Our site is an olive grove situated near Carovigno in Puglia. The plot is surrounded by oak trees and typical plants from the macchia mediterranea. Different micro-climates are present on site: some more humid, some more dry, some more exposed to the sun.
The olive trees are suffering from a bacteria, the xylella fastidiosa. The municipality of Carovigno decided to transform this public plot into a garden, still open to public in order to give it a second life.
The garden is a medicinal plant garden managed by local people and residents coming to work there for a few months. 45 species of plants are cultivated, all native from Puglia.The fields are organized depending on the micro-climates and a plantation plan has been established after a careful analysis of each plant’s needs.On the entrance of the site, an old trullo is transformed into a shop and a welcoming point for visitors. The fields are crossed by pathways that allow visitors and workers to walk around the whole garden. On the border of the forest, a laboratory and three residences are built. The laboratory is composed of a big kitchen to transform the plants into medicinal products, a drying room and a greenhouse on the roof that can be dismantled in the hot summer months. Each residence has a different typology and can host between one and three persons. The shape of the building is inspired by Ugo La Pietra’s work on neoeclettismo and particularly his design for teapots. The pilotis are built in concrete in order to carry the whole structure. The stone walls allow for good climatic insulation. The floors are built out of timber and the whole building is covered with lime, similarly to the local vernacular typologies. The space under the skirt of the building is shadowed and offers an extension of the kitchen in the warmer months. All spaces are modular and their use varies during the year and throughout the seasons.