the new townhall

10th semester - Febuary 2022

“Retelling the Rural”
Prof. Christoph Gegnagel, Dörte Meyer

University of Arts Berlin

The focus theme of this semester revolved for me around civic urban spaces. Initiated as a research trip in Rome, this focus informed my design proposal for the small town of Caporciano in Northern Italy.

My project redefines the ground floor of the existing building which used to be a former school and serves today as a town hall of Caporciano. The design of the ground floor reaches into the adjacent public square, overlooking the green valley down below.

This project introduces the civic functions into an otherwise completely administrative building. The administrative part is moved to the first floor and the function of a small bar (situated on the opposite side of the road) migrates to the ground floor of the town hall. Therefore, the administrative and the civic part become independent entities within one building, with separate entrances and circulation. The new civic space can be read throughout the interior and exterior of the town hall: the multi-level public square mediates between the main street and the ground floor level. Architecturally, the ground floor can be defined as an open space with a flexible floor plan. Its new functions require further zoning and partitions in order to approach the scale and intimacy of the former bar. Multiple floor plans present possible scenarios for the functioning of the new bar: with adjacent spaces for workshops, fireplace gatherings, collective cooking and dining. Space dimensions of the new interior increase and must therefore be divided by typical Italian gem and fabric partitions as well as flexible furnishing from the adjacent storage room. As a result, the people of Caporciano and nearby villages would gain a more collaborative gathering space suited for different uses. The redesign process was fostered by hand-drawing, collages, physical models and perspective studies. The perspective studies of a 1:100 model depict the eye level of a pedestrian and a car driver while approaching the redesigned space. The photographs present imagined atmospheres of the new town hall: f.ex. the one facing frontally the strict façade openings lighted from inside and other ones depicting the angle of approaching the interior from the square during the sun dusk. The collages imagine the bar both in its serene emptiness (as a space to perceive and pass by) and within its full capacity for activities and gatherings.

The new mixed-use town hall with the adjacent public square should ideally welcome the „passers- by“ to come to a stop, greet other people from the village and eventually dwell longer, contributing to this unique spot in Caporciano.