Between Concreteness and Abstraction – The Reconstruction of Arquata del Tronto

Following the seismic events that involved part of central Italy, about two years ago, we are able to reactivate, or better, rebuild the village of Arquata del Tronto, one of the most affected in the province of Ascoli Piceno. During the inspection, we see an unlit environment at the time of the earthquake; the now empty square, the last buildings demolished, make up a free environment in three directions. Our proposal is a project of cultural and gastronomic interest proposing a modern language through the use of archetypes of the past.

Right from the start we decided to use the irregularity of the old traces, which composed the building unit of Arquata del Tronto, putting it in contrast with the regularity of a grid, with the intent of digging and sculpting the ground to create a unique base, compact, characterized by games of ramps that make up a path that can touch all sides of the uneven grounds, where we can find green spaces accessible and connected to the public space outside the grounds.

The large block carved and covered with natural stone slabs houses volumes covered in cor-ten steel panels that are inserted into a regular excavation. Within these volumes it was decided to create a multi-purpose center and a restaurant, which are part of a group project for the economic-cultural development of the village of Arquata del Tronto.

These structures contain within them recreational areas such as areas for reading, for study and a small temporary exhibition space that traces the history of the village up to the dramatic event; it can, however, be the site of other exhibitions in order to bring greater quality to these environments at a cultural and social level, with the sole objective of reactivating Arquata del Tronto, which is paused by the earthquake recreating a community of people that is no longer there.