Metamorphosis of an abandoned highway viaducts into a vertical village

Architect PRA
Location Calabria, Italy
Surface 24 000 sqm
Mission International open competition – First prize
Winner Holcim Awards Europe (bronze)
Images Cedric Henry ©
Team Philippe Rizzotti, Samuel Nageotte, Tanguy Vermet
Client Reggio Calabria
Program Housing, shops, public facilities, leisure spaces.
Statut Settled
Partners Samuel Nageotte Architectures, OFF Architecture, Ramboll UK

The reflection around the redevelopment of viaducts cannot be done without a particular attention to the context. The issue here is to propose new scenarios for these structures. The atypical rehabilitation of these viaducts can either carry on with the typical programs of the region of Calabria or impulse a new dynamic, opening up new opportunities for the area.

We tried to bring a thoughtful and considered approach in order to propose a rich, efficient and credible scenario for these infrastructures. The project wants to be audacious and ambitious, in both the architectural form developed and the program proposed. The viaducts, designed by Pier Luigi Nervi, have intrinsic qualities; the automobile lanes are really well connected since it used to be a highway. The bearing-capacity of these structure are above the usual as it was destined to a heavy volume of traffic.

The bridges, through their structure of pillars and deck, seek the longest crossing possible with a minimum of materials. The result is a limited impact on the landscape in regard to the dimension of the infrastructure. The site in which they’re built have inherent qualities, for example unobstructed views on the Tyrrhenian Sea or the opportunity to build in a preserved and totally disconnected natural environment.

Several indicators reveal majors characteristics of this site. The presence of Etna is the sign of a strong volcanic activity; we can then assume that there is a geothermal potential. The presence of bergamot cultivations also reveals interesting characteristics. With small temperature variations and high hygrometry, the climate of the area appears as one of the most tempered in the world.

The project doesn’t consist in producing a form for this program, since it would then take the risk of integration and therefore of inappropriateness. Rather, it seeks to underline the strong characteristics of the site. We can only imagine the time it took for these infrastructures to definitively settle into this landscape. We propose their metamorphosis.