1995 - 2007, NOLA, ITALY
Located in the countryside outside Naples, this mixed-use centre is a modern version of a traditional marketplace. The centre includes a superstore, a shopping mall, entertainment and public spaces, restaurants, a hotel, offices and other facilities. The project design draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape, in particular from the nearby Vesuvius volcano. The structure’s sloped form ranges from 25m to 41m in height, and the building has an overall diameter of 320m.
The structure's form contrasts with, and counterbalances the rectilinear buildings of the neighboring business center. The center's operations are located on several levels. The central "piazza" - which is 160-metre in diameter - constitutes the center of the volcano, with its markets and places for people to meet or work.
The crater structure is made of reinforced concrete, covered with turf, allowing the artificial volcano to disappear into the landscape: the aim of the project is to integrate the building into the landscape, not just occupy it.
From a distance, it fits naturally with the contour of the land.