Piazza De Nava

The client’s objective was to carry out the redevelopment and restoration of the square in order to integrate the National Archaeological Museum (where the Riace Bronzes are exhibited) and the urban context, achieving a comprehensive renewal that would combine the past (preservation of listed historical artefacts), and the needs of contemporary city use. The site was in an advanced state of disrepair and neglect.

The new Piazza De Nava is the true urban centre of Reggio Calabria, where the two urban systems of the built fabric converge: that of the historic city and that of the twentieth-century expansion, structured along two axes with different angles, both parallel to the coastline. They structured the project around this feature, linking it deeply to the urban structure of the city.

The new layout of the square acts as a catalyst for dynamic urban views that, in combination with an order that is only seemingly symmetrical within the space, naturally positions itself as the representative centre of the city. This is not only due to the presence of the Museum, but even more so for its potential to be metaphorically configured as an urban theatre. It is a space with a steady slope that follows the current profile, divided in two by a diagonal axis that picks up the direction of the 20th-century expansion.

The diagonal is emphasised by the play of the gradients that rise to create a stepped area on the east side of the square, intended for relaxation, shaded by new trees and equipped with monolithic lava stone seating, while on the west side, a simple slope towards the museum remains, more versatile for public use.

The corner towards Corso Garibaldi finds a new focal point with the level fountain featuring jets, which helps resolve the symmetrically imperfect relationship (due to misalignment) between the Museum and the Monument. The project also includes the small square that houses the monument to the writer Corrado Alvaro.

The redevelopment of Piazza De Nava is very simple, low-impact and ecologically compatible, thanks to the recycling of rainwater, the new RGB+W lighting system entirely based on LED sources, and the planting of new trees and numerous shrubs from the Mediterranean maquis. The choice of materials combines innovation and tradition: they used stainless steel sheets coated with an innovative PVD system to create solid, iridescent surfaces for the construction of the planters; they repurposed the existing paving stones from beneath the asphalt of the surrounding streets; they reused the curbstones and stones from the historic staircase.

They restored the De Nava monument-fountain, which is now fully visible from the entire urban space. Furthermore, the radical transformation of the area in front of the Museum, which has been converted from a vehicular road into an integral part of the square at the same level as the old pavement and the new paving, has turned an urban divide (the road) into an urban proscenium. Through an alternation of subtly blended blocks of Reggian stone and lava stone (the two stones found in the historic city), it connects the surrounding urban context with the new contemporary square.

The square is entirely pedestrianised and accessible to all types of users. The architectural barriers that made the previous square an enclave difficult to reach, due to the sloped pavements and the front staircase leading to the entrance, have now been removed, making the entire surface accessible. The new square creates a large urban canvas where recreational and leisure activities can take place both day and night. It is a space that harmonises well with the Museum’s activities, thanks to its ability to host exhibitions, performances, and serve as the primary welcome area for visitors.

Artificial lighting plays a crucial role in shaping public space. Here, they have introduced two new tall lighting poles (a legacy of the poles historically present and depicted in old postcards of the square), on which groups of projectors have been installed, capable of illuminating both the Piacentini façade of the Museum and the entire square. The dynamic colour-changing LED strip system, placed in the groove of the new steps, shapes the emotional lighting of the urban square.

At night, too, the new space is intended to be a metaphor for the territory: with the blue light, the effect is that of sea waves breaking on the shore; with the green light, it creates the impression that a mountainous slope from the nearby Aspromonte is descending onto the square.