The Number 6

Turin, Italy

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The Number 6

Turin, Italy

Firm

Building

Type

Residential › Apartment Multi Unit Housing

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2013

SIZE

100,000 sqft - 300,000 sqft

BUDGET

$10M - 50M

The Number 6, renovation of Palazzo Valperga Galleani, is one of the best representations of architectural salvage, respect for cultural heritage, technological innovation, as well as elegance and a sense of beauty.

Located in Turin, Italy, the restoration and development carried out by Building Engineering intended to dramatically re-functionalize an important historical and architectonic property in spite of its disfiguration during the last century that led to the loss of its original residential aim. The main idea behind the reconstruction was to bring back the property purpose with a particular intention to “open” the private space of the courtyard to the city, decorating it with art objects, proper lighting, plants, and flowers.

All reconstructions undertaken to build the 36 apartments which were designed in accordance with the pre-existing layout, are done with the intention to reconcile with cutting-edge solutions for minimizing ecological impact. From the start, the intention was to establish a work that would reconcile architectural solutions to an artistic setting designed to give an added value to the space, making it enjoyable for visitors.

Therefore, with the help of the Cultural Heritage Protection Body, we reconstructed an environment once lost but without forgetting its strong evocative value. During the restoration of the courtyard on Alfieri street we chose to revitalize the original 17th-century giardino (garden) transposing its design, with lights and plants, in two horizontal and vertical planes. The historical giardino is now hanging down in a romantic gesture produced in the plain air of the courtyard.

The suspended contemporary design of the tree sculpture is a representation of the history of the palazzo, an emotive symbol that renews the astonishment in the everyday perception of the residents of the palazzo, and revitalizes the memory of the ones that once lived there. A long horizontal line of balcony rails, nicely decorated with numerous flower vases holding climbing plants, is exposed along the walls of the building. Every vase is equipped with an automatic watering device and with two lanterns mounted on semi-rigid brackets intended to illuminate the vases. Consistent computer-controlled illuminations of all elements unite the courtyard paving design, including the tree and multiple vases into one unique and expressive picture.