It is thanks to his late son, Andrea, that the property is now vibrant with new life. A seminar centre for arts, sciences and crafts, belonging to the foundation decreed in his will, has been developed on the land. ETH Zürich helped to finance the project, and now uses the rooms along with the inhabitants of the surrounding area. The villa, dating from the end of the 19th century, has been carefully renovated and adapted to today’s needs.
In the northern part, a former barn has been replaced with a new residence. Echoing the north-Italian bird towers known as “roccoli”, it reaches out of the garden walls towards the sky. An ‘independent’ structure was created, whose colouring, surface textures and posture engage successfully in a dialogue with the surroundings.
The external walls of the “roccolo” are finished in exposed concrete. The construction is internally insulated with foamed glass. To give the surfaces greater liveliness, the concrete walls were sprayed with high pressure water shortly after the formwork was dismantled. Rectangular openings have been provided, irregularly positioned over the facade, and are shaded by adjustable larch shutters. Moss will gradually grow across the concrete and the larch shutters will turn grey. The entire construction will grow in the course of time to harmonise with the rest of the village. The visitor comes into the entrance hall of the dwelling house from the south. The adjacent room with a large opening faces the garden. The further rooms are located in staggered positions on the other storeys. They surround the central staircase, alternating with seating niches. On reaching the room with the fireplace at the top of the building, the visitor is rewarded by a magnificent view across the valley.
Semper himself was not able to enjoy this view, as he never in fact travelled to Castasegna.
