Leclercq Associés architectes urbanistes along with Nicolas Laisné Architectes, Clément Blanchet architecture, Tekne ingénierie, and Base paysagiste, have won the international competition for Sicily’s new administrative center, in Palermo, Italy. Meeting the challenges of the southern Mediterranean environment, the proposal for the Centro Direzionale Regione Sicilia by the Franco-Italian team is driven by an urban reflection, and geared towards new uses and environmental issues.
Set to be the largest public facility built in the area in the last 50 years, according to the President of the Sicilian Region, the new urban landmark extends on 120 000 square meters and includes an administrative center, an auditorium, a bookshop, cafés, and restaurants, co-working spaces, commerce, a wellness center, a sports facility, a church, school groups, a library, and parking.
An architecture/territory, between city, sea, and mountain, connected to the public practice of the natural soil, and to the discovery of the Sicilian horizons with breathtaking views. An element of a Mediterranean city; intense, with its squares and vibrant ground floors, as alive for its users as its inhabitants. The project will radiate throughout the district, the city, and the country. -- François Leclercq.
Located at the heart of the Sicilian capital, the metropolitan center takes on several buildings, organized around a central axis and three squares, variations based on Mediterranean urban models. Ground floors are animated with local shops and a variety of programs for everyone. Oriented towards contemporary Mediterranean buildings, as Nicolas Laisné states, the proposal puts in place structures made of wood and steel, adorned with stone sourced from various Sicilian quarries.
Instead of designing isolated or solitary architectures, we propose an urban arrangement, anchored to the ground. The volumes and interconnections offer a three-dimensional experience to the project, encouraging social and human encounters. A metropolitan hanging garden is created to offer a unique view of Palermo. -- Clément Blanchet.
Situated according to the direction of the summer and winter winds, to provide natural coolness, the project’s design was guided by environmental aspects. In addition, the choice of vegetation was made in order to help combat the effects of urban heat islands. The 6th floor of the complex is home to a hanging garden, open to the sea and Sicilian mountains. Finally, “the Centro Direzionale Regione Sicilia is conceived as a peaceful and accessible place, with flexible working spaces and meeting places for the Regione’s employees with large cafe terraces and eateries to welcome all citizens”.
Centro Direzionale Regione Sicilia
- Location: Palermo, Italie
- Program: Administrative center, auditorium, bookshop, cafés and restaurants, co-working, commerces, wellness center, sports facility, church, school groups, library, parking
- Surfaces: 120 000 m² + 60 000 m² parking
- Project team: Leclercq Associés, architectes urban planners, representative > Nicolas Laisné Architects > Clément Blanchet Architecture > Base, Landscape > Manifesto, Artistic Programming > Tekne, Engineering
