The project represented a rare opportunity to develop the urban fabric of the city of La Ciotat. This opportunity is based on two points: on the one hand, the position of the land that turns out to be highly strategic and, on the other, its dimensions that allow the construction of an important economic pole. The complex was designed to welcome all citizens of La Ciotat, of all genders, of all ages, in order to develop solidarity and facilitate social ties. The program is developed along three main axes, symbiotic and complementary: the hotel; the multi-screen cinema and the bowling/lasergame; the sports complex. These three axes live together and interact creating a virtuous circle. Each program leverages the presence of others to create its own identity and assert its own potential. A fourth axis, transversal to the others, represents the development of nature, through the strengthening of the vegetation present on the site. This reinvigoration will become indicative of the change in image and land use, which was previously abandoned. As a "receptive" component of the program, we have proposed a 3-star hotel, whose concept is similar to that of a "boutique hotel", synonymous with charm, personalized service for customers and, above all, a strong and original identity, is distinguished by the uniformity of the hotels called "chain". The hotel can accommodate about 180 guests. For our project, we imagined the development of a strong theme, linked to the place and its programming: creating an original identity around sport, nature, the riches offered by the Mediterranean and the nearby Calanques. The boutique hotel has a boutique on the ground floor, about 50 m² in size and a panoramic swimming pool with sea views. On the ground floor is located the restaurant, both for hotel guests but also open to external customers, equipped with 200 seats. This opens in particular on a garden with plants, facing southwest, which brings freshness and shade to visitors. The 90 rooms are divided into 3 categories: standard (about 28 m²), superior (about 40 m²) and luxury (about 60 m²). They are organized on both sides of a central corridor and offer "sea" or "panoramic" views. Each floor is also equipped with service rooms. The attic terrace houses the "luxury" rooms and a swimming pool for guests, with panoramic views of the bay. The total area affected by the hotel area is approximately 5,300 m² and overlooks steps that connect the upper part of the street and the outer square to the lower part of the hotel square and offer a space with a marked identity that invites you to sit down and take a break. The attention to the environment: the principles of bioclimatic architecture The project pays great attention to the environmental quality and outdoor spaces, their size and in particular to their landscape. The main plan of the operation has been designed in such a way that the footprint of the buildings does not exceed 35% of the entire intervention area. The buildings consist of a structured biodynamic concrete casing that draws inspiration and references from the colours and grains of the surrounding landscape. The envelope, prepared in prefabricated panels, dresses the multi-suite and the building for sports use, is placed only on the three sides of the hotel, overlooking the square and the other buildings of the real estate complex. This exclusive cement, thanks to the presence of a particular mixture of titanium dioxide, in contact with the light emanating from the sun, activates an oxidative process that captures and transforms part of the harmful organic and inorganic pollutants present in the air into harmless compounds, inert salts that are washed away by rainwater and therefore guarantee total cleaning of the external surfaces for life, also helping to clean the atmosphere from smog. Biodynamic cement is therefore an accelerator of the oxidation processes already existing in nature, promotes a faster decomposition of pollutants and prevents their accumulation on the surface. It is characterized by a very low water absorption, guarantees greater durability and resistance to atmospheric agents and therefore a saving in terms of maintenance over time. It has a nominal life of 50 to 100 years, is free of VOCs and meets the minimum criteria required in terms of environmental quality. Limiting the footprint of buildings and consequently avoiding the concretization of the soils, its artificialization, in recent years has become an ecological imperative and an important axis of sustainable development, which also offers numerous advantages to the project and to the inhabitants who use the site's neighborhood: • ensuring soil resilience during periods of flooding and pouring rain by ensuring water absorption directly on the soil; • preserving biological diversity, both underground and terrestrial, and protecting ecological connectivity; thus avoiding soil depletion and its fragility to drought; • mitigate the "heat island" effect: the soil helps regulate the microclimate in dense urban environments, especially if covered with vegetation; • increase air quality by having a positive effect on humidity, which helps make the city "healthier"; • increase the social values and well-being of the population: in addition to their aesthetic value, green spaces of sufficient quality, in particular in urbanised areas, improve the quality of life of the inhabitants and improve their social life; The project also includes the planting of about 75 tall trees.
Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia is an international architecture firm based in Genoa, Milan and Paris.
The experience gained in more than 25 years of design activity, developed at all scales of intervention, is reflected in the depth of approach to the most sensitive issues of the city and the territory.
Founder of the atelier(s) is Alfonso Femia: in 1995, he created and co-founded 5+1, transformed in 2005 into 5+1AA which subsequently, in 2017, changed its name to Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia.
The physical belonging (the three ateliers) to three different geographies Genoa, Milan and Paris characterizes an atypical professional aspect that is inspired by the contamination with art, photography, literature, music.
His most recent projects include the new Vimar headquarters in Marostica, the Dallara Academy in Parma, the new headquarters of the BNL-BNP Paribas Group in Rome, Les Docks de Marseille, The Corner in Milan and a residential social housing complex in Milan.
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