The proyect designed by Stefano Boeri consists of a group buildings of 8,000 square meters with a series of buildings dedicated to food and coexistence: a new square where, in addition to the canteen, were located eight of the restaurants that were destroyed in the earthquake.
The Christmas tale of a post-quake reconstruction: a 12-minute video produced by Milanese film production company "The Blink Fish", describing the year zero of Amatrice in the words of the restaurant owners who have found new premises in the “Polo del Gusto” at Amatrice.
The process of building the canteen recounting the emotions and hopes embedded “Polo Del Gusto” (Fine Food Complex) – completed this past July – is documented in full detail, from the haunting memory of that August day to the celebration of the completion of the new structure, featuring stories of compassion, communal willpower, solidarity and awareness. As Stefano Boeri remarked – “even in an emergency, it is possible to deliver things of quality that are destined to last.”
Description of project by Stefano Boeri
“A square. A place where to eat local food specialities, by all means. But also a place to meet up, to play and to stay together, in a multifunctional covered space, with an enormous glass wall with a view of the mountains”. The new square to relaunch the local food economy, part of the project “Amate Amatrice” (Love Amatrice) is a symbol of the renaissance of the town hit by the earthquake in 2016.
The first to be realized was the school refectory, designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti, opened in December 2016.
The construction of the entire area started on November 18th, 2016, in the middle of the seismic emergency. The completed square with the refectory and eight restaurants opened on July 29th, 2017, in the presence of citizens, restaurateurs and authorities.
The new square of Taste, Tradition and Solidarity of Amatrice, designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti, has been carried out thanks to the fundraising organized right in the aftermath, by Corriere della Sera and TG La7 – two of the most important Italian communication channels – “Un aiuto subito. Terremoto Centro Italia 6.0”, which raised an amount of over €8 million, €5 millions allocated to the construction of the Food Area.
The delivery of the entire facility is a tangible proof of the reconstruction, thanks to the operational contribution of Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia, Innova FVG and Filiera del Legno FVG. This important challenge kept the entire staff of Stefano Boeri Architetti busy in an innovative project made entirely of wood, built very quickly in order to contribute to overcoming a dramatic emergency.
The square, with the refectory and the restaurants looking onto the Monti della Laga mountain range, occupies 8, 500 sqm.
It is a set of structures built with wooden prefabricated modular elements: fir-tree for the main structure and larch for buffering modules.
The refectory occupies about 490 mq, with 150 seats, three glass walls and a large sloping roof overlooking the mountains.
The 8 restaurants of different area, from 85 to 500 sqm, according to the preexisting dimension of the activities before the earthquake, are located around the central square. Each building has a lightweight structure in steel and wood as external covered spaces available for clients. Besides, the project includes the realization of the internal layouts, the kitchens and service spaces, conceived as modular, flexible and assemblable. The dining halls represent the peculiar element which has been customized by each owner.
The central area of the square, with greenery, benches and lighting, hosts the urban installation Radura designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti. Radura, composed by a wooden circle of 350 cylindrical columns, is an “artificial forest” where one can find the contact with nature. Radura is also a sound experience thanks to soundtrack composed by Ferdinando Arnò.
Conceived and realized this way, the new square designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti is a point of work and entertainment for the entire community and the children, who can play, meet and take a break here. The new Food Area gives job to 100 citizens and it is attracting tourists from all over the world. It represents a restart for the community, to recover its identity and relaunch the local economy.
