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| The design proposes the construction of a Music Park in the historical area of the Ex Macelli in Florence. The choice of this new function was made at the request of the city council to analyze the possibility of a new theatre capable of hosting the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra. The project will be part of a larger re-development of the surrounding areas due to the upcoming construction of the new high-speed train station designed by architect Norman Foster, which will be built on the same lot along the rail tracks. After a preliminary study phase, the initial program was enlarged to include the design of a concert hall, music-themed retail spaces, leisure facilities and a new urban park. The park serves to connect the new additions to the pre-existing elements, to the surrounding area and to the new train station. Effort has been made to create a recreational space usefull to an international community not only at night, but also responsive to Florentine needs during the daytime. The creation of multiple retail spaces, cafes, piazzas and the park tries to meet these needs avoiding the problem of daytime abandonment, typical of such a specialized concert facility. Integrating a large project with more traditional Florentine architecture posed a conceptual challenge. Maintaining a low-rise skyline so as not to interfere with the pre-existing urban texture of the area, despite the magnitude of the music halls (2200 seats for the theatre; 1600 seats for the auditorium) provided a solution. Moreover, this underscored the pressing need to harmonize the economic demands of globalisation with the maintenance of cultural integrity. The new is then integrated into the old pattern by means of partially underground buildings, which seem to emerge from the soil, as they are protected by two "floating" inclined slopes. |
| New Spaces for Music in the High Speed Train Station Development Florence,Italy Thesis Project, November 2003 |
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