The core values behind the project for the Oasis Science Center in Basilicata were responsibility to nature, the protection of its resources, and keeping the local traditions of the Sassi di Matera alive. Designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au and currently under construction, this is more than an architectural project in that it’s an effort to open Matera to innovation, research, and scientific development, and transform the city into a role model for a new vision of humanity’s relationship with the environment for the entire region. The project nevertheless reflects the inherent character of Matera, with the restoration of its calcarenite quarries having long been the subject of numerous international studies and innovative design ideas.
The project site is a disused quarry a little over a mile in a straight line from the city. It will be repurposed as a series of mixed-use structures based on the long history of Matera, with the choice of location in the upper Murgia Materana Park no coincidence.
An important model of sustainable design, this pilot project will be an innovation center for researching nature and sustainability for students, academics, and researchers. It will also be a center for clean energy research, the center itself being energy-independent and designed with a close eye on conservation and sustainable tourism through a combination of innovative technologies and local techniques. Modern architectural codes will be aimed at enhancing the historic fabric.
The complex will have three main structures, each different from a functional point of view and each perfectly integrated into the landscape, which will act as a bridging element between the national park and the city.
The largest of the three will be Quarry Terraces, which will house laboratories, flexible and modular co-working spaces, and accommodation surrounded by greenery with balconies opening onto terraced levels, a symbol of the site’s mining past. The Plateau will be a multifunctional building comprising a conference center and wellness center connected to a garden with a high tower with a sundial in the center. Standing at the entrance to the quarry, the third building will be the Rock Restaurant.
The roofs, large gardens, and steeply sloping terraces will all be used to collect rainwater, which will be stored in two underground tanks and used to water the gardens themselves.
Reflecting the commitment to green design, the sundial tower will also function as an energy tower, while almost 70,000 sq.ft. (6400 m2) of solar panels will be positioned in the area of the garden with the most exposure to the sun. The design is an oasis for science and the sustainability of life on Earth that can be replicated elsewhere.
Location: Matera, Italy
Architects: Coop Himmelb(l)au
Client: Matera Inerti
Total Area: 15.000 m2
Total Parking Area: 3.000 m2
Total Estimated GFA: 18.000 m2
Energy Garden - Solar Panel Field: 6.452 m2
Consultants
Structural Engineering: B+G Ingenieure Bollinger und Grohmann, Vienna
Energy design: Energy Design Cody, Graz, Austria
Render by and courtesy of Coop Himmelb(l)au