Eco Bar by Giuseppe Gurrieri

Description of the project by Giuseppe Gurrieri

The project involves the reuse of the ticket office of the adjacent multisport facility, abandoned since years and its reconversion into a coffee-bistro. The property, owned by the municipality, has been the subject of a call for tenders for the award to private investors, with the aim not only of renovating a run-down but mainly to combine the private’s wishes and aspirations with the public needs. The main goal is to recover the building and simultaneously to improve the quality of the surrounding built-up area in a highly critical neighbourhood.

The project, in compliance with the current regulations and in respect of the budget, involves the realization of an outer skin made of low-cost and reused materials (Aquapanel® panels and carpentry wooden slats) that reshapes the building. The openings on the side façades (that look south on to the sports arena and north on to the under-construction building cooperatives) are shielded by the new filter; two large windows, the one on the entrance and the other one aligned on the opposite face, open up a view on the urban landscape.On the north façade, a part of the casing is designed to be eventually overturned creating outdoor tables.

The building envelope serves also as a ventilated and shields the technical systems but also creates a perimeter cavity that works as a storage. Inside, a wall enamelled with a green polyurethane resin separates the work area from the customers’ area. Beams and pillars are left in fair-faced concrete and the floor is made of industrial concrete screed smoothened and treated with a transparent resin. The bar counter, as a full block, is made of iron sheets and the furniture recall vintage retro styles.