Isolani Palace

DOMANI AND BSCAPE STUDIO WORKED TOGETHER FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF A MEDIEVAL COURT IN ITALY.

Isolani Palace, is one of the oldest and most beautiful historic houses of Bologna. It overlooks the beautiful Square St. Stefano and faces the Basilic of St. Stefano complex known as “The Seven Churches”. The Isolani Palace consists of several buildings that still belong to the family Cavazza Isolani. It’s just a short walk from the famous Two Towers, also a legacy of medieval architecture. Court Isolani, a passage that connects Strada Maggiore to St. Stefano Square through the building complex, has been open to the public since 1999, thanks to consistent efforts and a great restorations. The passage ends in three large courtyards that we transformed in three green spaces that offers visitors a moment of pleasant relaxation.

This project aims to give the courts more “life” thanks to the trees that create a dialogue between construction and nature. This enhances the history of the place inside a young and dynamic city.

We worked with ancient materials and innovative technologies, keeping contemporary lines alongside the austere grandeur of the medieval walls: pots and planters, benches and fountains in zinc, regular wooden platforms, large colorful pots in terracotta, are all joined to the sound of the water and to the green of the plants that are the only livings element present in this project.

All these elements give senses to the whole work, and it is thanks to their indispensable contribution, functional and aesthetic, that the spaces of Court Isolani has been transformed into a place of delight, where you feel immersed and satisfied to stay and spend some time to estrange you from everyday reality.

DOMANI is an important Belgian company producing pottery and furniture, for over 23 years. It has become an international reference for high-quality outdoor pots. Their trademark is finding new applications, both in colors and in the technique. The search for new applications, both in colour and technique, is their trademark. Though Domani is reinventing tradition, their respect for the material remains a priority. They use the best traditional baking techniques but at the same time develop new procedures for spectacular glazing. From 16th century raku techniques to modern zinc, Domani always returns to the source: craftmanship.

BSCAPE is an italian group that focuses on landscape architecture. It collects and expresses the experiences of over a decade of architects, agronomists, consultants in construction management who have made their job a cross–sectional tool for the enhancement of dialogue between mankind and environment. The team philosophy is reflected in projects that strengthen, consolidate and improve past balances, representing new opportunities for interaction to broaden and develop the bond between green, human beings and architecture.

*** BScape and Domani were supported by two other Italian partners for the transformation of Court Isolani: GardenStudio for the plants and Officina Marocchi for the wooden platforms.

city of Bologna

Design team: B-scape