This month, UNStudio’s Ponte Parodi, a waterfront design for Genoa, Italy, will be presented at the MAPIC in Cannes as one of the most iconic waterfront developments currently being realized. The harbor project is part of a larger vision to revitalize the entire waterfront area, and merge the local urban and economic fabric to create a point of interest for Genoa’s varied waterfront users. The juxtaposition of varied circulation typologies creates an innovative extension for the city center which not only organizes the position of the program, but also optimizes pedestrian flows within and atop the building.
More about the waterfront after the break.
The proposal emphasizes that the urban intervention must establish connections between the different harbor districts in its proximity, and add programmed spaces that complement the existing infrastructure.
As the project lies between the commercial harbour, the Porto Antico area and the historical center, Ponte Parodi has the opportunity to become a central meeting point for the various users in these parts of the city. The 130,000+ m2 open space will serve the Genoese inhabitants and students from neighbouring universities, but also cruise travellers and visiting tourists.
The 20m high, 76.000m² project will include retail, cafés and restaurants, wellness, a cruise terminal, cultural programs and a rooftop public park (18,900 m2) with an amphitheater and botanical features. The programming takes advantage of the presence of the public already drawn by the existing harbor front attractions by extending the programming in such a way as to benefit the existing activities.
By creating a new type of network, the potential of having multi-dimensional opportunities contained within a specific site are explored in a way that combines programmatic elements and creates new experiences. “The design incorporates the wider morphology of the urban fabric, the topography of the region and the recent physical, economical, and political developments of the harbor as a public area for the city of Genoa,” explained the designers.
Ponte Parodi, Genoa, Italy, 2001-2014
Client: ALTAREA Italia Progetti S.r.l.; (Competition) Porto Antico di Genova Spa
Programme: Public attractor with a 3-dimensional Piazza and mixed use: cruise terminal, wellness experience, knowledge experience, commercial experience, public park with amphitheatre. Gross floor surface: 76.000m² Volume: 160.000 m³ Site: 36.000 m²
Breakdown of project area:
Total: 132,200 m2
Of which:
Internal activities: 49553.82 m2
Public Urban park on roof: 18838.04 m2
Parking area 36437.08 m2
Technical areas: 8356.81 m2
Outdoor areas (quays, north piazza) 18929.94 m2
Credits:
UNStudio: Ben van Berkel, Caroline Bos, Astrid Piber with Nuno Almeida and (Design Development/Building Permit) Mirko Bergmann, Margherita Del Grosso, Veronica Baraldi, Kristin Sandner, Abhijit Kapade, Chiara Marchionni, Cristina Ferreira, Casper Damkier, Rainer Schmidt, Adrien Leduc, Lorenzo Vianello; (Schematic Design) Cristina Bolis, Paolo Bassetto, Alice Gramigna, Michaela Tomaselli; (Competition) Cristina Bolis, Peter Trummer, Tobias Wallisser,
Olga Vazquez-Ruano, Ergian Alberg, Stephan Miller, George Young, Jorge Pereira, Mónica Pacheco, Tanja Koch, Ton van den Berg
Advisors:
Structure: d’Appolonia, Genoa
Building Services: Manens, Verona
Traffic: Systematica, Milan
Project Coordination: Studio Augusti, Genoa
(Competition) Infrastructure and Structure: Arup, London; Off-shore Construction: Grootint b.v.
Visualisation: rendertaxi, Aachen
