San Nicolo is an old, uninhabited stone tower overlooking the Arno River in Florence, Italy. The first step in this project was to figure out what type of program would be best suited for not only the tower, but for Florence as well. Being that Florence is known for its Renaissance painting, it seemed fitting to attempt to utilize the tower for art. However, this tower would not be used for the exhibition of old masterpieces, but rather, the production and exhibition of modern art. These modern paintings would be produced by visiting artists, six in total, who would be both living and working in the tower for 3 months at a time. The work will be displayed outside along the path that runs through the tower, reinvigorating it.

The architecture, so as not to harm the integrity of the tower, is as minimal as possible. On the arched side of the tower will be placed an infill of glass, both ventilating and bringing in light to the artists work areas. When work is too large to go down the tight winding stairs, it can be hosted out through the operable windows located on the left side of the arches. The artists will sleep in their green bedroom units, which have been made to individually fit into the six existing window slots on the back façade of the tower. This leaves the two main spaces within the tower volume free for the creation of art. When this program is no longer needed the bedroom units and glass infill can be removed, leaving San Nicolo in its original condition.