Palermo, Italy
The Port of Palermo is undergoing a rapid transformation, shifting from an industrial hub to a thriving tourist destination, seamlessly reintegrating itself with the city through a lively waterfront. This transformation necessitates a sparkling urban catalyst with the opening of a new hotel and congress center. Located in proximity to the restored ancient bastions, and the new waterfront park, the site is characterized by two industrial buildings and a large parking lot. By demolishing the front building and reusing the large concrete storage, the masterplan envisions to restore urban permeability and generate a central urban piazza, connected with the waterfront and contaminated by the adjacent park with an organic system of green and blue open spaces.
The new museum district and the park of arts and culture will invigorate Podgorica’s social life, serving as a vibrant and dynamic public attraction. These buildings promote a new sustainability paradigm by encouraging interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces and exploring contemporary uses of local materials and construction techniques.
Sustainability lies at the heart of this proposal. The project aims to adopt and integrate passive and active environmental strategies, reducing overall energy consumption for heating, cooling, artificial lighting, and potable water use. Additionally, the implementation of modern construction techniques, combined with the use of local materials, positively impacts the buildings’ life cycle and reduces their carbon emissions.
The piazza hosts the new congress center, with a maximum capacity of 1,000 people, featuring an organic sculptural shape that stands as a new landmark for the city and its port. The existing concrete warehouse now accommodates the new hotel, where the remodeling and carving of the existing structure introduce green patios to enhance the quality views for all 155 rooms and suites, the restaurants, and the rooftop club. The ground floor becomes an active part of the city, featuring a highly permeable double-height lobby, retail functions, and additional flexible facilities for the congress center. The architecture dynamically expresses the Mediterranean roots and the maritime nature of this new urban destination. The interplay of light and shadows, the vibrant colors, and the materiality of both facades and interiors, coupled with the introduction of green patios, reinterprets the architecture of Palermo’s historic city center.
The new urban waterfront encapsulates contemporary urban trends, creating a vibrant common ground for sharing ideas. Serving as a manifesto of beauty and sustainability deeply rooted in Mediterranean culture, it acts as a pivotal reference for the rapid transformation of the port into a thriving and dynamic part of the city.
Client:
Magazzini Generali
Location:
Palermo (IT)
Size:
12.500 sqm
Program:
Hospitality, Mixed Use, Retail, Urban Design
Status:
In Design
Year:
2022
Visual: a-fact architecture factory
Project Team: a-fact architecture factory, LAND Italia s.r.l. , Maffeis Engineering s.p.a, Charcoal Blue LLP
