‘little journey into the past’. Our architect introduced us to an impresario named Marco, owner of one of the most esteemed building companies in the province of Cuneo; in my opinion a person to admire for 2 simple things, his passion for work and foresight, of which I am sure we will return to talk to you later. He invited us to visit his home, a newly renovated cottage in the finishing phase.

Setting aside the enchanting 360 ° panoramic view of the Roero on which you could write a poem, you won’t believe what I saw with my own eyes, a masterpiece in green building. Never seen such care in the renovation of a house, but above all a lot of attention to the choice of materials . It is reasonable to think that Marco wanted to retrace a journey into the past and bring to light a way of building a hundred years ago. For the first time in my life I saw together the “barrel vault” of a house with the person who made it.

a sample photo of how a cottage can be restructured in green building

Every detail had a reason, every wall had its own story, the doors were over 100 years old, all rigorously dusted off and refurbished. Forgotten for years in some warehouse, submerged in dust and pre-retired with the renovation of some rustic. Everywhere attention shone, from the walls of more than 50cm with natural insulators, terra cotta floors , interior doors and beams in solid wood, slatted floors made on the spot. Unbelievable that the plaster had been made with the raw earth extracted from the excavations of that house.

Today we hear talk of green building everywhere, I think I have met a person who, taking a step back, has created a decidedly futuristic building work, a ‘new rustic’ in ancient green building. Extremely simple as it is modern, it has left no room for oil derivatives , a certification all its own due to the transparency of its composites and components, due to its origins from a world far removed from the synthetic and artificial era.

The few modern brushstrokes were perfectly integrated and with minimal impact. The photovoltaic only , lying in a semicircle and perfectly lying on the back of the hill, reminded more of the walls of an ancient bastion, than of a renewable energy plant, crowned along its entire length by a row of rosemary. Very few signs of the modern world, to remind us of the greater the inevitable power outlets, the lighting elements, the sanitary ware; these were the only modern construction details in a rustic and absolutely authentic reality.

I believe every day that we must change our attitude, in small and in big things. Every day the news reminds us of the increase in the world population, the melting of glaciers, environmental disasters, the long-awaited date of December 21, 2012 ; will it really mean something? Will our lives change radically as they say? Difficult to find an answer, but it is worth getting used to the idea of ​​respecting the environment as if it were our own home and together with its garden. All the ‘discomfort’ we create on the planet will one day be returned to us and frankly I’m not curious to know how nature will decide to amaze us …