The nocturnal sky is eternal, sublime and inaccessible.
When looking at it, the human being experiences the most ancient sensation and feels overwhelmed by an ancient and inviolable mystery. A mystery that not even the most modern and refined minds can understand, despite efforts and technological progress.
Dazzled by the brightness of our metropolis, we often forget the extraordinary vision the vault of heaven can offer us. However, there are still places that are far from lights and cities where the beauty of the infinite appears in its entire splendor. Surrounded by forests and crags, Roccascalegna is one of the places where this magic continues to occur and where the sky keeps on telling its eternal and beautiful story. It is a unique and far place that is both incredibly beautiful and clearly fragile. In fact, the fortress deeply depends on the constant care of the human being to preserve its characteristics and remarkable appearance.
For these reasons, Italian Exhibition Group and the Italian government launched the Observatory Houses project aiming to find a new use for Roccascalegna taking advantage of the potential of an oneiric setting with remarkable skies. The project aims at creating in Italy the first and most suggestive observatory houses. They will be a sustainable and exclusive house model aimed to ensure the protection and improvement of such inestimable heritage.
How to build a complex of modern observatory houses in a picturesque medieval fortress?
How to create the most refined national reference for the astronomical observation tourism through architecture? On the bases of these issues, designers will have to create a story composed by stars, silences and landscapes. This story will have to include architectural elements designed to create a place beyond compare. It will not be a place of mere observation or accommodation; it will be a place of spirituality and meditation. Observatory Houses wishes to promote an architectural intervention that aims at becoming a symbol destination for those who wish to move away from their everyday routine and live an archaic, almost mystic experience thanks to the most ancient and beautiful sight.
Under everlasting skies, the new observatory houses in the ancient fortress will provide an unforgettable stay for those who wish to experience the feral excitement to fall asleep under the stars rocked by the slow movement of planets and fascinated by a sudden shooting star.
YAC thanks all the designers who will take part in this challenge.
Winners
First Prize
gcarchitetti
Carlo Gaspari, BEATRICE COMELLI, Matteo Cascini
Second Prize
MAYBE
SEBASTIEN LAFRESIERE, ALEXIS BEAUSSART
Third Prize
NE_HOUSE
Konstantina Papanikolaou, Julen Aguinagalde Lopez de Calle, Anastasios Theodorakakis
Gold Mention
MAKA
Marta Mączka, Grzegorz Mączka
Gold Mention
Architectress
Sheung Chui Carol Nung, Ya Suo, Jueying Liu
Gold Mention
Studio Pare
Carolina Medici, Mark Adamson, Andrea De Matteis , Angelica Tortora
Gold Mention
Romain Bonino
Romain Bonino
Mention
coin²
Nicolas Mouret, Tom Floquet, Bérangère Couput
Mention
Os Espacialistas + Pedro Frade
Diogo Castro Guimarães, Pedro Frade, Luís Baptista
Mention
WENZHU
WENZHU
Mention
A+O
Leonie Ott, Majd Aweel
Mention
Lapo Ruffi, Vanessa Giandonati
Lapo Ruffi, Vanessa Giandonati, Tommaso Clement
Mention
Casamassima Notari Pasquali
Lorenzo Pasquali, Giorgio Notari, Alessio Casamassima
Mention
Solaris
Jia Weng, Tianwei Ye
Mention
JE-LE
Michael Jefferson, Suzanne Lettieri
Mention
S&Z
Lorenzo Zaccarin, Barbara Stallone
Mention
Aga Kwiecien
Aga Kwiecien