The designers were allowed to double the exact volumetric size of the historic hay barn. The new challenge was then to decide how the new addition would relate, or “speak,” to the existing building. It was decided that the new addition, in dialogue with the existing, would be the same size/geometry except the new cube was shifted to the mid-point to give an independent integrity to the fienile, and the same integrity, but less immediately visible, to the new modern addition. The shift also allowed for two courtyards.

The striking feature of the new addition is its roof with an inverted pitch, a nod to sustainability that conceals an array of solar panels, harnessing the power of the sun and keeping the fienile off-the-grid. This integration of renewable energy sources seamlessly blends functionality with aesthetics. The historic fienile was fully rebuilt to be entirely earthquake-proof and insulated to today’s energy standards, all while retaining the craft of local building methods. The two volumes play off one another, with the more modern twin peeking out from the historic one.

The pitched roof and the inverted pitch are visible on the interior telling the story of their relationship, as does the position of the waterspout on the walled façade on the west – suggesting something collecting water behind the wall. Glass walls, two of the four walls, connects the new building to the existing in a way that resists touching the fienile with new solid stone walls. The transformed double building consists of a kitchen, common living space/ art studio, one loft bedroom, one full bathroom, and a writing loft.

The upper bedroom of the fienile demonstrates how the airbrick, which formerly protected hay, can now be used as a screen allowing privacy in the loft bedroom while also affording amazing views to the Tuscan landscape through the patterned terracotta airbrick. The fienile allows guests to consider doing art, clay or marble carving, as is the tradition in the area. The main living space includes a sculptural sink for doing watercolors, also a local hobby. The walk-out basement contains a second bedroom and full bathroom with views of the cypress-covered hills.