Villa di Rusciano stands on the hillside south of Florence and is one of the most significant historic buildings in the landscape surrounding the city. Built over medieval structures, the villa is traditionally associated with Filippo Brunelleschi and is thought to have been commissioned by Luca Pitti, with a possible later intervention by Bernardo Rossellino on the northern façade. The building was also extended during the seventeenth century.
The project developed by Studio Lauria in 2022 covers approximately 3,600 square metres and proposes comprehensive restoration, the upgrading of the external spaces and the functional adaptation of the complex. The new programme includes public offices and an advanced training school.
The aim is to make a highly stratified architectural heritage compatible with contemporary functions, addressing accessibility, building services, safety and spatial organisation without erasing the villa’s historic character.
The restoration and adaptive reuse project treats the building and landscape as parts of a single system. Recovering the external spaces, routes and visual relationships with the Florentine hills is therefore as important as conserving the surfaces and interiors. Functional transformation becomes a means of giving the villa a new life, ensuring maintenance, use and durability while respecting the memory of the place.
Aware of the challenges of globalisation, we draw on Italian creativity to develop projects that respect and enhance local identities and cultures.
