The consortium formed by architects Amelia Tavella and Rudy Ricciotti has been selected by the city of Ajaccio as the successful bidder for the Henri Tomasi Conservatory of Music, Dance and Performing Arts. This building will be the centrepiece of the future Finosello eco-district; a landmark monument, forming a steep granite cliff reminiscent of the island’s ancient walls while harmoniously blending into its surroundings.

As part of this call for tenders participants were confronted with a complex issue and the proposal submitted by Rudy Ricciotti and Amelia Tavella helped to formulate a clear, discreet and obvious solution:

Integrate the building into the Corsican slope.

With its stone architecture the building seems simple at first glance. It offers a peaceful haven to the local residents. It is buried so as not to obstruct the view but is nevertheless bathed with natural light. Its development, its airy walls, its materials and shape all come together to give this building a certain “feminine” quality.

The architects have proposed to fossilise one of Henri Tomasi’s musical works into the brise soleil granite facades. This building is where architecture meets a multi-facetted work that is inextricably linked to Corsica. This transposition whereby the facades become a musical score, juxtaposes silence and sound, darkness and light. The rhythm, the pauses and the pitches are conveyed by the voids and the dual waviness of these high monoliths.

The architects’ shared obsession for beauty is almost certainly the basis for this meeting. Accordingly, the aesthetic quality of the surrounding landscape was not sacrificed to resolve the complexity of the challenges. To the contrary, perhaps they wanted for it to be an integral part of the architectural and urban issues.

Amelia Tavella, who was born and bred in Ajaccio, Corsica has a deep fascination for her island, its topography, its nature and vital forces and has found a kindred poetic spirit in Rudy Ricciotti, bringing together the delicate softness with the firm intelligence of the monument. They both view their profession as an art.