A location with a path: a hidden, severely decayed rustico (former stable with living chamber above) located 300 m above the lake, with a 50 sqm floor area on a property larger than 3,000 sqm on the western shore of Lake Garda.

Stefan Höglmaier approached me in 2010 when design and construction planning by architect Titus Bernhard were already in place. The architectural studio Wöhr was entrusted with service phase 4 submission and approval process with the Italian authorities, as well as service phases 6 to 8. The coordination with the Italian authorities for the reconstruction was complex and was carried out with my partner office studio Armellini from Salò.

The construction company removed the remains of the small cube, which had once provided space for people and animals, and then rebuilt it according to the design architect's specifications using regional limestone in the traditional technique of rubble masonry. Now the main room with living area and kitchen extends up to the roof. Titus Bernhard cleverly used old extensions for the guest rooms and their bathrooms. We placed the house and pool technology directly into the hillside. The expansive garden, which follows the old stepped terracing, becomes forest at its edges. And into all of this, the small new rustic house with infinity pool fits with great harmony/naturalness.

Special challenge of this project: the access road to the construction site. In some places, it's still a mystery to me how the materials and construction machinery managed to make it through winding alleys and steep inclines on the gravel road to reach the construction site.