The concept's main inspiration point is the continuity with the old function. Though just a cinema theatre, the Ariston represented for the small community of this town in the outskirts of Milan an important meeting and cultural point. Recapturing some of this vital quality, lost to the decline of cinema theatres, has been an important challenge and a basic inspiration for the design team.
That's why the project took the shape of a cultural space dedicated to exchange and to host new forms of socialization and art, focalized around an auditorium, a cafeteria and first of all a library. The library, the very core of the project, is already very appreciated by the local community.
We have kept the shell of the building, redesigning the whole interior area and opening the whole volume to the open space of the piazza in front of the building. In this way not only the building is transparent, but also the cultural events taking place inside it are visible to everybody. This is a welcome sign, an invitation to be part of the community and take part in its activities. A symbol of openness of the space, that can be lived without barriers but in dialogue with the passers by, creating a vibrating, energetic place. We have liked the idea of creating an 'optimistic' building in our pessimistic age.
We think we have reached our objective – to communicate a new, fresh energy that creates a quality of life above what can be seen nowadays.

The building consists of two floors above ground, and a large open floor right under the vault. The first floor hosts the auditorium and cafeteria, while the upper floors are the home of the library and take advantage also of a huge terrace.
We have privileged the use of natural light; it penetrates along the new glass volume that encloses the double-height atrium open towards Villa Litta, as well as from the new openings in the roof vault that fill all the reading areas with zenithal light. This feature is both pleasant – reading at natural light is much better than using artificial light – and energy saving.