The central element of the park, which characterizes it from a functional point of view, is the open-air amphitheatre which, as in the historic “green theatres” of Italian gardens, is characterized by a scenographic vegetable backdrop: an orchard of cherry trees punctuated by regular planting.

The central entrance to the park is characterized by a tree-lined square, equipped with seats shaded by vegetation arranged in regular rows; from the square you can admire and cross an area characterized by the sowing of a flowery lawn in yellow and pink tones, which becomes a temporary natural installation to visualize the future intervention.

The entire park is illuminated along the circular ring and along the two main internal travel axes with a system of high poles, to ensure usability even in the evening or in conjunction with specific events.

The entrances are located along Via della Costituzione, and include a central pedestrian entrance and two driveways at the ring route, functional to maintenance vehicles.

The paths inside the park ideally continue the agricultural plot of the context and are distinguished, on the basis of their size, between main and secondary ones. Rows of native species shade the paths, completing the design.

The furnishing elements have been selected for the durability of the materials, the low maintenance and a recognizable design: seats and tables in prefabricated concrete, suitably treated with stain-resistant, oil- resistant and anti-degradation resins; all furnishings guarantee durability, resistance to vandalism and low maintenance requirements.

Text provided by the architects.

Wood as main material

The Naples Underground Central Station had been built on an urban grid designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange as part of an upgrade of the city’s infrastructure.

Kenzo Tange designed the Centro Direzionale and built a city very much in his own style, with reflective skyscrapers, a 1970s piazza, which did not work because it is so different from the rest of Naples.

One of the decisions of the project was to build the station with wood to create an organic contrast with the 1970s neighbourhood. The design of the new station was inspired by older areas of Naples.

Today, it is a place where there are many offices and commercial spaces, but at five o’clock in the afternoon, it is deserted making it an unsafe place. So, the idea of making a new station there and connecting it to the new metro line was also to try to introduce a piece of nature and a piece of the original part of Naples into this artificial part of the city. The new station is being built over the existing metro lines, replacing an earlier building that was little more than a cover for the stairs leading down to the metro platforms.

Wood is a very light material that blends perfectly with the pre-existing structures: we used the concrete structures and columns and inserted new wooden columns into them. The steel part of the concrete matches to make the base of the new columns, and then the rest of the column is entirely made of wood.

The characteristic shape of the 10,000 sqm station is made of glued laminated timber. The width of the train tracks below is reflected in the width of the undulating vaults.

Vaults are a regular feature of the studio. It is an architectural device that works with most materials because historically, vaults were made first with stone and then with ceramic, and today it is effective with wood, especially glulam because it can be moulded into any shape you want beam to be. The vaulted ceilings are also a nod to classic train stations that are often vaulted, while the shape of the station was intended to create the feeling of a “walk in the woods”.

In a way, what we tried to achieve is a kind of new organic, flowing piazza, as if we were walking through a forest when we are actually in such an artificial business centre.
The Centro Direzionale is one of the new metro stations within the new infrastructure projects in Naples designed by well-known architects and designers, such as Zaha Hadid or Karim Rashid, which are being designed for the city under the AAA (architecture, art and archaeology) motto.
However, the overall project has been delayed several times due to archaeological finds on the ground, including the design by Studio Fuksas which will now also serve as a museum after the discovery of an ancient Roman temple on the site.

The Centro Direzionale station did not have the same problem, as it is located in a newer part of the city, but construction was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The station will feature a piece of art on its ceiling depicting a face from an archaeological piece found in Pompeii, in a nod to both the art and architecture of the project’s motto.

Text provided by the architects.

It’s a working space and a service zone for the outdoor area. The reinforced concrete wall that defines part of the east elevation folds inwards to create a surface where a large sink has been positioned.

It’s a spatial delimitation device, an edge that defines zones and mediates uses. The wall of the previous cabin, with its uneven and stratified texture has been maintained and consolidated in order to sustain the new construction. Light gray coating covers the old masonry to unify and underline that presence.

Details are basic. Definitions are literal. Reinforced concrete is used for base and wall. Wood for almost everything else: laminated wood for structure, burned chestnut for skin and roof, untreated chestnut for frames, plywood for inserts and niche, an old trunk became a step. A poor quality iron frame defines the door.In the end it’s only a wall, a box with a niche, a door and its window, two pivots, a step and a handle. Almost nothing else.

Text provided by the architects.

The project is distinguished by the contrast between the ancient walls of the barracks and the new wooden volumes. The structure of the new volumes is made with simple solid wood portals and is covered with larch boards which also form the roofing layer, giving them a monolithic appearance. The exclusive use of locally sourced wood from Val di Susa, within a distance of 20 kilometres, represents a concrete commitment to the circular economy and the reuse of local resources, contributing to the sustainable management of the territory and the establishment of a local and short supply chain. A distinctive element of the project is the focus on energy sustainability. The high-performance building envelopes, biomass stoves, and photovoltaic panels ensure the energy independence of the two blocks, contributing to efficient resource management. By integrating elements of past and present, technology, and sustainability, the project represents an innovative and adaptable response to local development challenges, offering an inspiring example for similar communities seeking to reinvent themselves in a sustainable way.

Text provided by the architect.

‘Threshold and Treasure’ aims to pay tribute to the work of Mats Bergquist. It is precisely in the space of the threshold that the meaning of the entire project unfolds: thus, the entrance becomes both work of art and urban system. It is a matter of volume: one can caress its concave shape, can experience it, and can perceive its thickness from the seat created inside, as in a frame that reminds of Edward Hopper’s representations. And again, it is meant to be crossed in order to reach the first “secret” garden and enter in a whole different dimension, by leaving behind the chaos caused by the surrounding urban context: an essential, oneiric peace which has been sought for one purpose only, to host art.

The path is designed with the aim of gently leading the visitor inside the exhibition area from the furthest side: the place unveils itself gradually, following a closed sequence of crossings, one threshold at a time. At this point, the itinerary reaches the so-called ‘black threshold’, which is a place defined by a twentieth century addition consisting of a frame in reinforced concrete, whose presence is here underlined by an ‘absolute black’ coating. This expedient focuses on the visual perception of the viewer, making the eye attentive to the layers and, at the same time, appeasing it, thanks to a background suitable for experiencing art pieces in an inevitable dialogue with the existing building. Precisely by the visible original wall, the presence of a third threshold can be perceived: the memory of what used to be a typography and, before that, a barn, leads to the discovery of a whole different spatiality, which is authentic since it has been freed from the additions of time. Here, in the background, is located a discrete volume of visible reinforced concrete which encloses restrooms, and captures light thanks to the contrast with the wooden slab. The longitudinal development of the great hall entirely opens up revealing an additional threshold: a glass and steel cage which expands the space unveiling the internal court, almost as if it was a treasure. It reminds of a Japanese garden, scattered with sculptures by Mattia Bosco, and it provides a privileged viewpoint, and also a moment of rest.

By going back to the glass volume of the entrance, it is possible to distinguish the stair leading to the upper floor. This presence reveals a design operation that made possible the “detachment” of the Liberty building – which now hosts the artists’ temporary residence – from the Twentieth century addition. In that specific position the stair becomes a key element to the re-organization of the syntax of the multitude of stratifications, showing the passage of time. The separation of elements (the villa and the warehouse) is a necessary break: the unpolished façade conveys the power of this break, which is then mitigated by the connection provided by the new stair. The stair and the beam in reinforced concrete generate an additional mechanism, a three-dimensional threshold, the sixth one, which leads to another treasure, the garden. This green space proves to be a sort of “panopticon” from which, among trees, it is possible to lay eyes on a typical Venetian historic centre. This point of attraction consists of a questionably complex blending of styles and colours which, overall, determine a contemporary tapestry, a setting which is itself a work of spontaneous art, defined by the alternation of architectures without architects (as Bernard Rudofsky would say) which contributes to the memory and tradition of the place and, for this reason, should be interpreted with pride.

One more threshold needs to be crossed in order to enter the atelier: a large sliding door in natural steel reveals a further pivoting window which, finally, gives access to a pure space. The concrete volume, visible on the external side, is characterized on the inside by a continuous white surface which stands out on a wooden floor recovered from a kindergarten in Borneo, enriched by kids’ carvings which bring back to the domestic dimension of the entire building. The covering, with regards to geometry and materials, brings together the architectural elements of the rural Venetian tradition and the typical features found in industrial buildings. The volume hosts a place dedicated to the artists exhibiting in the permanent collection, a space that, per se, reflects the poetic of the curator, Elena dal Molin, a contemporary patron who finds in experience, in sharing and in aesthetic research the fundamentals of her own activity: the perfect client for an architect.

From here, once again, it is possible to capture the intention to perpetuate a constant connection with the landscape, thanks to the ten-meter-long opening, defined by sliding window frames. The art projects itself toward the outside. And it’s where time stops.

While tracing back the itinerary, the ‘panopticon’ captures the visitor and, through a 360° rotation, one can see the impressive artisanal gutter which collects water and drains it towards the garden. Once again, on the ground floor, one can rediscover the garden and its twisty path: also the exit is a discovery. At this point, there are some more details that can be perceived, such as the bench inviting the visitor to stay for a little longer and think about their experience, before meeting again the quintessential mechanism, ‘Threshold and Treasure’, and leaving that peculiar ancestral dimension, which has been staged by the project thanks to the cooperation of art, memory and place.

Through the threshold, a space unveils, where a multitude of forces, guided by imagination, emotions and freely experienced matter, concentrate in a fact of preserved culture which projects itself towards the only possible measure: the infinite.

Text provided by the architect.

A Tree-Lined Square – Another challenge of the project is making the square a green oasis capable of implementing and realizing specific ecosystem benefits. The project holds that the most effective and economical measure to improve climate comfort conditions is the introduction of trees and extraordinary ecosystem tools to intervene against the urban heat island, water run-off, and air pollution. The entire project, therefore, takes place in implementing the essential idea of ​​a tree-lined square, in which the trees become the great protagonists of the public space, with their foliage, their shade, and their architecture, transforming the square into a green oasis.

The Trees – It is the liquid shade of the Plane tree (Platanus Platanor® ‘Vallis Clausa’) that was identified as the essential ingredient to structure the square as a green oasis. The Plane tree is an imposing tree, of the first magnitude, with a rounded and expanded shape, and is rather fast growing. It is a species that adapts to all terrains, prefers a position in full light and tolerates heat and drought, which also guarantees high absorption of CO2 (>2000kg CO2 in 30 years), high absorption of gaseous pollutants (O3, NO2, SO2) and high PM10 capturing capacity. In the layout scheme of the new trees, in the search for uniformly distributed shade, the identification of green islands is proposed of densely vegetated points, structured through the articulation of several trees placed side by side and intended to contribute – a typical characteristic of the Plane tree – to a “single crown” effect.

The Ground – The presence of underground utilities, foundations of ancient buildings and archaeological remains makes it necessary to plant trees at higher levels than the current walking surface, in order to reduce the depth of the excavations as much as possible. Thus, to make room for the new trees, the continuous stone ground of the square is rippled, acquiring three-dimensionality and determining the formation of specific atolls available to plant communities. The green islands are truncated cones, which emerge from the ground in material continuity with it, of variable diameter and a maximum height of one metre above the walking surface, with a section that softly connects to the level of the square, accompanying and containing the development of the root system of the trees.

The laying of the porphyry cubes also follows the specific topography created: setting a rich geometric design of concentric circles. The choice of porphyry, in addition to setting an evident material continuity with the main historic urban spaces of the city, is also motivated by the possibility of making the sealing of the joints drainable and, therefore, the paving itself.

The Underground – The project goes deeper than the pavement and the bedding layers, imagining an equally crucial “underground square”, which defines a highly innovative underground space that transforms rainwater from a potential problem to a precious resource. The project in fact includes the insertion of a rainwater collection layer, Permavoid System: which, like a sort of large sponge, collects and conserves rainwater, to return it, through natural capillary mechanisms activated by the roots – passive capillary irrigation – to the soil where the trees are planted, without using energy, pumps or valves. With this system it is possible to collect rainwater, avoiding an overload of the sewer system in the event of intense weather events, and to conserve it so that it can be used in prolonged periods of drought.

Text provided by the architect.