Trulli Resolana by Lab36 Studio Associato
Trulli Resolana was designed as a house by Lab36 Studio Associato and is located in Castellana Grotte, Italy. The project restores Apulian trulli—quaint, conical buildings—while adding a contemporary extension that connects via outdoor areas set among ancient olive and cherry trees. The architecture focuses on energy-saving strategies, features local materials and workmanship, and showcases a thoughtful dialogue between the historic cores and modern living spaces.
Trulli Resolana Restores Apulian Rural Architecture
Apulian trulli represent a typical example of recovered and preserved rural architecture, as well as a living, breathing trace of a history dating back as far as the 16th century.
Conceived as grain supply points during Spanish rule, today they allow for the refreshment of mind and soul during short or lifelong stays. With its pinnacles of ancient memory and its wedge-shaped roofs, the trullo represents Puglia and the Itria Valley, delivering a fairy-tale image. In addition to Alberobello, the capital of trulli, the Apulian countryside is a succession as far as the eye can see of trulli and dry stone walls embracing centuries-old oaks and olive trees.
Client Request Restores Five-Cone Trullo In Castellana Grotte
The client’s request was to restore a five-cone trullo with turret from the 1800s and build an attached extension. The ruin had been abandoned for several decades and overgrown by vegetation.
The building is located in the southern part of a plot of farmland with cherry trees and ancient olive trees.
Design Balances Environmental Impact With Historic Restoration
The design aim was to build a construction while minimizing the environmental impact, restoring the trulli with the original techniques, following an energy-saving strategy in the facilities, and preserving all the tree species on the land for the construction of the extension.
Centuries-Old Olive Tree Anchors Trulli Resolana Project
The soul of the project, center on a centuries-old olive tree chosen as a hinge between the old and the new. Ancient trulli and modern extension dialogue with each other through the semi-private outdoor spaces, gathered within the surrounding walls. The olive tree, placed in the center of a patio, becomes almost a sculptural element that stands out against the white canvas of the lime walls.
Trulli Resolana Interiors Incorporate Fairytale Apulia Elements
Taking advantage of the thermal characteristics of the thick stone walls, the bedrooms were allocated inside the trulli, while the living area was planned in the modern part. The “telescope” structure of the latter visually connects the outdoor pool and solarium area with the intimate indoor patio.
The spaces communicate serenity, intimacy, and at the same time surprise with their volumes and colors. The light of Apulia is found in the white lime of the walls, the color of the red earth, the winter sea, and the twisted, fairy-tale trunk of the ancient olive trees.
Apulian Landscape Inspires Trulli Resolana Design Philosophy
The colors and textures of the existing context are used in defining the color palette of the cladding and horizontal and vertical surfaces, reproducing suggestions and evocations belonging to the Apulian landscape.
Photography by Roberto Cicchinè
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