Magliano Civic Center
SITE: Magliano, Italy
YEAR: Undergrad Junior - 2017, Semester 2
UNIVERSITY: Kent State University
DURATION OF PROJECT: 4 months
Magliano’s Civic Center is designed to become the new gateway to this Tuscan hillside town near Florence, Italy. The building connects the two different heights of the structures on either side of the site to create this continuous roof all the way down to the edge of the city. The Civic Center is quite literally reaching out to visitors, inviting them to explore this beautiful Italian town.
Magliano is a small town in the Tuscany region of Italy near Florence. The building materials throughout Magliano are terracotta and stone, with a roofscape of terracotta shingles. The town is almost entirely surrounded by the old castle walls that were built around the 11th century, with additions made in the 15th century. The castle walls allow for only one main entrance into the town. The circulation of the town consists of one main road that loops around the town with three interstitial streets. Also, portions of the castle walls are walkable and act as a public park for the residents and visitors of Magliano.
SITE
PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION
WALKABLE CASTLE WALLS
Figure 1: Magliano Site Plan
Figure 2: Magliano Roofscape
Figure 3: Old castle walls that surround the perimeter of Magliano
Figure 4: Site Plan
The site of this proposal is the only vacant plot of land within the small town of Magliano. There is a steep slope on the site from the parking level to the town's street level. The building proposal will use the slope to an advantage as it cascades down, connecting the street level to the parking level outside the city's walls. The building will act as a new gateway into the town of Magliano.
Figure 5: Site of design proposal
1
2
3
4
5
The roof becomes the exterior wall and the floor plates twist underneath one another as the building cascades down the topography. The floors consist of a library, exhibition hall, and a research lab which will be accessible to the community and visitors of Magliano. A grand staircase connects each floor plate, allowing occupants to look over the spaces and out the apertures at the view of the Tuscany region.
1
2
3
4
5
The building site has an old, small brick wall on one side, an apartment complex on the other side, and the old city walls at the bottom of the hill. The roof of the new civic center, staying true to Magliano’s roofscape and the design concept, connects the old wall and apartment complex, then slopes down the hill to merge into the old city walls.
Figure 6: Section through floors 1 - 3
Figure 7: View from floor 2, Magliano street level lobby
Figure 8: View from floor 3 looking up to the Magliano street level lobby
The old brick wall becomes a part of the reception area and signifies the old structures of Magliano within the new building. The material of the old stone is incorporated throughout the rest of the lobby space.
Figure 9: Section showing floor cascade
