the Mediterranean: the podium building. The house is situated on the existing natural terraced slope, at the innermost point of the plot, away from the road. This choice is not merely for aesthetic reasons: the distance from the road, combined with the dense tree cover, renders the building almost invisible from the outside. Beneath the podium, within the terraced volume, the garage, cellar and utility room are housed, making use of the existing elevation difference without adding any above-ground volume. The dry-stone perimeter wall of the terraced area is rebuilt using traditional techniques, transforming a maintenance project into an element of continuity with the landscape.

On the south-facing side, the facade features movable timber shading devices (a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional Apulian shutters) which can be closed completely to protect the interior from overheating and glare. The external cladding uses hempcrete blocks, a natural material with high-performance thermal properties, plastered and painted in the white of the traditional rural lime putty. Energy self-sufficiency is ensured by a 30-square-metre photovoltaic canopy and a solar thermal panel on the roof, both screened from view by vegetation. Air conditioning is provided by a high-efficiency hydronic heat pump with a storage tank.

Access to the property is via an existing opening in the dry-stone wall, with a driveway of compacted gravel, no asphalt, no waterproofing. The existing olive trees have been preserved in their original positions; only small shrubs may eventually be relocated within the plot. The project is currently at the planning permission stage, with the application submitted in July 2024.