# XX.XXI.IT. | The modern and contemporary architecture in Italy



## IThomas (Feb 11, 2011)




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## IThomas (Feb 11, 2011)

*MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts*
Rome

_Design: Zaha Hadid Architects_








The National Museum of XXI century Arts is located in Rome's Flaminio neighbourhood. The building which took 10 years to complete was constructed on the site of the former montello military barracks. The official inauguration of the museum will take place in spring 2010.







 
Spanning 30,000 sqm the complex has been integrated within the urban fabric of the city, to which it offers a new, articulated and ‘permeable’ plaza, wrapped by the spectacular forms. An exterbal pedestrian path follows the shape of the building, slipping below its cantilevered volumes, which opens onto a large plaza.

















Inside a large, full height atrium leads to the museum’s reception spaces, the cafeteria and the bookshop, the auditorium and galleries that host rotating displays of the permanent collections, exhibitions and cultural events. Materials such as glass, steel and concrete give the exhibition spaces a neutral appearance, while moveable panels ensure the flexibility of exhibition layouts.
















 
The fundmental character of the architectural and structural project consists in the use of walls as spatial ordering elements. The interiors of the galleris, almost linear, are delimited by couples of parallel walls that follow the building’s longitudinal movement. Plasterboard connected with concrete walls creates the technical cavity that contains the museum’s complex mechanical systems.

























 
The roof system is a particularly complex element, in technological and mechanical terms. It integrates exterior glazing, complex light shading devices (blinds, louvers etc) and artificial lighting systems, a system to control temperature and humidity and tracks to hang panels. The vertical blades that characterize the roof system are realized in steel and covered with a finishing material. The glass roof is protected on the exterior by a steel mesh that screens light and ensures easy maintenance. All vertical columns including the columns supporting the cantilevered volumes are constructed in steel.

*MAXXI official website*
pic sources: Zaha Hadid architects​


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## IThomas (Feb 11, 2011)

*San Berillo*
Catania

_Design: Mario Cucinella Architects_








A new project conceived as link of Catania historic center and the waterfront. The intention is to restore a 240,000 sqm area of the city with new public and private functions.








The masterplan is inspired by the hanging gardens of Babylon and the Catania's culture of green space. The project involves the construction of a large urban garden acting as liaison between the city and the sea and with the functions of mending between the two neighboring districts. Inside, a green axis (pedestrian and bicycle) will emerge, forming a new town boulevard and new pedestrian plazas. 








Facing the boulevard will be a series of low buildings, stepped with garden terraces, intended as shops and more urban scale functions of (cinema, theater, museum). At the end there will be space for residential buildings and a hotel with an iconic presence.​


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## IThomas (Feb 11, 2011)

*Bolzano Cable Car*
Bolzano

_Design: Snohetta_








The cable car will scale the Virgolo cliff in the foothills of the Alps, reestablishing a link that was broken when the town's previous cable car line closed in 1976.








The base ring, which cantilevers over a hill, will be entered via a large escalator. Visitors will be able to look back down over Bolzano as they ascend. From there they will board one of 16 cars, the cabins of which will each hold eight passengers, and be transported up the mountain in just over a minute.








The upper ring will include a 120-seat restaurant, a bar, and an exhibition and event space all topped by a "mountain plaza," a large open-air viewing platform that could also host concerts or markets. "The scale feels right for the city," Lüth said. The upper platform is about 180 metres above the centre of town. Both rings will be clad in local marble, which will help tie the futuristic-looking forms to their site. The ring-shaped forms underscore the panoramic, 360 degree views.​


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## IThomas (Feb 11, 2011)

*Vulcano Buono*
Naples

_Design: Renzo Piano Building Workshop_








Resting on the outskirts of Naples, Renzo Piano's Volcano Buono is a mixed use center that aims to become integrated into the landscape, rather than just occupying it. 








The centre includes a superstore, a shopping mall, entertainment and public spaces, restaurants, a hotel, offices and other facilities. The project design draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape, in particular from the nearby Vesuvius volcano. The structure’s sloped form ranges from 25m to 41m in height, and the building has an overall diameter of 320m.


























Piano explained that the Volcano is “a contemporary take on a Greek marketplace, a void as a place for events, meetings, dialogue and the gathering of people”.

















The crater structure is made of reinforced concrete, covered with turf, allowing the artificial volcano to disappear into the landscape: the aim of the project is to integrate the building into the landscape, not just occupy it. From a distance, it fits naturally with the contour of the land.

pic sources: RPBW, Tecnocamper, Stroi.mos​


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## IThomas (Feb 11, 2011)

*Mediopadana Station*
Reggio Emilia

_Design: Santiago Calatrava_








Stazione Reggio Emilia AV Mediopadana is the only stop on the high speed train service between Milan and Bologna. Planning and development of the project took into account that the railway station will serve a much larger area than just the city of Reggio Emilia, with the number of potential users estimated at 2 million.








The infrastructure has been developed to link the "Area Vasta" – the vast area extending from Modena to Parma, and bordering the provinces Cremona, Mantua and Verona in the north. The construction is part of an urban renewal project incorporating the northern part of Reggio Emilia. The new railway station is 4 km away from the city centre of Reggio Emilia and a few hundred metres from the new toll station on the A1, known as the "Autostrada del Sole". 








Composed of white-painted steel elements and glass, the roof structure has a length of 483 m and a variable width and height. The width ranges between 35 m and 50 m, while the height is 20 m on average, with the roof rising between 7.5 m and 14.5 m above the platforms inside. The construction is composed of a series of 19 modules, each 25.4 m long, which are made up of a stepped arrangement of a series of 25 steel elements placed 1 m apart from each other. 








The geometric variation of the portal shape, repeated at regular intervals, gives the structure an extraordinary "wave effect", which is evident in the ground plan and elevations and creates a three-dimensional volume in the form of a sinusoid curve. Following a specific geometric principle, the shape of the wave differs on either side: the station entrance façade has a more dynamic appearance, with the two waves overlapping symmetrically, while the side facing the motorway is altogether calmer with regular (parallel) waves.








Only the approximately 6-metre-wide boarding and exit platforms are covered with glass. This is achieved by means of rectangular, transparent laminated glass panels inserted between the steel portals using aluminium frames. The entire surface is supported by a reinforced concrete structure consisting of a longitudinal box girder, resting on two concrete beams at intervals of 25 m. Along the elevated tracks, the floor plan of the train station has two levels: an upper platform level where the trains arrive and depart, and a lower level serving as an entrance to the station.








The floor below the platform level accommodates various station service areas: a passenger area with relevant commercial units, an access area to regional trains and an area with warehouses, storage depots and sanitary facilities. Four escalators lead to the platform level on either side, while two panoramic lifts are located the middle of the structure.Impacts on the environment and landscape have been mitigated by the creation of green areas along the railway line and entrance area of the station. By setting the large parking area a little lower – slightly below the surrounding ground level – the elevated crowns of the trees screen the parking vehicles, resulting in an undisturbed façade geometry that can be perceived without disruption.

















pic sources: Enrico Cartia, Paolo Bertani, Un ragazzo chiamato bi, Alfio Ansaloni, lordspark80, Mauro.T​


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