Renovation of Cortevecchia Square

View of the underground entrance with the big tree

Section through Corso Umberto Section through hypogeous spaces

Section through hypogeous spaces

Location: Marsala, Italy Designer: A3+ Architects (Dario Cottone, Marzia Casamento, Alessandro Fonte); Carolin Clauss Competition Name: International Competition for the Renovation of Porta Nuova Area in Marsala, Italy Competition Date: 200 Site Area: 2,00 sqm Place in the Competition: Third Prize

Awarded Reason:

The designed elements reflect the urban network even outside the historical city centre, whereas the materials are strongly connected with the surrounding landscape by creating a thick mesh of connections.

The new space is an opportunity to revive the place with cultural and leisure activities. A pedestrian path crosses the archeological park leading to urban swimming-pools with open-air sea water. The project’s aim is the integration of the old town centre, with its clear surrounds, and the park heading towards the sea. The entire structure is created with a structural wire square meshes. The presence of slender pillars remind an allegorical forest. On top of them there is a network structure with a thick wire netting prepared for holding creepers that creates some kind of rooms where the walls are made of plants. So, the green is not only an external surface covering, but it actually takes possession of the structure in three dimensions. There is no joined action between exterior and interior and the square, referred to as a functional hinge, is in a spacial continuum, where the hanging green has many functions. The green is hanged between the city and the archeological park. General view of Vittoria Square

View of the Marsala sea project View Inside of the green structure

View of Vittoria Square under the green block

General view of Vittoria Square including the green blocks View inside of the green structures, covered with vegetal essence