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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. The new Auditorium of the Banca di Credito Cooperativo (B.C.C.) “G. Toniolo” in San Cataldo, Italy by FABBRICANOVE ArchitettiApril 21st, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: FABBRICANOVE Architetti The new Auditorium of the Banca di Credito Cooperativo (B.C.C.) “G. Toniolo” in San Cataldo born from the client’s desire to create a public space for cultural events open to the public and for hosting business private meetings. Then, a space for the residents to meet and share new cultural opportunities, and for the bank activities. The location of the project is an important issue for the design approach: San Cataldo, a small town in the middle of Sicily, is composed of traditional houses. The auditorium is a new urban and contemporary design ‘object’ that comes as an alternative to the consolidated historical center, thanks to the project of FABBRICANOVE Architetti, an architectural office founded in Florence in 2009 by Enzo Fontana, Giovanni Bartolozzi, and Lorenzo Matteoli.  Insertion of the monolith and the continuity of the building gap that keeps together the stairwells and the emergency exits, Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano
 The historical facade reactivated with the monolith behind, Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano
 Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano  Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano The project is situated along the main central street, where there was a cluster of houses with a single front facade, characterized by elements of classical architecture: the restriction of the Superintendence imposed the reconstruction of the original facade that in the project becomes a scenic backdrop. A new volume, designed like a dark and compact monolith, stands behind the restored facade, but it is not hidden. The entire auditorium is designed as a massive embedded diamond that is revealed on the side face, the rear face, and upward: the past and the present come together and invite for a new reading of the urban context and its architecture.  Inside the monolith hosts the double‐level, Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano  Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano The auditorium has an area of 1.300 square meters, divided into four levels and a basement for the archives of the bank and technical rooms. On the first level there is the foyer that opens on the main street through five portals; the second level includes the auditorium hall with about 280 seats; the third level is dedicated to a gallery for 130 seats; at the last level there is a meeting room and a terrace between the facade and the monolith.  The hall: 280 seating places on the second level and 130 seating places on the third level, Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano  Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano FABBRICANOVE chose a grey anthracite cladding for the skin of the new volume in order to make it visible and to create a dialogue with the white plaster of the reconstructed facade. The coating of the external volume has been realized with vertical cut panels, to obtain a precious texture, which works as a ventilated facade. The project arises into the context as a decisive and clear overlay. The structural system is a significant element of the project. The structure is concentrated in the perimeter of the monolith, and this allows to have an open space with spans of up to 20 linear meters. This solution creates a void, a gap between the reconstructed facade and the monolith, where all the distribution system is located: stairs, elevators and entrances.  Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano  Image Courtesy © Filippo Romano The new auditorium confirms the design approach of FABBRICANOVE to the urban scale: declares a new ‘presence’ in the urban context through the stratification of the new functional program and through an absolute and clear summary of its formal and symbolic essence.  Image Courtesy © FABBRICANOVE Architetti PROFILE OF FABBRICANOVE FABBRICANOVE is an architectural and urban office founded in 2009 in Florence by Enzo Fontana (1974), Giovanni Bartolozzi (1979) and Lorenzo Matteoli (1977) with the objective to examine design languages and new essences of the contemporary project and to activate a debate for the fundamental transformations that concern a big part of the current urban reality. The studio uses as a main research tool the design competition, through which it examines thoroughly the topics that review the city and the public space.  Elevation faces via Dante with view to Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Image Courtesy © FABBRICANOVE Architetti In 2009 the studio won the international competition for the requalification of Forte San Pietro di Livorno. The winning project presents the restitution of a space with strong public vocation by transforming the fortress in a museum park, designed as an urban joint between the maritime station and the historical centre. Still in the same year FABBRICANOVE won the competition for “La casa del III Millennio”, organized by CNA of Prato and Arezzo, with the project ”Luna 9”; while in the edition in 2011 the studio was selected for the design of the table ”alfa 001”. In the next years the studio have obtained important positions in several international competitions, among which it is the honorable mention in the competition for the realization of a didactic complex in the municipality of Malles (Bolzano, Italy).  Image Courtesy © FABBRICANOVE Architetti  First floor plan, Image Courtesy © FABBRICANOVE Architetti  Image Courtesy © FABBRICANOVE Architetti  Image Courtesy © FABBRICANOVE Architetti  Cross section, Image Courtesy © FABBRICANOVE Architetti  Image Courtesy © FABBRICANOVE Architetti
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Tags: Italy, San Cataldo Categories: Auditorium, Event space |
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