html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Zaha Hadid Architects has begun construction on the Centre of Mediterranean Culture in Reggio Calabria, Italy.The 24,000-square-meter Center of Mediterranean Culture includes an aquarium, a number of galleries for both temporary and permanent exhibitions, essential new multipurpose conference facilities for the city, including an auditorium for performances, public presentations, and business gatherings, and new learning areas for the area's schools. A bookstore and a caf and bar with a view of the port are among the center's auxiliary recreational facilities for guests.Sea viewFor thousands of years, Reggio Calabria, which is strategically situated on the Strait of Messina in southern Italy, has served as a gateway between the eastern and western Mediterranean. The city also acts as the entryway between Sicily and the Italian mainland. Reggio Calabria is in the center of the Mediterranean's history and its future because it is the hub of trade routes and marine environments with remarkable biodiversity.The rich indigenous culture and customs of Calabria are inspired by maritime civilizations from all around the Mediterranean. By examining the deep connection between Calabria and the Mediterranean Sea, which has shaped the region's past and will continue to do so in the future, the new Centre of Mediterranean Culture will enhance Reggio Calabria's current archaeological and art institutions.Southern ParkThe Reggium Waterfront redevelopment significantly enhances accessibility to this prominent section of Reggio Calabria's shoreline by incorporating the necessary upgrading of the city's coastline, which has been eroded and degraded over several decades.It also creates a new coastal urban park with an extended promenade that includes the city's most iconic views of the island of Sicily and the Straight of Messina.The Center of Mediterranean Culture, which was designed as part of the waterfront redevelopment, reconnected Reggio Calabria's working port to become a vital part of the city's public realm. It serves as the city's main civic and cultural gathering place, hosting forums, exhibitions, and events while presenting the history and relationship between humans and the sea in a Calabrian context.EntranceA double-height atrium that acts as the city's entryway is the starting point for the center's four wings of amenities. The composition of the building, which alternates architectural volumes between public courtyards that will be protected from the sunlight of one of Europe's southernmost cities and the strong prevailing winds from the north that are funneled through the straight in summer, was determined by advanced computer simulation modeling.Depending on which way it faces, each covered courtyard leads to the west-facing terrace with its expansive views of the straight and Sicily beyond, the city to the south, or the port to the east.Northern ParkThe rich marine environment of the straight and the Mediterranean inspire the center's interior design, which tells a story through sight and sound. Coral tints symbolize the vitality of the straight's ecology, while the auditorium's interior design draws inspiration from marine life's abundance of colors and organic shapes.The interior areas of the aquarium reflect the fluidity and cleanliness of the water, giving the marine life inside an immersive experience. The galleries' use of light and shadow conveys the spirit of exploration inherent in the Mediterranean's lengthy history of navigators, beckoning viewers to investigate the fresh opportunities each exhibition offers.InteriorThe climate in the area, resource efficiency, and ecological improvement all influence the center's sustainability plans. In order to maximize visitor comfort and natural ventilation during Reggio Calabria's summer months, architectural composition and mitigation methods have been meticulously guided by an analysis of the strong prevailing winds in the straight.The building's faade, which is 90% opaque and has ample overhangs, is a crucial component of its passive design since it greatly reduces direct solar heat gain from all directions, including sea reflections, which lowers internal thermal loads. Locally produced, marine-grade anodized aluminum panels for the faade reduce cooling demand to promote long-term energy savings while reflecting the Mediterranean's famous natural light.In addition to reducing transportation and installation energy costs due to their lighter weight and local supply chain, the panels' durability in maritime environments, recyclability, and ease of fabrication will also reduce maintenance, replacement, and material waste, all of which help to reduce the center's environmental impact over its whole life cycle.InteriorA Mediterranean maquis landscape with sixty native plant kinds was created to go along with these architectural measures. Their adaption to the particular climate of Calabria reduces water consumption while increasing biodiversity. Rainwater collected on-site helps with construction needs and landscaping irrigation.The center's dedication to sustainability, biodiversity, and visitor comfort is shown in these measures taken together: responsive building orientation, a high-performance faade, hybrid ventilation, thoughtful material selection, integrated water management, and native planting.With an organic design idea inspired by the radial symmetry of starfish, Zaha Hadid Architects took first place in the center's 2007 international architectural competition. Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and the 20212027 National Operational Programme for Metropolitan Cities (PON Metro) provided funding in 2021, allowing Zaha Hadid Architects to be formally commissioned to proceed with the detailed design that has been improved to meet the sophisticated environmental standards and criteria of future decades.AquariumZaha Hadid Architects, recently, completed the restoration and renovation of the 16th century historic Roman Palazzo into Hotel Romeo Roma in Italy. In addition, the firm created material-rich showroom interiors for Marisfrolg Fashion Group in Shenzhen, China.Project factsProject name:Centre of Mediterranean CultureArchitect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)Project Design: Zaha Hadid and Patrik SchumacherZHA Project Director: Filippo InnocentiZHA Project Architect: Domenico di FrancescoZHA Project Associates: Andrea Balducci Caste, Marco GuardincerriZHA Project Leads: BIM Manager: David Fogliano; Faade: Marco Guardincerri; Interiors: Andrea Balducci Caste, Zsuzsanna Bart; Landscape: Marco Guardincerri; MEP+Structural Coordination: Andrea Balducci CasteZHA Project Team: Abdel Chehab, Anja Simons, Davide Del Giudice, Gabriele di Giovanni, Hangyul Jeong, Luciano Letteriello, Mario Mattia, Michele Salvi, Marina Martinez, Roberto Vangeli, Stefano Rocchetti, Serena Pietrantoni, Vincenzo BarillariZHA Interior Architecture Project Architects: Bidisha Sinha, Kar Hwa HoZHA Interior Architecture Project Associate: Roberta SartoriZHA Interior Architecture Team: Aysu Aysoy, Andy Lin, Caleb Baldwin, Sonia RenehanZHA Sustanaibility Team Lead: Carlos Bausa MartinezZHA Sustanaibility Team: Aleksander Mastalski, Aditya Ambare, Bahaa Alnassrallah, Disha SettyZHA CODE team: Tommaso Casucci, Efthymia Douroudi, Henry David Louth, Vishu Bhooshan, Shajay BhooshanZHA Competition Project Director: Filippo InnocentiZHA Competition Team: Michele Salvi, Roberto Vangeli, Andrea Balducci Caste, Luciano Letteriello, Fabio Forconi, Giuseppe Morando, Johannes Weikert, Deepli Zachariah, Gonzalo CarbajoConsultantsLocal Architect: Artuso Architetti AssociatiStructural Engineers: InterprogettiQuantity Surveyor: Building ConsultingGeneral Contractor: COBAR spaCost Consultants: Building ConsultingEnvironmental Consultant: Biagio CilloFaade Engineering: Faces EngineeringM&E Engineering: Macchiaroli & partnersMEP: Macchiaroli & partnersMaintenance planning: Building ConsultingFire Engineer: Macchiaroli & partnersAcoustic Consultant: Roberto CandelaAuditorium Stagecraft and Multimedia Design: BiobyteAuditorium Acoustic Consultant: BiobyteMuseum Planning Consultants: LordAquarium specialist: Costa Edutainment SpaMaritime Infrastructure: INGERAgronomist Consultant: Rosario PreviteraSite Safety Management: Building ConsultingCompetition Fire Engineers: Macchiaroli & PartnersCompetition Structural Engineers: AKTCompetition M&E: Max FordhamAll renderings NightNurse.> via ZHA News