05/21/2024 – The intervention for the construction of the multifunctional center is underway in Verona Ars Districtthrough the recovery and valorization of complex of the former Arsenal owned by the Municipality of Verona which promoted and managed both the public participation process and the design of the entire complex.
Polytechnicone of the main Italian companies specializing in integrated architectural, engineering and urban planning, is the group leader of the project together with De Vita & Schulze Architects, F&M Engineering, COPRATMonica Endrizzi Conservative and Artistic Restoration Sama Archaeological Excavations. Thanks to the efforts made by the Administration, the designers and a year of discussion with the city, the intervention will lead, by 2026, to the creation of a citadel of culture and innovation.
The project will give citizens back a new and unique space, due to its historical value, architectural characteristics and location. A public place that will be at the center of social interactions, offering spaces and activities dedicated to families, young people and the elderly. A space that will live thanks to culture, through areas for permanent exhibitions open to the public and where the large green area between the various buildings will act as a hinge between the nearby neighborhoods. The former Arsenal is a public complex owned by the Municipality whose redevelopment will affect the spaces ranging from the Command Building to the Central Court. Work is already underway for the recovery and redevelopment of these buildings, together with the development of the plant networks connected to them and the enhancement of the external areas in the heart of the complex. An important joint and regeneration work which aims to safeguard the history of the former Arsenal by projecting it into the future.
The entire project started from the dialogue with the client and with the citizens and those who will live in the spaces, to immediately create areas tailored to the needs of the community. To this end, meetings were organized with citizens to listen and identify needs, with the aim of integration within the planning. The urban park will represent, through the rearrangement of the greenery and outdoor areas, an additional place available to all, as well as the result of participatory design work.
SAMA Scavi Archeologi carried out preventive archeology investigations, thus contributing through archaeological tests and assistance during construction to combine the needs of urban development with the protection of the historical and cultural heritage of the city, allowing the memory to be preserved of the past for future generations. During the preventive archaeological investigations, a pavement paving from the Roman period was identified, which can be attributed to an ancient road system, probably to be considered in dialogue with the ancient Via Postumia and its appurtenances.
“The Ars District project represents an important work that materializes the joint effort of the active participation of citizens and institutions aimed at restoring a nerve center for culture to the community. The intervention will allow us to give new life to the space, balancing the need to protect the history of the area with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of construction and cultural enjoyment” commented the architect Micaela Goldoni from Politecnica, project manager.
The Arsenale layout is divided into 14 buildingsfor a total of 27,400 m2, with architectural features and materials typical of the Scaliger building tradition. In order to safeguard the authenticity and historicity of the places, the intervention will focus on the sense of settlement, composition and historical memory of the entire area and will include a large green area that will embrace the various buildings with different functions: laboratories, spaces for events social and networking spaces, as well as co-working spaces, museums, visitable warehouses of the Castelvecchio and Natural History Museum, spaces for exhibitions and conferences.
To bring the work to life, plant and structural aspects were studied in depth aimed at guaranteeing maximum flexibility in use and maximum respect for the historic factory which will be the subject of a refunctionalisation of the spaces intended for cultural events.
For the main building, called “Command building”, and in the adjacent green area the GBC-HB® Protocol was activated, aimed at achieving sustainable design solutions and a significant improvement in energy performance while safeguarding typological and construction characteristics.
The organic recovery intervention made it possible to preserve and enhance the main historical characteristics of the building, as well as the architectural peculiarities. The primary objective of the design team is therefore not to alter in any way the monumental and landscape value of the architectural complex and the context in which it is located. From this perspective, all the interventions were identified, with particular reference to the maintenance of the external facades, the restoration of the internal surfaces, ensuring functionality through a systematic set of operations that allow their reuse.
On the sustainability front, the team developed the project aiming at reducing the environmental impact and increasing the energy efficiency of the buildings. In detail, activities were carried out aimed at improving indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency, the construction of an irrigation tank for the reuse of rainwater, the integration of recycled and compatible materials for the protection of property and the environment .
