Our friends from Italian design firm sTARTT have shared their most recent restoration project which transforms an abandoned warehouse into a spatial urban kaleidoscope. Situated in the historic center in Porfiri of the Latina Province, the area is marked by architectonic elements from the city’s earliest foundation that now co‐exist with “inconsistent” contemporary parts of the center. In that sense, the project seeks to bring a continuity to the context, as sTARTT has envisioned a way to allow users to appreciate the historic roots of their city within a contemporary atmosphere.
More about the project after the break.
After receiving the commission for the renovation due to their winning project Whatami for the Young Architects Program in 2011, sTARTT designed a new volume inscribed within the boundaries of the existing facade lines.
Using a perforated skin to wrap the building, the skin works to modulate light, and only opens to select views of specific urban spaces. ”Like a sort of kaleidoscope, the project chooses the urban plots it wants to relate to, proposing its own selective plot about the city: the complex of the main metaphysical square from thirties, the public library, the San Marco Church and the city hall,” explained the architects.
Large glass skylight allow light to penetrate the lower levels of the building, and bring light into a suspended courtyard. The exposition is organized through a sequence of plane, that is visible from the entrance to the roof‐garden.
The building is meant to serve as an opportunity to experience a specific interpretation of the city’s historic fabric, and bring an understanding of the city’s roots in order to appreciate its growth.
