The redevelopment of Piazza degli Alpini was carried out by Studio Capitanio Archite and Osa Architeura e Paesaggio on behalf of Bergamo Municipality between 2018 and 2020. It is at the centre of the redevelopment of public spaces, which defines the city in a period of urban regeneraon.
This limited budget project recovered the collecve dimension of the largest open space in the city migang the long standing social issues that affected this central area, which was frequented by individuals at the margin of society and indifferent passers-by hurrying along.
The square is barycentric between the 1900s central system by Piacenni and the wide expansion of Porta Sud. It is posioned along the historic avenue originally known as Viale Ferdinandeo, enriched by majesc trees and the monument to the Alpini (Alpine Corps), created in the 1960s, designed by Architect Gambirasio.
The new square is imagined as a wide, freely accessible expanse able to re-establish for this space a new sense of belonging to the city. Open spaces and safe, free views that allow the enactment of new collecve urban behaviours such as events, open-air cinemas, temporary displays and local markets. The global view of the square invites the interest of the passers-by, it increases comfort, security and control.
To direct visitors towards the centre of the square rather than the margins, the difference in levels towards the sides of the square is overcome using a careful composional arrangement that creates a ramp and stairs. These architectural elements qualify the space recalling the diagonal generated by the original course of two canals now interred, Roggia Nuova and Roggia Morlana.
The flow of pedestrian traffic, generated in the main by a number of nearby schools and the railway staon, took a central role in the regeneraon of the space and were invesgated to invite constant movement across the square throughout the day, including access to users with a disability.
Paving is defined as an urban carpet, a Terre minéral, enhanced by alternang secons in polished and exposed concrete, that highlights the aggregates from local gravel quarries in the Orobic region. The "brutal" character of the material is accompanied by the fine geometrical design of the paving interspersed with metal joints and linear fissures for the collecon of rainwater.
The trees are directors, custodians and great actors in the square. The vegetaon, ancient and luxuriant, is defined by century-old trees, imposing specimens that go back to the 1920s. Among them several Ginko Biloba stand out, living fossils that find their origin in the Permian period, approximately 250 million years ago. Their beauful bilobed leaves paint autumn days and, once fallen, the pavement with their intense yellow.
To showcase the great and prized historic trees, some younger specimens were moved to other parks in the city. At ground level, the trees define circular flower beds describing the projecons of their crowns. These are at mes embraced by original-design benches made to be shared.
Piazza Alpini finds its origin in the early 1900s as part of the development of the modern centre along the 19th-century Viale Ferdinandeo that defines the central axis of the expansion of the city. The square interfaces
with a presgious architectural context, where Viorio Emanuele II school building and the palazzo now housing L'Eco di Bergamo newspaper stand out, both noted for their historical and architectural relevance. The southern perimeter is formed by the more recent building housing Urban Center, headquarter of Bergamo Scienza, and the bus staon, which is the access to the intermodal connecon hub serving the valleys in the Orobic region and the airport.
The project, developed and completed over the period of two years, was shaped by a cooperave reflecon involving all the main stakeholders, such as Distreo unico del Commercio (local urban enterprise organisaon), Confesercen (naonal enterprise associaon), schools, Associazione Bergamo Scienze (scienfic informaon centre), Legambiente (environmental protecon associaon), Italia Nostra (arts and environment protecon associaon) and local residents associaons.
"The analysis of locaon and use within this project have led to envisage the new Piazza Alpini as architecture that does not instruct a behaviour but one that enables the cizens to interact with it in unpredictable ways in constant evoluon to maintain a collecve dimension, to meet and socialise." Remo Capitanio.
“Aenon to the budget through innovave, technical soluons allowed to contain costs considerably. Creang a quality public space in an urban centre, a space which is adaptable to uses and behaviours, animated by vegetaon, embellished by display systems, provided with public lighng, ulies and plants, long lasng and low maintenance, for120€/sqm was a challenge and a gamble. The materials used weren't valuable; it is the way they were used that gave them value”. OSA architeura
Project:
Remo Capitanio – Studio Capitanio Architetti
Massimo Acito – OSA architettura e paesaggio
Luca Catalano – OSA architettura e paesaggio
Site supervision:
Remo Capitanio – Studio Capitanio Architetti
Mep:
Enrico Zambonelli – MCZ ingeneriasrl
Loris Doneda
Lighting consultant:
Mario Morosini – Telmotorhttps://www.telmotor.it/
Collaborators:
Martina Brambati, Ilaria Ambrosini
Giacomo Gasbarri, Valentina Peluso
Sergio Moro
Model: Studio Capitanio Architetti
Photo: Stefano Tacchinardi
Builder:
Zoldan Costruzioni Generali https://www.zoldancostruzioni.it/
Concrete pavements:
Lythospav
Orobica inerti srlhttp://orobicainerti.it/
Concrete precastslab:
Cementisti Bergamo https://www.cementistibergamo.com/
Fountain:
Carrara Irrigazione https://www.carrarairrigazione.it/
Lighting:
EWO https://www.ewo.com/it
Enensosrl
Green works:
Florovivaistica Picinali http://www.florovivaisticapicinali.com/
English text: Giovanna Bosis
