A lake view terrace

You almost feel like you are in a theatre gazing upon the spectacle of nature. Extending over a 30,000 m2 site in the town of Moniga del Garda on the Brescia side of Lake Garda, Camping delle Rose offers guests a choice of mobile homes and bungalows with splendid lake views as well as pitches for tents or caravans. There is also a beach with a jetty and slipway for boats. The campsite has a reception, bar, restaurant-pizzeria and a saltwater swimming pool complete with relaxation area and whirlpool. The current facilities were created in a functional upgrading and landscaping project carried out by architect Elena Cupolo in accordance with a land management plan drawn up by the municipal and provincial councils, one of the key aims of which is to reduce environmental impact. In particular, the architect focused on the area alongside the lake, eliminating the first three rows of semi-permanent structures and replacing them with a row of open pitches to enhance the visual space between the beach and the two rows of new eco-friendly bungalows. In contrast to standard solutions chosen for the materials and finishings of the 14 modules (25 m2 Comfort and 30 m2 Superior Suites), Elena Cupolo devoted great care to the design of the exteriors in relation to the landscape. The splendid terraces, which extend out towards the lake and improve the liveability of the facilities, are designed to blend in aesthetically with the façade claddings and to maintain a sense of continuity with the interior floors. The choice of ceramic tiles solved the functional requirements of strength, durability and ease of maintenance, factors that are especially important considering the campsite’s role as a hospitality structure that needs to combine economic sustainability with aesthetic qualities. The Cross Wood porcelain tile collection from Panaria Ceramica, chosen in the colour Buff and a high-performance 20 mm thickness ideal for outdoor use, emulates the beauty of natural wood grain, knots and honey colour tones. The 30×120 cm planks lend dynamism to the surface, which is installed using a floating system on fixed supports, a simpler solution adopted for the sake of practicality. The material texture creates a soft tactile sensation that adds to the warm wood effect in the search for integration with the surrounding scenery of Lake Garda. In this project the architect also had to take account of the economic requirements of a campsite that needs high-quality services and functions for its business operations. And as so often happens, the solution lies in a sense of balance. «Protection and improvement of the landscape are not only perfectly compatible goals, together they can become important drivers of development,» Cupolo explained.