The surrounding hills, with their pleasant scenery and colors, were the cornerstone of the entire creative process around which developed the project.

The decision to base the morphology of the house on a residential primary archetype, was in fact created by the conceptual abstraction of forms in the local urban morphology, according to the principle of cultural sustainability that draws its identity from the landscape, the lifestyles, the fabric settlement and figurative native styles.

courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture

Extruded mass, resulting from the process, has been contaminated by later color-marked additions and subtractions, almost to erode the primary pure form.

This contamination is present on the east, west and south facades and marks the will to establish this direct relationship between spaces of the house and the landscape.

courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture

Where this aspect is more prevalent, more intense is the relationship with the environment, highlighted by stained glass windows gradually more and more extensive.

The countryside enters the house, including through mediation and expansion of visual space, which covered terraces and patio. The light itself becomes part of this union.

The terraces filter the natural light, by excluding it in the summer and including it in the winter, when it can contribute to the energy needs of the house.

courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture

Proper sunshine and the compact footprint of the building, are just two of the features that have made it possible to achieve high levels of energy sustainability of the building, as well as the use of natural materials and a system of phyto treatment.

The X-lam timber prefabricated panels, properly insulated with wood fiber and integrated with solar panels on the roof, allowed us to achieve certification in Class A.

courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture

+ Project Credits

Title: CD HOUSE

Site: Miane, Italy
Construction: May 2011 – June 2012
Project: September 2009 – March 2012
Program: private house
Built Surface: 178 sq.m.
Footprint: 248 sq.m.
Structure: X-Lam Timber Panels
Energy performances: A category

Architects: DONNER  SORCINELLI  ARCHITECTURE              www.donner-sorcinelli.it
Design team: Luca Donner (team leader), Francesca Sorcinelli
Construction Management: Luca Donner

Consultants:
Structural Engineer: Remo Semenzin
Security Management: Massimo Libretti
Energy Project: Cristian Marcon

Contractor: Bio-House srl

+ All images and drawings courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture

The butterfly house is located near green hills, in the country of Gapyeong (50 km north east from Seoul), which cultural and environmental context has deeply influenced the concept of the building.

courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture

A building is considered sustainable according to how well it integrates with the natural elements of the surrounding landscape and with the habits of its inhabitants.

This thought has been the springboard for designing a 'house system' in which the respect for local housing tradition (deeply linked to nature), affordability, the energy saving features of the building and the integration with the surrounding environment well blend together, following the principles of feng shui.

courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture

The house is based on two units, one for a family, the other for grandparents, and his figure is defined by large panoramic terraces, shaped like the wings of a butterfly, open through the landscape.

Sustainability, affordability and the visual relation with the surrounding landscape are the main focuses of the project, developed through local cheap technological solutions, natural ventilation, high insulation and large windows and terraces shaped like the wings of a butterfly.

courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture

These elements characterize not only the articulated figure of the building, defining masses, voids, translations and rotations, but also becoming passive systems able to optimize solar radiation and wind collectors able to catch summer breezes too.

courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture

During winter, terraces work as barriers versus cold winds, protecting the house from bad weather. Building orientation follows climatic and functional reasons: optimization of natural ventilation and sunshine inside the apartments during the year.

Project’s Awards

• Highly Commended, "CITYSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2010" RESIDENTIAL FUTURE CATEGORY, Dubai (UAE)
• Honorable Mention, "MA PRIZE 2011'', Atlanta (USA)
• Shortlisted Nominee, "CITYSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2011" RESIDENTIAL BUILT CATEGORY, Dubai (UAE)
• Winner, "20+10+X WORLD ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2012", 10th cycle Paris (France)
• Shortlisted, "PREMIO ARCHITETTURA CITTA' DI ODERZO", XIII edition, Italy

+ Project facts

Title: BUTTERFLY HOUSE

Site: Gapyeong, South Korea
Construction: april – september 2010
Project: december 2009 – april 2010
Program: no. 2 apartments
Built Surface: 217 sq.m.
Footprint: 180 sq.m.

Architects: DONNER SORCINELLI ARCHITECTURE www.donner-sorcinelli.it
Design team: Luca Donner (team leader), Francesca Sorcinelli, Seong Bong Yun

Consultants:
Local Architect: Studio NakHyunJae, Nak-yong Choi
Works Manager: NR2, Jun-bo Sim
Construction Management: NR2, Sang-chun Lee

+ All images and drawings courtesy Donner Sorcinelli Architecture