--- slug: unboxed title: Unboxed — A prefabricated timber building for the Mediterranean in Polignano a Mare hero_subtitle: A fully prefabricated, demountable and 100% recyclable X-lam house, designed to demonstrate that timber construction is a viable alternative to brick and mortar in southern Italy. year: "2014" location: Polignano a Mare, Apulia typology: Residence vertical_primary: Sustainable Design vertical_primary_slug: sustainable-design badge_raw: 2014 · Polignano a Mare, Apulia · Residential · Sustainable Design scheda: Location: Polignano a Mare, Apulia, Italy Year: "2014" Client: Marlegno (competition) Typology: Prefabricated detached house Area: 100 m² (main version; 4 variants available) Status: Concept with detailed design Designers: Micaela Colella (Project Leader), Maurizio Barberio (Principal Architect) Awards: WA Award Cycle 20 (World Architecture Community Award) Publications: ArchDaily, eVolo Magazine, Inhabitat, Architizer (Idea 996802), World Architecture Community, Pinterest. All links can be found by searching for "Barberio Colella Unboxed" images: - filename: unboxed-exterior-evening.jpg alt: Volume Unboxed night-time shading panels caption: The white structure, featuring computer-controlled shading panels, reinterprets the characteristics of the Mediterranean home within an CLT construction system. - filename: unboxed-axonometric.jpg alt: Exploded axonometric view of Unboxed modules caption: The axonometric diagram shows the building broken down into basic structural elements, each of which can be assembled ready-fitted. - filename: unboxed-modules.jpg alt: Dimensions of Unboxed modules caption: Four different sizes cater to a range of housing needs, from couples to families, thanks to the modular design. - filename: unboxed-prefab-panels.jpg alt: Unboxed prefabricated panels with no thermal bridges caption: Each prefabricated panel is fully finished and free from thermal bridges, ready for direct installation on site. - filename: unboxed-panels.jpg alt: "CNC Apulian Climate Sunshades: Unboxed" caption: The sunshade panels are CNC-machined with angles calibrated to provide summer solar shading in the Apulian climate. - filename: unboxed-floor-plan-100sqm.jpg alt: "Unboxed floor plan: 100m² day and night" caption: The floor plan of the 100 m² version shows a clear division between the living area and the sleeping area, linked by the central glass-walled corridor. - filename: unboxed-entrance.jpg alt: "Unboxed entrance: glass-walled corridor with a natural feel" caption: The glass corridor is a passageway through nature that re-establishes contact with the surrounding environment every time you walk through the house. - filename: unboxed-exterior-rainy-day.jpg alt: Exterior, Unboxed, Rainy Scene, Campaign caption: "The building in its natural setting: its white façade blends seamlessly with the landscape, even on rainy days, reflecting its Mediterranean character." - filename: unboxed-kitchen.jpg alt: "Unboxed Kitchen: Bespoke Interior Design" caption: "The kitchen demonstrates the potential of interior design in prefabricated homes: bespoke fittings and high-quality materials within an industrialised system." - filename: unboxed-living.jpg alt: "Living Unboxed: a cosy open-plan space" caption: The open-plan living area combines the living space with new forms of domestic socialising, maintaining a constant connection with the landscape through the floor-to-ceiling openings. - filename: unboxed-bedroom.jpg alt: Unboxed double bedroom with panelled walk-in wardrobe caption: The double bedroom features floor-to-ceiling panelling that conceals the entrance to the walk-in wardrobe behind it. faq_count: 6 related_slugs: - unit-27 - bamboo-office - polymnia-futura cta: title: Are you considering buying a timber house in Puglia or southern Italy? body: Unboxed was founded on the belief that timber construction can be truly Mediterranean. If you’re considering a prefabricated timber building for the climate of southern Italy — or if you want to find out whether it’s the right choice for your project — we can discuss it with you, drawing on concrete data and expertise. button: Let’s talk about your project microcopy: "[Let’s talk about your project]" hero_image: unboxed-exterior-evening.jpg gallery_renders: - filename: unboxed-exterior-rainy-day.jpg alt: Exterior, Unboxed, Rainy Scene, Campaign caption: "The building in its natural setting: its white façade blends seamlessly with the landscape, even on rainy days, reflecting its Mediterranean character." - filename: unboxed-entrance.jpg alt: "Unboxed entrance: glass-walled corridor with a natural feel" caption: The glass corridor is a passageway through nature that re-establishes contact with the surrounding environment every time you walk through the house. - filename: unboxed-living.jpg alt: "Living Unboxed: a cosy open-plan space" caption: The open-plan living area combines the living space with new forms of domestic socialising, maintaining a constant connection with the landscape through the floor-to-ceiling openings. - filename: unboxed-kitchen.jpg alt: "Unboxed Kitchen: Bespoke Interior Design" caption: "The kitchen demonstrates the potential of interior design in prefabricated homes: bespoke fittings and high-quality materials within an industrialised system." - filename: unboxed-bedroom-02.jpg alt: Unboxed master bedroom – full-height wood boiserie caption: "The master bedroom with full-height wood boiserie, asymmetric pendant lamps and the door to the walk-in wardrobe: CNC-cut brise-soleil panels filter the natural light through the floor-to-ceiling glazing." - filename: unboxed-bedroom.jpg alt: Unboxed double bedroom with panelled walk-in wardrobe caption: The double bedroom features floor-to-ceiling panelling that conceals the entrance to the walk-in wardrobe behind it. - filename: unboxed-exterior-evening.jpg alt: Volume Unboxed night-time shading panels caption: The white structure, featuring computer-controlled shading panels, reinterprets the characteristics of the Mediterranean home within an CLT construction system. gallery_drawings: - filename: unboxed-axonometric.jpg alt: Exploded axonometric view of Unboxed modules caption: The axonometric diagram shows the building broken down into basic structural elements, each of which can be assembled ready-fitted. - filename: unboxed-prefab-panels.jpg alt: Unboxed prefabricated panels with no thermal bridges caption: Each prefabricated panel is fully finished and free from thermal bridges, ready for direct installation on site. - filename: unboxed-modules.jpg alt: Dimensions of Unboxed modules caption: Four different sizes cater to a range of housing needs, from couples to families, thanks to the modular design. - filename: unboxed-panels.jpg alt: "CNC Apulian Climate Sunshades: Unboxed" caption: The sunshade panels are CNC-machined with angles calibrated to provide summer solar shading in the Apulian climate. - filename: unboxed-floor-plan-100sqm.jpg alt: "Unboxed floor plan: 100m² day and night" caption: The floor plan of the 100 m² version shows a clear division between the living area and the sleeping area, linked by the central glass-walled corridor. --- # Unboxed — Prefabricated timber building for the Mediterranean in Polignano a Mare _A fully prefabricated, demountable and 100% recyclable CLT building, designed to demonstrate that timber construction is a viable alternative to masonry in Southern Italy._ **2014 · Polignano a Mare, Puglia · Residential · Sustainable Design** --- ## Beyond the box: timber as a Mediterranean home Building a house with load-bearing walls in CLT inevitably means building a ‘box’. Unboxed takes this technical constraint and transforms it into a design theme: accepting the box-like structure — which is the compositional principle of 99% of Mediterranean homes — in order to overcome its limitations. The project is designed for Polignano a Mare, in Puglia, where the typology of the white house with clean volumes and a balanced relationship with solar light and the landscape is a deeply rooted cultural feature. Unboxed does not imitate tradition: it translates it into modernity with a different construction system, demonstrating that the prefabricated timber building can be fully Mediterranean. The high standardisation of the modules and their complete prefabrication allow for four dimensional variants based on different spatial requirements. Every structural element — floors, walls, joinery, eaves — is designed to be installed fully finished, both internally and externally, without thermal bridges. This approach opens the door to industrial solutions for mass production and cost reduction, without compromising on architectural quality. Even the shading panels, cut using CNC machines, are designed with calibrated angles for summer shading and can be customised with four different base patterns. Sustainability is not just a slogan. The house is 100% recyclable and can be completely dismantled thanks to an innovative steel foundation that eliminates the need for excavation, insulates against ground damp and houses most of the building services. The low-pitched roof allows for the installation of solar tiles capable of generating both electrical and thermal energy. The glazed corridor dividing the living and sleeping areas is not merely a functional element: it is a passage into nature, a transitional space that re-establishes visual and sensory contact with the surrounding environment with every crossing. The design of the interior spaces confirms the design intent: bespoke furnishings alternate with industrial-style pieces, demonstrating the potential of these homes when designed with attention to technical and aesthetic detail. The living area is organised around a large fitted wall unit, the centre of which is a biofireplace dominating the central perspective; the sleeping area, with two bedrooms and a bathroom, features full-height panelling that conceals flush doors leading to the walk-in wardrobe. The dominant white colour, the interplay with light and the dialogue with the surrounding nature complete the transposition of the characteristics of the Mediterranean home into a contemporary wooden interpretation. --- ## Image gallery ![Unboxed volume with night-time shading panels](images/unboxed/unboxed-exterior-evening.jpg) *The white volume with numerically controlled shading panels reinterprets the characteristics of the Mediterranean home within an Xlam construction system.* ![Exploded axonometric view of Unboxed modules](images/unboxed/unboxed-axonometric.jpg) *The axonometric diagram shows the building broken down into basic construction elements, each of which can be assembled complete with finishes.* ![Dimensional variants of Unboxed modules](images/unboxed/unboxed-modules.jpg) *Four dimensional variants cater to different housing needs, from couples to families, thanks to modular standardisation.* ![Unboxed prefabricated panels without thermal bridges](images/unboxed/unboxed-prefab-panels.jpg) *Each prefabricated panel is fully finished and free from thermal bridges, ready for direct assembly on site.* ![Unboxed CNC-cut sunshades for the Apulian climate](images/unboxed/unboxed-panels.jpg) *The sunshade panels are CNC-cut with calibrated angles for summer solar shading in the Apulian climate.* ![Unboxed 100m² floor plan: day and night areas](images/unboxed/unboxed-floor-plan-100sqm.jpg) *The floor plan of the 100 m² version shows the clear division between the living and sleeping areas, connected by the central glass corridor.* ![Unboxed Entrance: glazed corridor and nature](images/unboxed/unboxed-entrance.jpg) *The glazed corridor is a passage through nature that re-establishes contact with the surrounding environment every time you walk through the house.* ![Unboxed Exterior: rain and countryside](images/unboxed/unboxed-exterior-rainy-day.jpg) *The building in its natural setting: the white façade interacts with the landscape even on rainy days, reflecting its Mediterranean identity.* ![Kitchen Unboxed custom interior design](images/unboxed/unboxed-kitchen.jpg) *The kitchen demonstrates the potential of interior design in prefabricated homes: bespoke furnishings and quality materials within an industrialised system.* ![Living room Unboxed warm open-plan](images/unboxed/unboxed-living.jpg) *The open-plan living room integrates the living area with new forms of domestic socialising, in constant dialogue with the landscape through the glazed openings.* ![Unboxed master bedroom with panelling and walk-in wardrobe](images/unboxed/unboxed-bedroom.jpg) *The master bedroom features full-height panelling that conceals the access to the walk-in wardrobe behind it.* --- ## Technical details - **Location:** Polignano a Mare, Puglia, Italy - **Year:** 2014 - **Client:** Marlegno (competition) - **Typology:** Prefabricated single-family residence - **Area:** 100 m² (main version; 4 variants available) - **Status:** Concept with detailed design - **Designers:** Micaela Colella (Project Leader), Maurizio Barberio (Principal Architect) - **Awards:** WA Award Cycle 20 (World Architecture Community Award) - **Publications:** ArchDaily, eVolo Magazine, Inhabitat, Architizer (Idea 996802), World Architecture Community, Pinterest. All links available by searching for "Barberio Colella Unboxed" - **BCA Vertical:** Sustainable Design --- ## Does it make sense to build a timber house in the Mediterranean climate of Southern Italy? In Southern Italy, the prefabricated timber building is still perceived as a foreign product, designed for northern climates. Anyone considering this alternative faces a double dose of scepticism: cultural (‘here we build with brick and mortar’) and technical (‘timber doesn’t cope with the summer heat and humidity’). In reality, the problem isn’t the material but the design: a wooden house designed without consideration for the Mediterranean climate — solar shading devices, ventilation, relationship with light — simply won’t work. But it wouldn’t work in brick and mortar either. Unboxed demonstrates that a timber version of the Mediterranean home is possible when the design is tailored to the context: shading panels designed for Apulian summer radiation, a ventilated foundation that insulates against damp, and a building envelope free of thermal bridges. --- ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How much does it cost to build a prefabricated timber building in Puglia? The costs for a prefabricated timber building start at around €1,200–1,500 per square metre for the structure alone (turnkey, excluding land and foundations). Compared to traditional brick-and-mortar construction, the cost per square metre may be slightly higher, but construction times are drastically reduced (8–12 weeks for assembly), with significant savings on labour, hire costs and unforeseen expenses. The real economic benefit becomes apparent over the building’s life cycle (LCA): lower energy consumption, reduced maintenance, and the possibility of dismantling and relocating the building. ### Can a prefabricated timber building withstand the hot and humid climate of Puglia? Yes, provided the design is tailored to the Mediterranean climate. There are three critical factors: adequate solar shading (in Polignano, Unboxed uses CNC-cut panels with angles designed to block summer solar radiation), natural ventilation (the glazed corridor and openings create air circulation), and humidity management (the steel foundations lift the house off the ground and create a ventilated cavity). The CLT building envelope, with its thickness and thermal mass, helps to stabilise the internal temperature. ### What is the difference between an Xlam house and a timber-frame house? The Xlam (glued laminated timber (glulam)) house uses solid glulam panels as load-bearing walls — it functions as a rigid structural box, similar to traditional masonry. The timber-frame house uses wooden studs and joists with lightweight infill panels. CLT offers greater thermal mass (useful in the Mediterranean climate for delaying the transfer of summer heat), better sound insulation and greater fire resistance. Unboxed chooses CLT precisely because its structural and thermal behaviour is closer to that of a traditional Mediterranean brick-built house. ### Is it possible to dismantle and move a prefabricated timber building? Yes, if the design is conceived from the outset to be dismantled. At Unboxed, the steel foundation eliminates the need for concrete casting and allows the structure to be removed without damaging the site. Every structural element — walls, floors, roof, and joinery — is assembled using reversible mechanical connections, not permanent adhesives. This makes the house fully dismantlable, transportable and reassemblable at a new site. It is also fully recyclable at the end of its life. ### How can a prefabricated house be customised without losing the benefits of standardisation? The key is intelligent modularity. Unboxed offers four size variants based on the same basic building elements, and the shading panels can be customised with different patterns thanks to CNC cutting. Standardisation applies to the components (mass production, cost reduction, consistent quality), not the final result: by combining modules and finishes in different ways, each house can have its own character. ### Which architects in Puglia design prefabricated timber buildings for the Mediterranean climate? Barberio Colella Architetti, based in Bari, developed Unboxed as a specific research project on prefabricated timber buildings for the Mediterranean region. Co-founder Micaela Colella dedicated her doctoral research to sustainable prefabricated Mediterranean homes in the Industry 4.0 era, with publications in Springer Nature. The firm combines verifiable academic expertise with design experience in the Apulia region. --- ## Are you considering a timber home in Puglia or Southern Italy? Unboxed stems from the belief that timber construction can be truly Mediterranean. If you are considering a prefabricated timber building for the climate of Southern Italy — or if you want to understand whether it is the right choice for your project — we can discuss it using concrete data and expertise. **[Let’s talk about your project]** _[Let’s talk about your project]_ --- ## Related projects - **Unit 27** — Modular system of prefabricated micro-condos: the same logic of prefabrication and modularity applied to urban densification - **Bamboo Office** — Bioclimatic office building in Changzhou: a bioclimatic design and natural materials as the principle shaping the form. - **Polymnia Futura** — Sustainable urban regeneration in Polignano a Mare: a vision of sustainability integrated into the Apulian town itself. _Discover our approach to Sustainable Design →_