Italian Firefighter House is Carved Into a Cave Like a Superhero Base!

<a href="http://www.bergmeisterwolf.it/project.php?type_id=1478&amp;abau_id=2174">Bergmeisterwolf Architekten</a> have essentially turned <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margreid_an_der_Weinstraße">Italy's Margried</a> volunteer firefighting team into superheroes by building their new fire brigade in the depths of a sharp black-fronted cave. Instead of using up valuable agriculture land, the community opted to carve three caverns out of rock, thereby minimizing the use of new materials and reducing the project's energy load.

The Margreid community decided to tuck a new fire station into the rock

By carving out three caverns instead of building new, the designers saved considerable resources

The brigade is fronted by a stalwart black wall and folding glass doors

The glass makes the interior visible to the rest of the community

Inside the caverns are finished with plaster

Steel, metal and wood furnishing and fixtures round off the starkness of the caverns

Only the administrative areas are insulated as the rock provides warmth elsewhere

A cantilevering cube inserted into the rock brings in natural light

The project is only barely visible from afar - a testament to the project's careful design