Borgo Termetrio
Cisternino – Italy
2024
Two-round project competition – First prize
RESEARCH AND RURAL SOCIOLOGY LABORATORY
In the heart of the Apulia region, at Italy’s easternmost point, lies a place of remarkable biodiversity: the Itria Valley plateau. This is a land where a profound connection exists between the community and the land. With the aim of preserving the region’s ecosystem and historical heritage, a redevelopment competition for the “Masseria Termetrio” has been organized.
Our proposal focuses on establishing a Rural and Social Research Laboratory where the concepts of “preservation” and “innovation” converge. This space serves as a true laboratory that encourages a significant shift in visitors’ mindsets, fostering new ideas, solutions, and behaviours.
Three key concepts of our proposal are: landscape, art and architecture. These concepts intertwine to create a unified and coherent project that preserves, interprets, and enhances the existing natural and cultural environment.
The first concept, landscape, forms the foundation of our proposal. Preserving and adapting the original landscape is essential. By selectively shaping the topography using local stone walls, we create versatile spaces designed for planned activities such as events, concerts, and more. This approach honors local tradition and integrates harmoniously with the natural environment, achieving an architecture that blends quietly into nature.
Regarding Architecture, the focus is on the restoration and adaptation of the existing historic buildings. These structures are preserved and integrated into the project in order to maintain collective memory while providing modern spaces such as museums, conference halls, exhibition areas, and educational facilities, all while respecting the site’s heritage and cultural value.
The project is structured around three main spaces: past, present, and future.
At the entrance of the main building, a space dedicated to the past introduces the entire process that led to the creation of the project: the museum of the founding fathers and the encounter with the history of Citernino. Today, the central hall provides an opportunity for a spatial experience centered on the life and natural resources of the Masseria’s territory. Lastly, the laboratories — with their unique features and potential for generation, regeneration, and territorialization — open up avenues for reflecting on a future built on a human scale.
With Corsaro Architetti and Mario Luigi Antonio Martello
