Palace of Labour

L'Aquila, Italy

Add To Collection

Other Projects by Alberto Apostoli

Add To Collection

Palace of Labour

L'Aquila, Italy

Firm

Alberto Apostoli

Type

Commercial › Office

YEAR

2013

SIZE

25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft

Italian Architect Alberto Apostoli designs the renovation of a building in which colors and details of the facade redefine the volume through a geometrical but refined language.

The project starts from a building renovation from the 60s that was partially wrecked by the terrible earthquake that seriously damaged the old town of L’Aquila ("the heart of Italy") in 2009.

This building is the first redevelopment of a block which includes four buildings in the design stage, and the implementation is expected to occur in the next three years.

The building is insulated in all four sides; it has no real facade, but it is rather a small tower in which all individual facades are of equal importance.

Such facades have been designed and deployed through small geometrical protrusions that are matched differently, but the colors are complementary and the openings are formed by projecting intrados.
The realization of the projections occurs through the diversification of the thickness of the external insulation with a particular attention to the finish. The intrados, externally bordered in polished steel, contain the windows made in oak; some intrados also contain lighting fittings for a “wall wash” effect.

The geometric and refined flow of the volumes creates, during the various hours of the day, slight variations which give an unexpected dynamic to the building.

The architect describes the primary design goal: "I tried to create a volumetric movement through color, small ledges, and contrasts of volumes; what interested me was to dematerialize the facades giving them personality and character. We have developed a system and the color palette to create these projections. "

The building, owned and renovated by the Valentini Group, is entirely used by the Province of L'Aquila as the "Provincial Palace of Labour," and was inaugurated in the presence of the most important city authorities.

The building has also undergone complete renovation work while adapting to current seismic code (NTC 2008). This was possible through reinforcing the horizontal (through duly armed anchored insoles); and reinforcing the beams and the nodes of the structural elements with carbon fibers and with epoxy resins, which have been glued directly on the structure prior to the treatment of recovery of damaged surfaces.
As a result, the building has also increased the performance requirements required by the regulations.