The project is part of a series of renovations within the historic nucleus of Bissone, which the studio has always been concerned with.
The interventions are united by their close relationship with the ancient crossing axis of the village, the present Contrada Veronese, which flanked the city walls to the east.
The arrangement of these constructions makes it possible to read the morphological development of the nucleus: houses 57, 82, 62 are developed on the boundary walls of the nucleus, along the ancient foothill route from which the village had developed towards the lake; houses 32, 25, 41, on the other hand, already enter the logic of houses built along the axes leading to the lake, perpendicular to the contour lines.
In all renovations this is a very poor built-up area, the result of several overlapping buildings used mainly as warehouses or stables.
This quality core, included in the Swiss national inventory of settlements under protection, derives mainly from its urban structure, which is very compact and precise, with a unified front towards the lake. While respecting this strong settlement structure, efforts were made to give new spatial qualities to the interiors, trying to dose the little available light as best as possible with double heights and vertical developments of spaces to make these dwellings more pleasant and suitable for contemporary living.
The few materials belong to the poor building tradition of this area: rough plaster on the outside, white gypsum cladding on the inside to manage the various spatialities and adequately insulate, and smooth concrete or wood for the floors.
