Repetition Act

01 X INFO

02 X DESCRIPTION

The intervention intends to restore the monumentality of the ruin with a simple sign: the repetition of the foundation act of the Castle, namely the creation of the surrounding wall. The new element defines a base, on top of which stands the construction. The new Wall is emptied and become inhabitated to host the functions required by the competition rules.

The comparison between new walls and ancient walls is the representation of the consequentiality between History and Project.

A completely different approach is adopted inside the Rocca. Only elements built with dry techniques are introduced. A shelter for the protection of th ruins of the ancient palace and cantilevered walkways made of wood and steel to guide the visitor in the discovery of the castle.

All the new elements follow the same geomethric matrix making clear the difference between what is added and what was.

The inhabited walls surrounding the castle house the functions that are less likely to be found inside ruins like the restaurant, the restrooms and the conference room.

The space between the ancient walls and the new ones, is configured as a promenade around the castle, that continues on the rooftop of the new walls where the visitor finds the entrance to the fortress through the Porta Pisana, which is reopend.

Inside the castle begins the rise that  starting from the ancient foundations covered by the new shelter, slowly conquers the view across the landscape, with which the path creates an ever-changing connection that culminates at the top of the Mastio tower, in the “camera obscura” (darkroom), where the landscape projects itself inside the fortress.

The two entrances and the distinction between the functions inside the inhabited walls and those inside the castle simplify the management of the complex, which can, therefore, be open to the public, entirely or only in some of its areas, if necessary.

The relationship between the ruin and the new intervention is characterized by detachement, the will not to touch what demands respect,  a line of light or shadow that mark the limit between the ruins and the new building, which are close, though they never touch each other.

There are practical reasons for this: touching the ancient walls with new buildings – especially if not dry construction techniques are used – can cause the deterioration of the historic walls. This choice also encourages a correct interpretation of the monumental complex and of its architectural history.

The new structures will touch the castle only exploiting the putlog holes. The reopening of the Porta Pisana is the only intervention on the historic walls, as all the new structures added to the castle will be constructed with dry techniques and could, therefore, be disassembled, if necessary.

The materials employed are steel and wood for the elements inside the fortress and sandstone for the covering of the new building.

The exhibition system is accessible to the disabled up to the garden inside the castle. the difference in altitude that separates the visitor from the access to the castle is overcome with a system of ramps that leads to the roof of the new walls that are connected with a walkway with the Porta Pisana.

03 X ABOUT

Enrico Capanni was born in 1995 and is an architecture student at Università degli Studi di Firenze, at the moment settled in Lisbon thanks to the Erasmus program. In 2017 he opened an Instagram profile where works developed between studies, competitions and collaborations with different architects are showed.

In January 2019, with Davide Ferrera and Diego Bernabini, partecipate in the competition “ArkXSite Capel” with a project named “Chapter IV”. In May 2019 the project named “REPETITION ACT”, in collaboration with Andrea Pintus, Roberto Miglionico and Arianna Giulianelli won an Honourable Mention in the international competition “Re-use the Castle”. In June 2019 the project named “INBETWEEN”, in collaboration with Marilde Bianco, won a Gold Mention in “Rethinking Competitions”. From august 2019 he works in collaboration with Martinelli Luce for visualization projects.

Arianna Giulianelli is an architecture student at Università degli Studi di Firenze since 2014. In 2019 she partecipate in her first competition “Re-Use Italy: Re-Use the Castle” and get an honorable mention.

Roberto Miglionico is an architecture student at Università degli Studi di Firenze since 2014. In 2017 he partecipate in the competition “ARKxSITE: Site Theatre”. In 2019 he got an honorable mention in the competition “Re-Use Italy: Re-Use the Castle”.

Andrea Pintus graduated in April 2019 at Università degli Studi di Firenze with a project titled “Cornerstone. Museum in the Castle of Larciano” with prof. Francesca Mugnai. In 2017 he won a competition with a project of new offices and ticket shop for the “Vittoriale degli Italiani” in Gardone Riviera. In 2019 he got an honorable mention in the competition “Reuse the Castle” and collaborated with Atelier LRA for two competition projects, one of the two selected as finalist (Y. A. C. – Rwanda Chapel).