CITTADELLA NUOVA, PISA
The Cittadella Nuova, a fortress near Pisa built around 1440, is now called the Giardino (di) Scotto because of the garden landscape laid out in the middle of it during the 19th century. We participated in this project, which allows the public to access the interior.
The age of the building substance required a cautious approach. The desire to integrate a number of functions related to illumination into one object arose from the fact that the electrical power supply to the building could not be installed just anywhere within the old walls. This was also a priority from a design perspective: it should be possible to sense the original space to its full effect without encountering any obstacles.
By engaging in a dialogue with the architects, doing on-site testing and constructing prototypes, a powder-coated aluminium lighting post was developed, its material and form have a functional character. It consciously refrains from blending in with the surface of the vault, yet is still unobtrusive, maintaining certain distance.
However, the light it radiates enters into a diverse range of interactions with the space around it: lighting units that radiate upwards draw the visitors’ attention to the ceiling while providing illumination from the full height of the space. Light from the middle of the post reaches the centre of the space, while light from an opening near the floor accentuates the area around the post.
Inside, each of the posts is a node for the infrastructure, they contain electrical connections and serve to indicate the emergency exists. Oute side, they generously provide both indirect and targeted light for the interior space and thus ensure uniform clarity, while creating a warm atmosphere within the old walls.
Project: CITTADELLA NUOVA
Architecture: ARCH. FABIO DAOLE
Lighting design: ARCH. DAOLE
Location: PISA, ITALY
Client: COMUNE DI PISA
Project year: 2013