The former Boero area in the Molassana district of Genoa has hosted the eponymous paint factory since the 1950s, and following the disposal of the plant, the company has started to enhance the site by proposing an Operational Urban Project that includes, in addition to residential use, a shopping center in which to transfer to existing shops in the neighborhood, a 10,000 square meter urban park, meeting spaces including an auditorium and a library, and parking lots.
The Barreca & La Varra studio presented some variations to the building permits already issued, generally proposing the adaptation of the existing project, planned for free housing, to a social housing project. But the general configuration, consisting of two 11-storey central-plan buildings and two 4-storey in-line buildings placed around a central public green area remains unchanged. The transition from public space to the “community” space is gradual, the open spaces are connected and permeable, the garden belonging to the residence is a space open to the neighborhood. Public functions and commercial spaces ensure safety and liveliness in the spaces of the neighborhood.
In particular, the internal distribution of housing has been modified, to create cuts of different types, with particular preference for small and medium size; the loggias have been replaced with balconies of different sizes, depending on the types and interior spaces; in some cases the arcaded spaces on the ground floor and the walkways take on a different shape. The project has a total of 170 accommodations, of which 36 are one-room apartments, 20 are two-room apartments and 114 are three-room apartments, for a total residential area of approximately 12,000 square meters. Some facades of the complex, in particular those facing the external context, present frames and take up the design of the facades of the previous project, characterized by loggias and organized on a square module.
The frames are made with box-shaped profiles that anchor directly to the balconies and the facade. The different size and arrangement of the balconies on the different floors, together with the use of different materials for the parapets, some in masonry (or with perforated sheet panels if there are frames) and in a railing, create a particular dynamic effect inside a more regular and rational general design. The complex is equipped with an underground appurtenant garage, distributed over two floors, which guarantees a place for each residential unit. On the ground floor of the building in a central position in the area there is a nursery that includes the reception of 60 children.
Team:
Architect: Barreca & La Varra
Architectural design (schematic, final, construction), artistic direction: studio BLV
Team BLV: Chiara Baravalle, Chiara Capponi (project leader), Federico Bettin (artistic direction), Martina Preda, Luigi Tambuscio, Andi Driza
Client: DeA Capital Real Estate sgr
Project management: Riskover srl
Structural design: SCE Project
Plant design, CSE: United Consulting srl
Cost control: GAD
General contractor: CMB
Photography: Carola Merello
Material Used:
1. Waterproofing membranes: Derbigum- Imper
2. Concrete blocks: Vibrapac
3. Plasters: Gyproc - Weber
4. Facade thermal insulation: Ivas
5. Flat roof insulation: Soprema
6. Sealing elevator shafts: Hilti
7. Metal and fire doors: Eurodil
8. Armored and interior wood doors: Bertolotto
9. Floor and wall coverings: Marazzi
10. Ground floor windows and doors: Metra
11. Gate automation - traffic light system outdoor lighting: Nice
12. External lighting: Disano
13. Mailboxes: Ravasi
14. Interior paints and glazes: Ivas
15. Stone thresholds: Tomaino Graniti SRL
16. Towel warmers: Zehnder Aura
17. Water+sink kindergarten: Pozzi Ginori
18. Fan coil: Sabiana
19. Faucets washbasin+bidet+shower+tub housing: Paini
20. Washbasin+shower tray housing: Rak
21. Housing bathtub: Smavit
22. Shower drain: Ideal Standard
23. Video intercoms: Bticino
24. Interior lighting: Iguzzini
25. Photovoltaic panels: Jinko Solar
26. Fruit boxes: Bticino-Vimar
27. Glass: Agc Glass
28. Exterior window frames and aluminum shutters, curtain wall glazing: Metro
29. Elevators: Schindler
