02 - Terra Sarda
The Sinis Peninsula, located on the western coast of Sardinia, is a complex environmental and territorial system rich in natural and cultural heritage.
Its distinctive morphological formation, defined by the Sinis isthmus, provides consistently safe anchorage for boats. This particular quality, combined with its central location in the Mediterranean, made the Sinis one of the most sought-after territories for ancient Mediterranean civilizations, both foreign and local.
Throughout the area, numerous archaeological sites can be found, ranging from prehistoric settlements with a high density of nuraghi, to Phoenician-Punic sites, culminating in the archaeological area of Tharros.
The Sinis morphology is further characterized by a lagoon system and gently rolling hills, particularly well-suited for vine cultivation.
On the Su Pranu plateau, in the Costa Randada area, there is today a working agricultural estate just a few dozen meters from a nuragic site, offering expansive views over the Sinis Peninsula. The estate spreads across the gentle slopes of the hill, alternating between uncultivated land and wide expanses of Mediterranean scrub. The landscape is also marked by basalt rock outcrops, where bright yellow-orange mosses and lichens contrast against the grey stone.
The Terra Sarda project carries the ambitious goal of creating a passive, bioclimatic, and native home, harnessing the area’s rich natural and cultural resources—both in materials and heritage.
The villa’s concept is rooted in the relationship between the house and the vineyard: a clear, transparent connection based on balanced proportions and respect for the natural and productive environment.
The villa extends longitudinally, parallel to the rows of grapevines, maintaining a very low profile that allows it to blend into the Mediterranean landscape and minimize visual impact. As in rural tradition, the vineyard rows are oriented along the dominant wind direction: northwest to southeast. The interior spaces are organized along the heliothermal axis, allowing the living area to open outward toward the Sinis peninsula, while the opposite side remains more private and enclosed.
Access to the home is through a path shielded by Mediterranean scrub, revealing only a narrow opening in the basalt wall—creating a subtle threshold for guests.
The structure alternates basalt masonry walls with “ladiri”, earthen blocks typical of Sardinian traditional building methods. The roof, following Punic tradition, is flat and built using wooden beams and reed matting laid orthogonally.
The living area features large glazed openings screened by cane brise-soleils, while the sleeping area is more intimate, accessed via a spine corridor between two basalt walls, with carefully positioned openings.
The house includes a small courtyard serving as an open entrance, and a larger, more important courtyard connected to the kitchen and service areas, acting as a private, sheltered family space.
The “Terra Sarda” villa combines traditional Mediterranean construction systems with modern technologies such as mechanical ventilation, rainwater harvesting, and the collection of solar energy via photovoltaic and solar thermal panels.
This fusion of tradition and innovation is reflected in both the design and typological composition, with a rationalist DNA influenced by the millennia-old vernacular culture of the Sinis.