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Polymnia Futura
Polymnia Futura
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Other Projects by Barberio Colella Architetti
Polymnia Futura
STATUS
Concept
Polymnia Futura – Sustainable urban regeneration in Polignano a Mare
Polignano a Mare is one of the most iconic towns on the Apulian Adriatic coast: a spectacular historic centre overlooking the cliffs, a steadily growing tourism economy, and increasing pressure on urban infrastructure. Like many medium-sized towns in Southern Italy, Polignano faces a structural contradiction: the historic centre attracts visitors and investment, but the neighbourhoods beyond the railway line (the areas along Via Lepore, the Distretto Marconi, and the areas around the station) remain cut off from urban life, with fragmented public spaces, car-dependent mobility, and a built environment that fails to engage with the surrounding landscape.
Polymnia Futura, Barberio Colella Architetti’s proposal for the Europan 18 competition, addresses this divide with a systemic vision. The project does not focus on a single building or a single plot, but on a system of relationships: mobility, public green spaces, residential densification and connections between neighbourhoods. The strategy revolves around the concept of ‘mobility hubs’, interchange nodes combining public transport, soft mobility, proximity services and social spaces, distributed along an axis linking the railway station to the historic centre and the new Villa Pinocchio urban park.
The masterplan envisages the transformation of the Distretto Marconi into a low-density residential neighbourhood with high energy standards, integrated with a new urban park and connected to the cycle and pedestrian network. Via Lepore becomes an axis of sustainable mobility with a new intermodal hub. The railway station opens up to the landscape with an outdoor leisure area along Viale Trieste. Each intervention is tailored to the scale and character of the existing town: rather than imposing an alien urban model, it reactivates the potential of places already present within Polignano’s fabric.
The proposal received a special mention at the Europan 18 competition, an accolade recognising the quality of the strategic vision and the coherence between contextual analysis and design solution. The team, comprising Barberio Colella Architetti with Angelo Figliola and Khaled Jamal, brought complementary expertise in architectural design, urban planning and mobility analysis. Polymnia Futura demonstrates that urban regeneration in Southern Italy is not merely a question of funding, but of project quality: the ability to interpret a territory, identify the right levers and propose a concrete alternative to growth through expansion.
Technical details:
Location: Polignano a Mare, Apulia, Italy
Year: 2025
Client: Europan 18 (European architecture and urban planning competition)
Typology: Urban regeneration, masterplan, sustainable mobility
Status: Concept – Europan 18 special mention
Designers: Barberio Colella Architects (Maurizio Barberio, Micaela Colella), Angelo Figliola, Khaled Jamal
Awards: Europan 18 special mention
Polignano a Mare is one of the most iconic towns on the Apulian Adriatic coast: a spectacular historic centre overlooking the cliffs, a steadily growing tourism economy, and increasing pressure on urban infrastructure. Like many medium-sized towns in Southern Italy, Polignano faces a structural contradiction: the historic centre attracts visitors and investment, but the neighbourhoods beyond the railway line (the areas along Via Lepore, the Distretto Marconi, and the areas around the station) remain cut off from urban life, with fragmented public spaces, car-dependent mobility, and a built environment that fails to engage with the surrounding landscape.
Polymnia Futura, Barberio Colella Architetti’s proposal for the Europan 18 competition, addresses this divide with a systemic vision. The project does not focus on a single building or a single plot, but on a system of relationships: mobility, public green spaces, residential densification and connections between neighbourhoods. The strategy revolves around the concept of ‘mobility hubs’, interchange nodes combining public transport, soft mobility, proximity services and social spaces, distributed along an axis linking the railway station to the historic centre and the new Villa Pinocchio urban park.
The masterplan envisages the transformation of the Distretto Marconi into a low-density residential neighbourhood with high energy standards, integrated with a new urban park and connected to the cycle and pedestrian network. Via Lepore becomes an axis of sustainable mobility with a new intermodal hub. The railway station opens up to the landscape with an outdoor leisure area along Viale Trieste. Each intervention is tailored to the scale and character of the existing town: rather than imposing an alien urban model, it reactivates the potential of places already present within Polignano’s fabric.
The proposal received a special mention at the Europan 18 competition, an accolade recognising the quality of the strategic vision and the coherence between contextual analysis and design solution. The team, comprising Barberio Colella Architetti with Angelo Figliola and Khaled Jamal, brought complementary expertise in architectural design, urban planning and mobility analysis. Polymnia Futura demonstrates that urban regeneration in Southern Italy is not merely a question of funding, but of project quality: the ability to interpret a territory, identify the right levers and propose a concrete alternative to growth through expansion.
Technical details:
Location: Polignano a Mare, Apulia, Italy
Year: 2025
Client: Europan 18 (European architecture and urban planning competition)
Typology: Urban regeneration, masterplan, sustainable mobility
Status: Concept – Europan 18 special mention
Designers: Barberio Colella Architects (Maurizio Barberio, Micaela Colella), Angelo Figliola, Khaled Jamal
Awards: Europan 18 special mention
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