IL PALAZZO | JUAN CARLOS PELLEGRINI RICCARDI

IL PALAZZO
Gualdo Cattaneo Municipality
Perugia, Italiy



RESTRUCTURING AND EXPANSION OF AN ANCIENT CONSTRUCTION

DESCRIPTION
I The idea which has inspired the project presented is to revitalize a large rural zone which has features adequate for a tourist undertaking of great importance due to the extraordinary scenic qualities of the area as well as the historic interest of the surroundings and the wonderful climate, reknown world-wide, as ideal for physical, psychological and spiritual health.
Above all, the project preserves the landscape adding beauty to beauty itself. In fact, Umbria's natural scenery is enriched by the ruins of buildings which testify to the presence of various civilizations in the area. Said ruins of a period in which architecture completed Nature are perfected by the gentle ondulations of the land, abruptly interrupted by natural rock formations, by oak forests and by crop-filled fields. The landscape is modelled by nature and by history. That is what it is all about: to model the landscape.
The design completes and adds value to an ancient structure which will remain at the focal point of the future building. It stands out due to its relative location, at the highest spot overlooking the landscape, as well as because it is the entrance to the building. The new part, which will be joined to the ancient one, shall be built at a lower level and will remain hidden to those who approach from the main road. However, the rear side, when viewed from far away, appears as part of the hill, in the form of a series of towers which rise from it with reminiscences of San Gimig-nano. The rehabilitated antique tower caps the building.
II Taking into account that the physical model should adapt itself to the cultural one, the idea is to give the new building unique characteristics with functional features which do not clash with the flavour of the ancient building or with the traditional good taste which have always distinguished the inhabitants of Umbria.
By studying the scale model, one can see that all the rooms, which are laid out at various levels, externally overlook the surrounding landscape. Internally, they con-verge onto a corridor where all levels are intercommunicated by staircases and voids in a space which, far from being mere passages, form a great circulation area on various levels, inspired in the imaginary architecture of Piranesi.
Said circulation area is the main part of the building, to which a great significance was given. This focal point was studied in such a way as to suggest the idea of an amphitheatre, the "cortile" of an ancient palazzo and also, the piazza of a village.
The amphitheatre will be suggested by the magnificent arch embedded in the rock which is the base for the antique tower. The tower will have a balcony at a height of ten metres overlooking the landscape.
The cortile of the palazzo is, like the Roman "impluvium", the focal point for the social activities of the dwellers of the whole building.
The aspect of a village piazza arises from the fact that the bar, restaurant and main sitting room open out onto the above mentioned circulation area.
lll The object of the project is to create a special atmosphere, a kind of ecologycal oasis, a place of physical and spiritual relaxation, where modern comfort harmo-nizes with Nature. The building is located in a picturesque and extremely healthy zone which embraces a wide area of forests and fields. Crops will be grown on the hotel's land enabling it to obtain its own oil, vinegar, wine, spices and vegeta-bles.
Among the future projects are the construction of small lodgings nearby.
IV The focal point of this project is harmony. In the same way as in Nature harmony is perfectly synthesized in the geometric shapes of precious stones, our building is based on a decagon. In turn, the decagon is the union of two pentagons in a figure whose relations are based on the golden number, medium and extreme Eucledian reason. In this sense, we wished to honour the great artists of the past, specially Alberti, Piero della Francesca and Leonardo da Vinci, who have discovered the hidden harmony in geometrical figures and the relations amongst them.
From this initial gem, the rest of the project radiates and permeates the outer walls of the building towards other towers, in perfect harmony with the magical Umbrian landscape.
V The idea of building the hotel is to add value to an area of Umbria which is particu-larly apt for relaxation and peace of mind, as well as for walks and rides into the country side, rich in history and monuments, some of which may be enjoyed by ga-zing through the windows or from the terrace of the building itself. The construction of the hotel is planned in two stages.
The first stage shall consist not in the construction of the whole hotel but in the re-modelling of the medieval castle where the rooms required for the infrastructure as well as twelve bedrooms are located. The purpose is to add value to the land su-rrounding the castle and, at the same time, to offer an additional attraction to the hotel guests.
The second stage shall complete the group of buildings, according to the original project.