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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. Stazione FAL Matera Centrale in Italy by Stefano Boeri ArchitettiDecember 23rd, 2019 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Stefano Boeri Architetti Located in Piazza della Visitazione, the new Matera Centrale train station represents an important link between the city’s old town, post-war and modern districts and a key point of access to the city of Matera in the year that it’s set to become the European Capital of Culture. “Designing a new railway station has allowed us to anticipate the characteristics of the city which this new station will provide access to, both in terms of location and architecture,” comments the architect Stefano Boeri. “We’ve created a structure that we hope will become a sort of junction, as well as a place to take a break or interact with others. The new public space consists of two empty areas: one that runs alongside the railway tracks (six metres below ground), and a piazza (at ground level), which is sheltered and demarcated by a large roof.”  Image Courtesy © Giovanni Nardi
 Image Courtesy © Giovanni Nardi
 Image Courtesy © Giovanni Nardi A large rectangular 440m2 opening has been carved into the piazza to directly link the raised public square to the space running alongside the actual platforms. The opening floods the underpass with natural light and air, which also been entirely redeveloped and transformed into an identifiable, comprehensible and therefore, usable space. A fantastic new roof has been added to the station (measuring 45 x 35 metres and standing 12 metres above the piazza and 18 metres above the underpass) and fits decisively into Matera skyline’s, becoming a landmark that unmistakably pinpoints the station as a new point of access to the city. Meanwhile, the surrounding outdoor area has been transformed into a covered piazza to be enjoyed by travellers, local residents and tourists, who will now have access to a space to meet people, wait, travel and go for a stroll, thereby injecting new life into an important area of the city that was used as a car park until very recently, despite being surrounded by several architecturally striking public buildings. The large roof stands 12 metres above the piazza and is supported by twelve steel columns that emerge from an ‘iron floor’: it stretches beyond the length of the underpass towards ground level and provides a large covered space for travellers and local residents that can be used at all hours of the day and night, whatever the weather.  Image Courtesy © Giovanni Nardi “This public space will introduce members of the public to a number of new areas that welcome and reflect the light in different ways,” explains project architect Boeri. “A tribute to the formidable perceptive experience of walking through the Sassi district and the continuous metamorphosis of stones into caves, staircases, terraces and overhangs that change in light and depth according to the location of the sun and moon.” The project was completed using two primary materials that embody Matera’s two souls: Apricena stone – that recalls the local stone of the ancient city of the Sassi – and steel, which is evocative of the city’s more contemporary, dynamic side. The waiting area and station building are clad in stone, while the emergency platform, the two walkways and the framework of the overhead roof are in steel. The roof has been fitted with solar panels that guarantee maximum energy self-sufficiency and offer the potential to supply the entire piazza and park with power in the future, a decision that fits in perfectly with Stefano Boeri Architetti’s progressive environmental sustainability principles and an approach that FAL has fully embraced and supported. The system, created over an area of 1,250m2, consists of 696 solar panels that annually produce 271.440 KWh.  Image Courtesy © Giovanni Nardi The new station has been designed with an eye to strengthening rail transport in Matera in the near future, given that the city is destined to permanently become a unique art and history hub. The city is looking to the future and preparing to welcome an ever-greater number of commuters, visitors and tourists. “The beauty of this architectural project shows that it is both important and possible to combine the existing and the reclaimed with new high-quality constructions, thanks to FAL which has chosen an expert of such importance and prestige as Stefano Boeri” comments the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transportations, Salvatore Margiotta. “The new station” he adds “is another small step regarding the subject of the Matera train connection that involves FAL and the Bari- Matera connection that must be speeded up too. While Fal is taking care of this, Rfi is creating the other section from Ferrandina to Matera, financed by the Renzi government and to which the MIT will dedicate particular attention”.  Image Courtesy © Giovanni Nardi “We have built Matera’s new central station in record time, managing to seize on investment opportunities provided by the region and local authorities to improve user services and urban mobility, demonstrating that even a public company such as ours can work efficiently,” comments Rosario Almiento, President of Appulo Lucane Railways. “This is a flagship project for us. We entrusted the design to Boeri because we didn’t just want to build a station, we wanted to create a large structure that was accessible, modern and extremely green, and one that would ultimately leave a cultural mark on the city that would stand the test of time. A symbol of the South that actually functions,” declared Matteo Colamussi, General Manager of Appulo Lucane Railways.  Image Courtesy © Giovanni Nardi  Image Courtesy © Giovanni Nardi
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