Villa Aldo Moro

Reconnecting urban areas and considering a vision of the city that places the individual at the top, as a citizen with his need to be and feel part of a community. To recognize in your own traditions, rediscover the pleasure of being together in the most natural way: through the meeting. Vision of the future and technological innovation, environmental sustainability, dynamism and a fresh design. These are the components that were pursued to achieve the primary purpose.

The project, winner of the two-stage competition, was chosen among the five finalists and involves the creation of a qualitatively high urban space, able to respond to the needs of the community and capable of guaranteeing a space for socialization, for holding cultural events, for playing and for fun. Inclusive spaces where to rediscover the pleasure of sharing and knowledge. New and tradition interact in the project and merge into a landscape and architectural device, which aims to restore an area and get it back up to the standards of the entire community.

One of the goals of the redevelopment project is the creation of an automated underground multi-storey car park. This will allow to give back to the surface area a more pedestrian dimension by encouraging slow mobility and improving the accessibility to the entire park. In addition, there will be an increase in parking spaces, fundamental for the community and for those who make use of the neighboring services. The citizen who uses the new car park, will reach the Park via the elevator systems on the lower floor. For those who prefer a slower mobility, they will be able to reach the first level of the Park through a system of ramps that will naturally blend into the sidewalk. The walkway will become an integral part of the Park, accompanying and inviting the citizen to discover the new spaces to him dedicated, turning from a sidewalk to an inclusive path, thanks to the creation of the new slab that overlooks the car park, a fundamental element for the urban reconnection of the Park itself.

The park furniture – made of chestnut wood and smooth exposed concrete – will be integrated with the bodies of water that are part of the planned rainwater collection system in the project. This will be useful for the recovery and reuse of rainwater to maintain the green areas present inside the Park: this will reduce the environmental impact due to water usage and its energy costs. The new flooring will be made of lava stone, a local material that identifies the Etna area, while the flooring of the walkways will be made of terracotta.

Specific attention has been paid to the fountain area, the heart of the Park, which will have dedicated scenic lighting, both to emphasize the water features and the important sculpture within it, and to highlight and make the access area from the lower level of the Park visible. The new fountain has a central role in functional, technical, architectural and cultural terms. It was chosen to give a more linear development through the emerging lava stone elements, which simulate and recall the columnar jointing emerging from the water, typical of the volcanic territory of Etna. These elements continue along the length of the fountain until they turn into seatings and furniture.

With the fountain system, even the glass structure that surrounds the entrances will seem light: by extending towards the center of the Park through the single linear support of Weathering steel (which incorporates the vertical lighting elements), it will act as a trademark, as the entrance.

The area dedicated to the children’s playground will be extended, to allow new games and equipment aimed at the development of skills such as sociality and inclusion. This is to contribute to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of the children.

Along the walkway there will be the amphitheater area. The stage, which will have the fountain as a scenic backdrop, will be made of low environmental impact materials available locally. Part of the roofing will be a tensile structure with steel cables, closed by a light technical fabric that recalls the ancient system of the Roman Velarium, while the other part will continue with the coverage of the services block behind the stands, with a smooth concrete finish that will also host the photovoltaic panels that will serve the Park.