The Urban Revolution project is located in Cagliari in the San Benedetto district. In the 1930s, following the economic recovery that affected all Italy, the first major urban expansion was implemented in Cagliari through an expansion plan that led to the creation of the San Benedetto district to the east of the historic district of Villanova. San Benedetto, unlike the historic districts that are located close to the sea and urban hill systems, stands in a flat area and is influenced by the great urban plans of the late 1800s, with the presence of large avenues that, starting from the square San Benedetto, radially intercept all the blocks of the area, connecting them to each other and to the rest of the city. Among the urban planning lines, via Dante Alighieri stands out in importance, the only tree-lined avenue in the neighborhood, which has become one of the main commercial and social gathering streets of the city. The district is characterized by the presence of buildings of 5 or 6 levels above ground, in the district, built mainly for residential use, there is an almost total absence of public green areas that can actually be used by citizens. The first project intervention was the demolition of all the existing buildings within the lot, restoring the original urban void ready to accommodate the new residential building. Then it was decided to change the status quo of the area, moving the new building backwards and introducing a new green urban area between the building and the public road. The opening of a breach in the front, created a new urban area, a connection space between the building and the public road, suitable for providing an equipped green area to the block. The new urban micro-park is an answer to the needs of today's life for a relationship with nature even within the city and seeks a social dimension to be lived in safety. The building dialogues, in size and height, with the surrounding building. It consists of 5 floors above ground plus an attic with a terrace above where there is a large private swimming pool. The standard floor is characterized by the presence of 3 large apartments: two with a living area facing the park and a sleeping area at the back; and an apartment facing only the back. The building has strong and essential lines that push on the horizontal, mitigating, through perspective games, the perception of the project's grandeur. There are four elements that strongly characterize the design of the project: the partition walls; the windows; the terraces; the brise-soleil. The partitions are imposed as generators and classifiers of space. The massiveness of the solid partitions creates an opaque curtain to protect the internal environments and, through a series of displacements, configures a geometric pattern capable of creating a play of light and shadow that qualifies the entire project. The windows characterize the facade facing the new public space. Their positioning in this part of the living area allows the indoor units to open up to the new urban space, communicating and connecting the private space with the public one. Large terraces, with variable dimensions envelop the entire building providing it with private spaces that respond to the need for open spaces in a city context and create a filter area between the external public space and the internal private one. The brise-soleil, introduced as a suitable finish to protect the interior spaces from the strong summer sun radiation, strongly connotes the project to the point of becoming the leitmotiv of the entire complex. With a metallic finish in dark colors, it envelops all the terraces of the building, connecting the back with the front, giving a homogeneous reading to the entire building and creating a play of color contrasts with the white tiles of the walls of the residences.
Mei & Pilia Associati is an architecture firm based in Cagliari, operating since 1996 in architecture, urban planning and structures. The owners are Gianluca Pilia, engineer and founder, graduated in Civil Engineering at University of Cagliari, and Luciano Mei engineener, cofounder and graduated in Civil Engineering at University of Cagliari. The team of designer consists of seven coworkers: Ivano Manca, Francesco Mulas, Marco Casu, Saverio Muscas, Tahar Al Makkiui, Francesca Zucca, Joele Loja. The studio works mostly for private buildings, such as residential buildings, villas, interiors, hotels, commercial, urban planning, restoration.
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