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Tabià on the Dolomites

Studio EXiT completed the renovation project of an old wooden barn on the Dolomites using a discrete approach that preserves the original character and beauty.

EXiT architects, Tabià, Selva di Cadore, Dolomites, 2016

EXiT architects completed the renovation project of a wooden alpine barn, giving new life to a structurally complex building that lies in a fragile context such as the Dolomites, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Within the Cadore area, this typology of buildings is called Tabià. They are made of stone and wood and were typically used as stables on the ground floor and haylofts on the upper floors.

The exterior wooden boards were removed, carefully washed and later remounted. Meanwhile the beams and wooden pillars were exposed so as to analyse the complexity of the structure and its joints. Between the structural elements and within the interstitial spaces of the weakest elements, new iron profiles were added to strengthen the wooden frame, with its original elements that have been maintained intact. The new iron profiles were added on site working in between the existing structure and painted black to highlight their presence and function.

On the outside, on the north facade, an annex was removed. This operation led to the possibility of restoring the access ramp to its original dimensions, gaining a new bathroom underneath, keeping the geometries clear.

The colour of the new wooden bars marks the difference with the original ones and allow you to see how this natural material changes its aspect according to orientation and incidence of light. Great attention was dedicated to the windows in order to allow views of the main surrounding mountains – Monte Civetta, Marmolada and Monte Pelmo – and guarantee wide and luminous inner spaces.