Annex Building wins the Emilia-Romagna Architecture Award

The Annex Building is the winner of the first Emilia-Romagna Architecture Award, a combined competition and event held as part of the Rigenera Circolare Architecture Festival. The building, designed by Map Studio, is located in the heart of Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. Both the silver and bronze winners are in Reggio Emilia: the San Pietro Cloisters, by ZAA – Zamboni Associati Architettura, and Buildings 18 and 19 of the former Reggiane mechanical engineering works, by architect Andrea Oliva. The jury also awarded two special mentions to Caravatti Architetti and Officina Meme Architetti, which designed House on a Hill in Salsomaggiore Terme and Darsena Pop Up in Ravenna, respectively.

Built following the demolition of an existing building, Map Studio’s Annex Building has recast the identity of the place with its extensive garden, nine floors, and large windows. Transparency and a sense of abstraction compared to the mass of the neighboring structures create an impression of floating lightness, despite the building’s regularity and the repeated grid pattern of its façades.

“The Annex Building,” writes the jury, “is interesting for a number of reasons, but in particular for the skillful integration of building, structure, and services. A formal cleanness and overall clarity is evident in every aspect.” The jury also mentioned “the skillful connection of the building to the ground and the elegance of the details, achieving abstraction through the refined treatment of its surfaces.”

San Pietro Cloisters and Buildings 18 and 19 of the former Reggiane mechanical engineering works

Dating from the Renaissance, the San Pietro Cloisters are among the most important monumental complexes in Reggio Emilia. Located right in the old center of the city, San Pietro is an ancient monastery that has been used over the centuries in the most disparate ways. It was closed for some time until it was eventually restored and reopened to the public.

The impressive restoration of the central body and the adjoining spaces has made it possible to return the cloisters to the city as a cultural attraction of international importance. Hence their projection into the contemporary world as a place for participation, discussion, socializing, and broad innovation.

“This project demonstrates a marked capacity to relate the newly built volumes to the historical ones,” commented the jury, “generating dynamic spaces that have been returned to the community. The materials used in the open area have created a homogeneous and continuous space, adding to the particularly effective overall result.”

Buildings 18 and 19 of the former Reggiane mechanical engineering works, the jury continues, are “a very interesting project due to the extent of the redevelopment work, which was performed at different times, and its ability to handle the redevelopment in a coherent manner. In every way, this is a project that is respectful towards the historical memory and identity of the place, which lent itself well to transformation from industrial use to the creation of new public spaces.”

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