Nomad, Treviso
1500 sqm
2019-2021
Radical adaptive reuse of 1500 square meters abandoned farm near Venice as an hostel and event venue.
The barn had already been partially converted into offices, when the developer when bankrupt. We started working on the project just before the pandemic, and when Covid 19 hit we were faced with the request for a higher degree of flexibility.
Modularity took over the whole project. The internal layout is designed to be expandable and contractible as occupation numbers vary over time, as in the post-pandemic years capacity had to be adjusted to ever-changing regulations.
All the interior elements are custom, designed and developed with local manufacturers: powder-coated metal ensures a high level of resistance to cleaning products and disinfectants, while each piece of furniture (the lockers, the soft furnishing, the reception desk) is modular and can be totally reconfigured. Bed can become single, double or bunk, tables can be assembled to accomodate large parties or split to sit one or two, as the maximum number of people sitting at a table was one of the ever-shifting restriction during the pandemic in Italy.
Light fittings use standard off the shelf components and are based on just two modules, so they can be reconfigured as the spaces are rearranged.
A simple, two-colour palette runs throughout the building, creating a simple yet highly recognisable image. The floor, the furniture, even the ducts. The extensive need for mechanical ventilation is celebrated, rather than hidden.
Architecturally, the building uses a central core as the vertical circulation route, with the larger rooms on the top floors and the smaller ones on the lower floors, in order to optimise building use during lower-yield periods. The public functions rest on the ground floor, optimising circulation and logistics through the various entrances, to allow ease of management of several events at the same time.
