NAPOLI
NoonApril 11, 2022 – 6:37 pm
The bio-architect: «Today the area is not looking good but we are waiting for it to be completed. It is a complex project of top level star architects ». But “in general the planning of the city should be entrusted to local professionals who know it”
from Lorenzo Ruben Rampa
On the partial reopening of Piazza Municipio, which gave rise to a series of controversies, Antonio Di Maro, a Neapolitan architect at the head of a studio with both national and European interests, has his own precise idea: “Let’s clarify immediately that the project in question was carried out by top-level archistars, such as Álvaro Siza and Souto de Moura, and required more than twenty years between conception and realization. The problem arose when the initial design was partially conditioned by the many complications that emerged over the years. The two masters imagined a long walkway connecting the town to the port, ideally up to the Charterhouse of San Martino, with an elegant green curtain that would cut the frenzy of the Neapolitan city in two, clearing the view and opening the doors to the sea “.
When you talk about complications, what exactly are you referring to?
«The excavation of the metro has brought to light two millennia of stratifications, including the port of ancient Neapolis, with its perfectly preserved Roman ships, found together with the ancient pier from the 1st century AD, the various archaeological finds. When they emerged, many of the design intentions, especially in the subway area below, were revised and resolved with brilliant architectural solutions. I remember that the port authority placed important limits on the project by prohibiting access to the port and following this, Siza himself wrote indignantly to the Campania Region. Many of the findings were used in function of the project, in a perfect example of collaborative architecture between archeology and efficiency ».
So can your opinion on the current result of the architectural work be defined as positive?
“Even if the square is not looking good at the moment, I remind everyone that the project is not finished. The beauty of the original vision and the differences with respect to the final result, albeit still partial, should be noted: urban architecture must always deal with the territory in which it operates. The project is characterized by a twenty-year-long construction site, and the succession of numerous variables due to continuous archaeological finds. Acting in Naples, in a millenary historical context with a pre-existing archaeological heritage that is unique and vast of its kind, is one of the most complex things there is “.
However, in the Neapolitan squares – from Plebiscito to Garibaldi, up to Dante and the Town Hall – albeit renovated, there has been a drastic reduction in greenery compared to the past, in favor of open spaces.
«My specific area is precisely that of sustainable architecture. Now in the square there is certainly no shortage on the green side. If you look from above as it is now, compared to what it used to be, it is clear that there has been a reduction in green, but we are still in an intermediate phase. Furthermore, we forget that under the square there are infrastructures, the connection between Line 6 and Line 1, archaeological finds and a complex engineering project. There are two main problems. First of all, the projects of the Neapolitan squares are now dated. The green theme was not as relevant a factor as it is today. Second: intervening in Naples is a difficult task to say the least. It is like restoring a thousand-year-old work of art: first of all, we must avoid damaging it. I believe that the problem of reducing greenery is mainly due to the unexpected events that the designers have had over the years. Give it time and see what happens. Let me be clear, I’m not defending anyone ».
So what could be a possible solution? What is the best way to approach such issues?
“In my opinion, projects on an urban scale should be entrusted to skilled local architects. They know the essence of the city and its genomics. I would rely on Neapolitan architects and there are some good ones. On the other hand, in a conference a few years ago in the United States, entitled “the praise of chaos”, Alvaro Siza himself cited the typical art of Neapolitan coexistence and tolerance: something that only a Neapolitan is able to interpret ” .
In your opinion, therefore, in which direction are the main Italian cities going?
“Surely the trend is to invest in smart and green cities, wherever possible. In 2017 I talked about the vertical forest of Milan created by Stefano Boeri. The comparison with Naples makes no sense. They are two completely different arguments: one thing is to act on a pre-existing area rich in archaeological finds; another, to build new buildings, on free areas ».
April 11, 2022 | 18:37
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