Carlo Ratti Associati in collaboration with Italo Rota has created a residence in northern Italy that revolves around a living tree at the centre of the house.

The residence is built out of a traditional Italian farmhouse outside the city of Parma, and fuses architecture, natural elements, and advanced technological solutions to produce a design that caters for a ten-metre-tall tree at the centre of the property.

The project is a wordplay of 'green-granary' and responds to the idea of biophilia, which suggests that human beings share an innate desire to live close to nature.

The design sees a series of digital devices installed to control temperature, humidity and sunlight intake to ensure the comfort of the human and botanic residents. Organic materials such as natural flooring made of orange peel and soil were used with respect to the circular economy, helping to minimise waste.

This project has been longlisted in the rural house category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

Architect: Carlo Ratti Associati

Project: The Greenary

Read more: Carlo Ratti Associati