Modernity meets tradition in the dolomites

Located idyllically 1,568 meters above sea level Corvara is one the five Ladin communities in Val Badia not far from Bozen and in addition to Cortina is one of the most sought after residential areas in South Tyrol. The mountain world of the Dolomites that surrounds the village sees an endless pilgrimage of hikers and snow freaks summer and winter alike. But the hard winter months in particular, with their incalculable masses of snow, present many dangers and risks, especially for house owners.

The lifetime of roof coverings fluctuates considerably and can be greatly reduced over the years by the masses of snow. The consequences often include ruined roof timbering and broken roof elements. Hard covering of a 200 m² detached house roof, for example, weighs between 40 and 55 kilograms per square meter. In other words the roof timbering bears a load of over ten tons in total. Add the snow load to this and you are talking about another 15 to 20 tons bearing down on the roof in the case of new and powder snow with the snow load going up four-fold when it rains. Weighing just 2.3-2.6 kg/m² a PREFA roof comprises only a fraction of the load of a conventional roof (approx. 40-55 kg/m²). This means the roof timbering has a good 10 tons less to bear with a PREFA roof covering. Whereby the PREFA aluminium roof is particularly hardwearing and durable.

It was the aesthetics of PREFA products that convinced the architect Dr. Hugo Kostner in one of his most recent flagship projects. He built a new residential estate on the periphery of Corvara – comprising two six-apartment buildings and two detached houses plus an office for his two daughters. “The choice of material for the two traditional apartment buildings with their comfortable living areas and the two detached houses was influenced not only by functionality and strength but to a great extent by the questions of aesthetics and weight as well. The incalculable weather conditions in mountain areas make the choice of roof covering a key concern where sturdiness and durability are concerned. We successfully managed to combine the materials wood for the outer shell and aluminium for the pitched roofs”, the architect explains.

The aesthetics of the residential estate comprises both traditional and modern architecture. The new detached houses that were completed in summer 2012 are completely clad with trapezoidal wooden slats. The large windows, some in the interior light wall and others rounding off the outer corner of the wall, allow the residents an impressive view of the mountains.

Due to the low 11° roof pitch of the two detached houses with their wooden facades the architect decided on a PERFALZ covering in anthracite P.10 stucco. The garage blocks with their 25-centimetre brickwork were covered with two layers 10-centimetre double insulation and the trapezoidal larch wood layer mounted on top of this. “The roof construction, which is covered with a 24-centimetre thick insulation layer, is also remarkable. The full boarding of each 125 m² roof surface was finally covered with PREFALZ", explains PREFA consultant in South Tyrol Reinhold Augschöll.

The PREFA roof tile that has a 40-year material guarantee was used for the 350 m² apartment buildings. This classic roof tile is among the lightest and most stable roofing materials available on the market and was also nailed to a full-board substructure with double insulation. Anthracite P.10 stucco was again chosen as the colour for this product. The innovative colour coating from the P.10 range makes the aluminium even more reliable as well as providing even better protection of the roofs and façades against UV radiation and other environmental impacts. Dr. Kostener goes on to tell us: “The optical appearance of the coating is impressive and its added value is an enormous benefit in our region. I know what I am taking about. Many roof materials have a service life of just 30 years and all too often have to be replaced even before that.”

From the very outset durability, guarantee and optical appearance were the decisive factors for us. We received optimum support from PREFA right from the very start of the execution planning phase, so we were able to get our bearing very quickly and implementation by the tinsmith also ran smoothly. The combination of modern and traditional forms in perfect harmony with the spectacular mountains makes the finished buildings a really impressive sight.”

Dr. Arch. Hugo Kostner, kostnerarchitektur