RECOVERY OF THE FORMER COLLEGE OF MARIA AREA (17th century)
GROTTE (AG)
The project area is located in the historic center of Grotte, a small town in the Agrigento hinterland. The study begins with a general review of the entire town's history, then moves more directly to the project's scope, seeking to fully understand Grotte's historical and urban development
. The spatial reconfiguration, in addition to repurposing the space, which had been abandoned, has the ultimate goal of returning to the community an area of the historic center of significant urban significance.
Service
Executive Project
Caves
Place
Client:
Municipality of Grotte
Surface area
1000 m2
Type
Public Building
Status
Design
It is clear that the proposed spatial reorganization interventions, although designed using modern techniques and materials, take into account the existing local circumstances. Indeed, the paving will highlight sections of the foundation wall, which will be exposed during hand excavation. The simplicity of the lines characterizing the intervention, along with the reintroduction of historicized elements, will facilitate a complete and simple interpretation of the physical events that have shaped
the space over time, also serving as a reappropriation of a collective memory that would otherwise be permanently lost.
The project, which respects the historical and cultural significance of the site, ensures the "reappropriation" of a space that, for a long time, represented the heart of the town's historic center.
The interventions will preserve the existing structure, replacing material that has become obsolete, either structurally or formally meaningless. The original structural continuity of the deteriorated masonry will be restored through gradual replacement. This intervention is intended to encompass both the restoration of the masonry and a true aesthetic restoration through the recovery of the stone materials and the original construction technique. The ground floor, partially underground due to the nature of the site, will be used as a multipurpose space for conferences, congresses, shows, and events. Above, at street level, the roof of the multipurpose center will be transformed into a plaza, a public space that can be used for small outdoor events.
Gallery
