The concept of reconverting an existing industrial factory to an international cultural center that aims to be the focal point of the region, and stems from an idea of a modular grid that evolves over time, expanding and contracting the usable area, and consequently enriching the range of activities and possibilities in the cultural complex.
The grid runs on multiples of 90 centimeters, ranging upwards of 180 and 360 centimeters. The grid is a structural framework that acts as a canopy that drapes over the existing building, creating a grand covered arcade in between existing volumes, transforming a once dead area into a lively public space that act as a social condenser for all the functions hosted by the cultural center.
The design preserves most of the existing building with its primary structure, demolishing only the building envelope, interior walls and existing mechanical spaces, leaving a resulting maison–domino typology with concrete floor slabs and columns. To provide space for the hotel, a three story volume is added on the north east corner of the roof, creating new volume that recuperates the cubic meters lost from partial demolition.
The modular grid is modeled on the parametric distribution of a topography that wraps all the functions. The modules are composed of steel elements from the ground plane to the roof, slowly transitioning into a delicate wooden framework that generates the canopy over the arcade, allowing the sunlight to penetrate the newly covered public spaces and using passive cooling to refresh the air.
The variation of the modules generates an inhabitable topography at the roof level, where green areas are located to add panoramic gardens and to shade the roof, and establish a continuity with the surrounding lush green landscape. In total, a unique combination of glass enclosures and depth of progressive framework creating a system of reflections and continuities reinforcing the sense of an infinity-scape.