"Behind the Apses"
Thesis Project

Piazza Settangeli, dominated by the apses of the Arabian-Norman cathedral, is one of the most beautiful squares in Palermo’s historic centre. The intervention area is a void on the North side of the square, currently occupied by temporary poor constructions in ruin. 

The design concept: the new building, is split in two parts by means of a full height cut with curvilinear shapes. The cut originates a public pedestrian route across the building, from the square (in the South) to Salita Ramirez (in the North). This partially covered “piazzetta” (small square), whose height corresponds to the three first levels of the building, is a natural extension of the adjacent public space. 

The project includes two workshops and one bar at the ground floor, all two-story with internal double height spaces, and accessible from the “piazzetta”. The small square gives access to the upper floors as well, through a glazed entrance with staircase and lift. 

On the three upper floors of the building, there are seventeen small studio flats will host artists and researchers for the benefit of the City of Palermo. The studio flats are provided with a common living area at the third floor, and, at the fourth floor, with a large common terrace overlooking the “piazzetta” and piazza Settangeli. 

At the building top, a terrace roof will provide other common facilities for the studio flats: a solarium, laundry and clothes hanging area. A large steel pergola with wisterias will shade part of this space and the lower terrace.    

The building structure is in reinforced concrete and steel; the elevations are finished in “half venetian stucco”. 

At present the void of the intervention area hasn’t yet been redeveloped, and there are no changes of the existing since 1992, except more spontaneous vegetation growth.   

Thesis Correlator: architect Fabio Lombardo; Thesis Relator: prof. arch. Giuseppe Laudicina  

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New building - 

Thesis Project

1992-1993