DAP studio + Paola Giaconia: Cultural centre

Italian architecture studio DAP and architect Paola Giaconia have designed the Roberto Gritti cultural centre, in the small medieval town of Ranica, in the outskirts of Bergamo, Italy.

Harbouring a public library, an auditorium, a kindergarten, and a school for dance and theater, the building was recently awarded first prize by the Institute of Architects in Bergamo as the best building in Bergamo and in its province in the last ten years. The project is the outcome of a competition launched by the Municipality of Ranica in 2005 to endow the town with an important institution that would augment its cultural and social life.

"The Cultural Center is conceived as a new catalyst of urban life," state the architects. "Not only is the building a laboratory for education and information, but it also becomes a new 'piazza' where people can meet and where citizens can reinforce their sense of belonging to their territory." Located between the historical nucleus of the town and the area of urban growth, the building features a sharp and pristine image with soft color nuances, seeking to distinguish itself from the surroundings, while simultaneously evoking the silvery shimmers of the nearby mountains and at the warm shades of dawn or sunset.

Composed of two volumes, the building's centre is an interior courtyard capturing natural light. The volume seeks to establish new links with the city, making its presence felt as it rises two floors above the ground. The lower volume is transparent, revealing the activities which take place inside. The upper volume sits on its top and becomes an urban beacon, its translucent polycarbonate sheets glowing with vibrant tints and allowing silhouettes to be seen through the colorful watery façade.

"In the vast double-height space of the library," state the architects, "the various functional areas appear as independent volumes, connected by means of elevated catwalks and visually linked to the central patio." The white, dynamic interior spaces become a representation of a lively urban scene, to be walked through and enjoyed in moments of pause and encounter.

DAP studio + Paola Giaconia: Roberto Gritti cultural centre
Architects: DAP studio (Elena Sacco, Paolo Danelli) + Paola Giaconia
Collaborators: Pasquale Gallo, Alessia Mosci, Laura Tagliabue, Paolo Vimercati
Structural engineer: Davide Arrigoni
Mechanical, electrical, plumbing engineers: Milanoprogetti S.p.A.
Site construction supervision: Silvano Armellini, Bruno Sciola
Contractors: Edil Emmeti srl - Bergamo (building construction); Caslini sas - Bergamo (mechanical systems); Dragoimpianti srl - Bergamo (electrical and lighting systems); Rodeca - Bergamo (polycarbonate panels); Biblio sas - Treviso (furnishings)
Building cost: € 2,800,000
External works cost: € 300,000
Lighting cost: € 150,000
Furnishings cost: € 170,000
Program: public library: 850 square metres; kindergarten: 370 square metres; auditorium: 230 square metres; dance and theater school: 310 square metres; bar: 50 square metres; underground parking: 430 square metres
Completion: 2010