Villa Mater

The project breathing new life into Villa Mater is, first and foremost, a landscape intervention. The park — once a kind of hortus conclusus — is made visible and accessible through the creation of two new entrances along the east–west urban axis. Facing the green area, a paved platform extends along the north–south axis, seamlessly connecting the villa, the community hall, and the new guesthouse-cafeteria.
The latter, a timber structure, stands as a manifesto of sustainability, featuring a bioclimatic greenhouse that opens toward the public square. The contemporary axis defined by the new entrances and the historical north–south axis of the park are marked by two contrasting natural compositions that merge through a continuous gesture — linking all areas into a single, unified whole.
This gesture takes the form of a circular pathway: a light, elevated structure that gently follows the contours of the landscape, its shape defined by the presence of historic trees. The circular path guides and orients visitors through every corner of the garden, emerging as a unifying element within the park’s natural diversity. It becomes a new landmark for the Villa Mater community — a catalyst for encounters, a stage for exhibitions, and a space for shared experiences.

Nineteen residential units are distributed across the villa’s existing floors, adapting to the historic building’s layout. New terraces and dormer windows, clad in distinctive corten steel, act as delicate insertions that provide each apartment with small private outdoor extensions and privileged views of the park. The social concierge area will form the heart of the senior housing complex — a welcoming, central space that connects the life of the surrounding community with the shared areas of the residents.

Location
Rivoli

Year
2024

Typology
Social senior housing – Landscape

Surface
8700 MQ

Status
First Prize
Technical and Economic Feasibility Study.
Detailed Design
Executive Design

PFTE, PD in progress

Competition Organizer
Ufficio Pio – Compagnia di San Paolo