Premi: Honorable Mention of the Jury – European Prize for Urban Public Space 2006 – CCCB Barcelona

The territory of Robbiano city, as many others urban centres in the north of Italy, has two types of urbanization structures: one historical , made of consolidated centres an other, linked to a large scale of the territory, that forms the new sprawl areas.
So in the major public space of Robbiano, before the project, we had the same structure , the two churches, standing as symbols of the city, linked to an ambiguous public space, without a specific identity and urban relationship.
The two churches S.Quirico and Giulitta built side by side, divided only by a vehicular street, each one with its different yards. Starting from this particular peculiarity, the project designs two different church yards. So the double spaces confirm the specific nature of the site and in the same time measure the new public space in a more adequate way .
The project forms two regular carpets, one black, smaller and more intimate than the white one; the black yard, in front of the smaller church, is made of basalt stone, this carpet maintains the same level of the church entrance and designs a little yard with a fountain, divided with a bench made of unique basalt block. The water fall down in a deep stretch tub, like a small waterfall. Here a concrete bench and a tree create a meditation area.
This solution allows to have an open space without handrail. The stone of this black yard have a relief with two types of cross-shapes: a high relief is formed by a sequence of small crosses that create an anti-slippery surface, a bas relief, the other is made of bigger crosses that create the cutting guide lines.
3 lines of stones are applied to the principal façade like a covering.
The same material covers a part of the street near the two churches. These stones have relief designed like a pneumatic texture, that create an anti- slippery surface for the cars.
The major church yard is made of a white stone (Trani); following the same concept, this space is thought like a large carpet with a stair in front of the church, that goes down to a lower level. This space, in a little monumental way, is perfect to be used during weddings, funerals or procession, to park cars or to take some photos, like in a large stage theatre.

On the opposite side of the church a sequence of white benches close the rectangular public space. The other irregular space between plazas is covered with small granite blocks to create an homogeneous background of the two church yards.

Lombarda Graniti

Progetto architettonico: ifdesign: Franco Tagliabue Volontè, Ida Origgi, Chiara Toscani