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
