OFFICE 264

Situated in Tuscany, on the UNESCO world heritage site of the Medici Villa del Trebbio, this is a private mill for the small-scale production of local olive oil. In essence the building is a factory, a simple square box containing machinery for oil extraction. It sits amid olive groves and is partly sunk into the sloping terrain. A steel-structure mezzanine inserted into the highest part of the building enables access from both sides of the slope. The mezzanine also creates space for an office and a bottling room at the lower level, and a tasting room above. This production facility is covered – almost completely concealed – by a large inclined circular roof. The roof, which appears to float parallel to the topography of the surrounding landscape, thus becomes the main facade. Accessible via a spiral staircase, it provides cover for outdoor machinery and equipment. Scattered on top of the concrete roof are large fieldstones taken from the olive groves. The roof composition further reiterates the delicate balance between landscape and architecture in this protected setting.