(Visited 38 times, 1 visits today)
(Visited 38 times, 1 visits today)

Florence: goodbye theatre. It will be replaced by luxury homes

28 September, La Nazione

Goodbye to the theatre, the balcony, the orchestra and the vast scenic arch. The former city theatre will have a new life, with the demolition of part of the structure, to become a modern residential complex. With an old component, as the project implies the recovery of the 19th-century structure designed by Giuseppe Poggi.

The City administration approved yesterday the project presented by Cassa Depositi e Presititi, the owner of the property. The City Council seemed to have liked the proposal, which is “a major project of urban regeneration in Florence old town to recover the building’s exterior and to requalify and update the whole block”.

That’s how the City Councillor for urban planning Giovanni Bettarini spoke. In place of the old theatre, the building will accommodate families and offices. 95% of the project is destined to residential use and the remaining 5% to offices and offices.

“This is an excellent requalification and urban regeneration project – continued Bettarini – which implies the reduction of the property from 21 thousand Sq m to 15 thousand Sq m, decreasing the developed area. Thanks to this modernisation project, citizens will regain this part of the city. The project also includes the implementation of several interventions such as the creation of an open space inside the block and the requalification of Via Solferino and the surrounding areas based on the original plan by Poggi. It’s a new way to think of the old town starting from the original idea that at the end of the 19th century made of the building a prestigious element”. The project is signed by Marco Casamonti, and it implies the demolition of the theatre and the several extensions that with the time ended up blocking the surrounding spaces. Some parts will be recovered, such as those in Corso Italia and Via Solferino, including the façade.

The block will be composed of three new buildings integrated with the recovered parts, including restoration and preservation interventions. The block is arranged around the old theatre keeping the original structure and featuring wide entrances to access the public spaces.

Inside the complex, the new buildings will develop in different directions to enhance the open spaces and to connect the various parts. “It’s a unique transformation project of the old town which includes the demolition of a significant part and its consequent reconstruction – concludes Bettarini – It implies the reconfiguration of the entire block in a way coherent with the surrounding area and using a contemporary architectural style. The path that led to the project started with the presentation to the Urban Planning Committee in 2015 along with the necessary paperwork. Then the coordination process began to arrive at the recovery plan.

Source: La Nazione

Translator: Cristina Ambrosi