The Young Architect Group of Florence
The Gruppo Giovani Architetti Firenze (Young Architect Group of Florence) has created three design strategies to provoke critical reflection about architectural establishments in Italy. Studying three important sites, the Galleria degli Uffizi, the National Library of Florence, and the Dome of the Cathedral, the GGAF has created innovative ways to highlight and restore these landmarks’ importance in the city.
More information and images after the break.
The Galleria degli Uffizi is a magnificent museum, yet it is situated such that it lacks the ability to reflect its renowned fame. GGAF’s project proposes an overlay, like an extended roof, that connects the museum with the great square. By creating a covered area, the gallery can now extend outward toward the community. The light and transparent roofing component respects the continuous rhythms of the original museum, and yet, allows the museum to expand in a modern way which complements the original building.
The National Library of Florence, La Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, is the most important library in all of Italy due to its completeness of valued historical books and documents. The library supplies hundreds of scholars and thousands of visitors with information and knowledge. Presently, the library is deprived of funds, space, and personnel. Due to the library’s critical role in the history and tradition of Florence, the GGAF has put forward an idea that will reassert the centrality of the library in Florence. A new light structure will stretch across the river to meet the other side, as though it were a modern Ponte Vecchio. The structure will create a drastic new look for the river and draw attention to the library, ultimately restoring its importance in Florence.
For the dome of the cathedral, the GGAF contemplated a provocative response to answer the question of how to bring Florence into the 21st century. Rather than trying to attract attention to the dome by creating a new complementary structure, the GGAF’s proposal includes a plan to make the dome of the cathedral disappear by creating a futuristic painting on the dome’s surface to make it transparent. The impact of no longer seeing the familiar silhouette would be astounding. The void of the dome cannot be replaced by the completeness of any neighboring structure, thus emphasizing its significance in the city.
By investigating specific sites that give Florence its cultural identity, the GGAF is not only trying to carry those elements into the contemporary age, but also highlight how the sites still define the city.
Architects:Matteo Caldirola, Nicola Chirdo, Angelo Di Salvo, Giacomo Magi, Federico Musotti, Pierluigi Pala, Giulio Ridolfi, Daniele Sorrentino, Salvatore Spataro, Martina Tempestini, Tommaso Vecci
Collaborators: Angela Battafarano, Salvatore Perrone, Silvia Pintus, Emiliano Ravanelli, Paola Romboli
Even thought I am really glad to see from abroad that there are young architects who are trying to move the Italian static situation, I must say something… I’m sorry but it seems to me a bad version of Super Studio( I know it sounds banal but you knew better than me that you would have this problem)…how can you destroy the amazing view of Palazzo Vecchio from the Uffizi..yes exactly the picture that you have used for the photomontage.. how can you destroy the public space of the court bringing the museum outside?…I mean that If you create a close museum in the court of the Uffizi the spontaneous activities of artists and musicians that make alive that space is simply destroyed….moreover, I don’t understand the will to attack the monuments which are the symbols of Florence…of course It is supposed to be a provocation…however if you look at the Super Studio provocations, there was a theoretical base behind…I think these provocations for free do not make any sense at all….If you need to replace the existing buildings with new architecture it means that you don’t have any really good ideas about what can be the future of Florence..it means that you still think about Florence as the centre while we should start to realize that Florence is not just the centre…Provocations are important to try to stimulate the discussions however they have to be done in a better way than just provocative imagine….they have to address real problems and bring positive and consistent ideas that are not just a restyling of the existing monuments…do we really need this for Florence? come on guys I know you can do better than this….:)
are you Raul who lives in Amsterdam and attended the first 3 years of architecture in Florence? if so, I’m Stefania, I don’t know if you remember. Anyway, I agree with you… deleting such important and historical signs in a city where people come and visit from everywhere is a very bad idea. The project of the Uffizi makes me think a lot. I agree with you. the court of the Uffizi are just right now an open museum, both because it’s a museum of itself for its beauty and because there are many street artists who give a wonderful artistic atmosphere to the whole area. So we don’t need an aggressive steel structure and a “privatised” space (wich somehow reminds me to the old parisians “passages”).
and as to the cathedral….. hihihi!!I remeber the first times I moved to Florence. I didn’t know the city but the view of the dome from far helped me finding the center… but now???
so, have a nice day! ciao
All human deeds are some change in the natural enviroment. In such secular spaces, “monuments of an epoque and era”, symbols and turning points the works are a bit mediocre and bad taste.
There is a lot of tradition in firenze, and the grupo giovenni di architteti fiorentini should learn a bit before interveining in such town
bonna sera
gerson
Agree completely with raul. You do not bring reflection by blatently erasing the past and a great past at that! I understand young Italian architects frustrations with the “architectural establishment” in Italy but once again, FORGETTING ONE’S OWN IDENTITY is NOT moving forward from it!
Like Raul says, I know you guys can do better than this!
It is nice for young architects to be inventive and controversial, but like the others mentioned, I am sure that there are bigger challenges to try and tackle rather than attacking the history and tradition of Florence. Why not attack the mediocre existing architecture and propose something better? I would love to get my hands on the invisible paint!
10:47 PM Jun 11th
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12:51 AM Jun 12th
RT @archdaily: The Young Architect Group of Florence http://bit.ly/YgS4j. We could learn some from these YAs!
2:03 AM Jun 12th
RT @archdaily: The Young Architect Group of Florence http://bit.ly/YgS4j