An impressive new addition enriches Cagliari's hotel scene with the opening of the new five-star Palazzo Tirso hotel. The historic and majestic building, dating from the 1920s and formerly the headquarters of the Società Elettrica Sarda, was acquired by the renowned Puddu Costruzioni Group, which assigned the interior architecture and design work to Studio Marco Piva.

This new development is the second assignment that Studio Marco Piva has completed in the city of Cagliari, one that provides guests with a unique and sophisticated experience. 

The opening of the hotel took place at the end of May 2023 after a painstaking redevelopment involving a change of use that was careful to preserve the building's historical identity. Palazzo Tirso is now part of the prestigious Accor chain.

The interior architectural and design work was supervised by Armando Bruno, Founding Partner & CEO of Studio Marco Piva, and Ferdinando Tedesco, Chief Interior Designer. Together they have succeeded in creating a design tailored to the authenticity of the location.

"In designing the interior architectural spaces, we drew on the history of the area and the original use of the building," says Armando Bruno, specifying that the focus of the project was to apply a contemporary approach within a historical building, while at the same time keeping in mind the intrinsic elements of the original structure. 

The design concept is based on maintaining a balance between the historical aspects of the building and the innovation of the new works. The design put forward creates a link to the building’s former existence, preserving and enhancing part of the original structure in a perspective of continuity. This approach enables guests to immerse themselves in the history and elegance of the Palazzo Tirso, while enjoying the modern comforts and technologies offered by a 5-star hotel.

The building's redevelopment, already in itself representing a contribution in terms of sustainability and ethics, was part of a process for optimising and reducing, as far as possible, any impact on the environment: the choice of local or new-generation materials, LED lighting and the simplification of scenarios for reducing consumption, technology employed to optimise resources, and green architecture complementing the tradition of the area.

The new hotel boasts a bespoke design, with most of the furniture and lighting custom-made and designed exclusively to harmonise with the design narrative.

This, combined with the expressive richness of the selected materials and the abundant cues from the local area, gives the work a strong and original personality.

In line with the new functionalities in the hotel sector, the spaces of the new MGallery Palazzo Tirso were designed to open up to the urban fabric, creating a place for interactions and comfort open to the city.

The communal areas of Palazzo Tirso have been designed dynamically, offering an environment that is suitable for both guests and citizens, thus creating additional opportunities for social exchanges without neglecting the traditional function of a hotel, which is enhanced to the fullest, thus ensuring that a stay is a unique experience.

"By harmoniously fusing the contemporary with the cultural heritage, Palazzo Tirso represents a symbiosis on which the development of the design and the furnishings is based, underlined by the principle of asymmetry," says Ferdinando Tedesco. Starting in the basement, there is a wellness area with an additional reception area, a gymnasium, a swimming pool with sauna and steam bath and three spacious treatment rooms. 

The colours chosen maintain a strong link with the history of the area, favouring the use of stone materials. To comply with regulatory requirements, the building's original beams were kept visible, camouflaging them within geometrical structures conceived by the designers and created using traditional finishing techniques.

The hotel reception, bar and Terra restaurant are located on the ground floor. Specific areas were laid out to meet their functional requirements, with a perimeter bench, tables and chairs in the restaurant and more informal tables in the bar area. Most of the furniture, including the bar and restaurant counters, was custom-made to a design by Studio Marco Piva.

On the same floor, a business area offers a partitionable meeting room, a Wine Cellar space that can also host private dining and a meeting room for informal gatherings.

The upper floors accommodate the 85 rooms, also fully custom-furnished, distributed over the first to the fourth floors. There are 14 types of standard rooms, ranging in size from 28 to 40 square metres. The fourth floor is set aside exclusively for the eight suites and the Presidential Suite, which are laid out over two levels and range in size from 70 to 120 square metres.

The rooftop offers a unique experience in the city of Cagliari. The striking glass “conservatory” accommodates the covered part of the Cielo restaurant, which extends onto the terrace with a bar and lounge area, offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. Another innovative element for the city is the swimming pool lined entirely with pink ceramics.

A feature of the design of Palazzo Tirso is the strong focus on the aesthetics of colour, which permeates all the spaces. The designers selected a wide range of colours during their surveys of the city, taking inspiration from the botanical garden, religious architecture of the past and the architectural works of the modern city. This selection of colours became the starting point for the design project, influencing the choice of materials and the furnishing of the spaces.

But the project is not limited to merely the visual; it emphasises above all the tactile aspect of the experience. The surfaces of the materials used were treated to create new sensations in their use. This approach gives the design an emphasis on the tactile dimension, inviting guests to explore and interact with the environments in a more intimate way.

Finally, the idea of asymmetry emerges constantly in all the spaces and furnishings, evoking the building's dual identity. This architectural language, completely original for a hotel building, results in a unique visual and spatial presentation. Asymmetry becomes a distinctive feature of the design, emphasising the unique personality of Palazzo Tirso.

Team:

Interior Architecture, Interior Design, Interior Lighting, Entrances Canopy: Architecture Studio Marco Piva - Arch. Armando Bruno, Arch. Ferdinando Tedesco

Lighting Design (Facade Project And Interior Consultant Especially For Common Spaces): Esse2 Arch. Michele Schintu

General Contractor: A.p.i.c.e Gruppo Puddu Costruzioni

Project Manager: A.p.i.c.e. Gruppo Puddu Costruzioni

Asset Manager: Antonio Puddu Costruzioni Dott. Antonio Puddu

Technical Management: A.p.i.c.e. Geom. Francesco Vargiu

Technical Management Assistance: Eng. Paolo Sollai, Geom. Giacomo Stocchino

Construction Management: Arch. Francesco Deplano

Structures: Abis Associati Studio Di Ingegneria - Eng. Marco Abis

Systems (Air Conditioning, Acoustics, Water And Fire Protection): Eng. Mauro Ledda

Systems (Electrical, Management, Smoke): P.i. Romano Vadilonga, Eng. Antonio Cabras

Fire Consultant:  Eng. Giuseppe Columbu

Safety Coordinator:  Eng. Alessandro Pedemonte

Garden Architecture: Arch. Mirko Melis

General Contractor: Fit Out

Photographer: Andrea Martiradonna

Materials used:

Suppliers: Poltrona Frau, 41zero42, Antonio Lupi, Antrax, Apir, Arpa Laminati, Be Hotel, Bticino, Calcidrata, Cassina, Dorelan,Dormakaba, Driade, Duravit, Ege, Flos, Geberit, Greco Piscine, Grohe, Gruppo Saviola, Gyproc, Gruppo P&G, Hotellerie & Contract, Iguzzini, Ilm, Indelb, Intermark Sistemi, Iter Di Ruggeri, Kettal, Lemi, Linea M, L'Occitaine, Lualdi, Luceplan, Maccioni Marmi, Mareno Cucine, Marimar, Mario Vadilonga, Mdf,, Modular Instrument Light, Monteleone, Mutina, Neon Europa, Nuova Cristall, Novoferm, Otis, Pba, Pergo, Poltrona Frau, Potocco, Ppg Sigma Coatings, Rubelli, Samsung, Sardaclima, Scab Design, Sika, Simes, Smart Ice, Stenal, Talloru, Tecnica Prove, Technogym, Ter.Mo.Sa, Unilin, Umbrosa, Versuslux, Vescom,Viking, Vitra, Vortex, Zafferano

The project by Studio Marco Piva, the hotel MGallery Palazzo Tirso, Accor chain, is a redevelopment project transforming the intended use of the historical 1920s building, the former headquarters of the Società Elettrica Sarda S.E.S. The proposed design creates a link with the pre-existing building, thus preserving and enhancing part of the original structure through a language of continuity.

The spaces of the new MGallery Palazzo Tirso have been designed to remain in keeping with the urban fabric, creating a comfortable location with ties to the city. Starting in the lower ground floor, there is a wellness area with an additional reception area, gym, swimming pool with sauna and steam bath and three spacious treatment rooms.

The reception, bar and Terra restaurant are located on the ground floor. There is also a business area on the same floor with a room that can be partitioned, plus a Wine Cellar area, offering the opportunity for private gatherings, and a meeting room for informal encounters.

There are 85 rooms on the upper floors, laid out over four floors. The rooftop offers a unique experience in Cagliari. The covered part of the Cielo restaurant is situated in an eye-catching glass “greenhouse” which extends onto the terrace with a bar and lounge area, offering a breath-taking view of the city.

Installations:

Bedroom entrance doors:
Filo Rei 60 in wood-effect or matt lacquer finish integrated into custom panelling
Custom satin-finish chrome handle (lock and badge)

Public restroom doors on the ground floor:
Flush to the wall, integrated into the panelling supplied by the client with custom handle
Sliding 50 bypass door, height 350cm with concealed motorised track – laminated bordeaux finish on both sides with brushed brill door panel
L7 swing door, with aluminium trim and reflective grey glass panel on both sides

Wine cellar access door:
L7 pivot door with no stop in brushed brill aluminium and special reflective grey glass on both sides – large handle with brushed brill finish

Spa area access door on lower ground floor:
L7 pivot door integrated into the client’s panelling

Rooftop public restroom doors:
L7 swing door in white back-painted glass finish