OMA has revealed its concept for the Masterplan of Saint’Elia, a fishing port in the south of Cagliari, the capital of the Italian island of Sardinia.
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Press Release released by OMA on the project
(Cagliari, April 9, 2008) The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has presented its concept Masterplan of Saint’Elia, a fishing port in the south of Cagliari, the capital of the Italian island of Sardinia. With an initial foreseen investment of €30 million, OMA’s masterplan aims to address the complex social and environmental issues in the neglected area.
The concept Masterplan was presented by OMA partner, Floris Alkemade, to the president of the region of Sardinia Renato Soru, the mayor of Cagliari, Emilio Floris and Francesco Licheri the president of the social housing agency AREA, responsible for the existing homes in the area. This follows an agreement signed last week between the city of Cagliari and the region of Sardinia to redevelop St. Elia, a 73 hectare area on prime location on the waterfront in the south of Cagliari.
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The focal point of the masterplan is the refurbishment of a neglected 1970′s modernist social housing estate at the harbour of Saint’Elia; and regeneration by reprogramming the communal spaces with minimal architectural intervention to preserve the unusual quality of the existing buildings and enhancing their potential. The generous well-performing apartments are to keep their social character whilst communal spaces are to be redefined partly into retail and more exclusive community spaces thereby increasing the safety of residents and creating better social pride and cohesiveness. This will be conceived through a collaborative approach with interviews and discussions with current inhabitants.
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The concept plan further envisions a reconnection of the area to its now unused harbour by stimulating and redeveloping the waterfront with educational facilities, retail, temporary structures for different uses and possibly a relocation of the Sant‘Elia Stadium to an area where it is in scale with its surroundings. Diversion of traffic and a new tramway link will reconnect the area to the city centre.
The project’s strong ecological component entails reduction of individual traffic in the area and the reopening of a river to stimulate marine bio-diversity. Another proposal is facilitating ecological tourism on the adjacent St. Ignazio and Saint’Elia mountains reserve including the Cala Mosca Beach.
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“The ambition of the masterplan is not only regeneration of an under-valued area and community,” says Floris Alkemade, OMA partner in charge of the project: “The greater vision is exploiting the full potential of this spectacular waterfront site for the benefit of the entire region whilst improving social and environmental conditions of the current inhabitants and local nature.”
The Cagliari project is lead by OMA Partners Floris Alkemade and Rem Koolhaas with project leader Cristina Murphy.
It is always encouraging to see projects that strive to be more than a pretty building. I send my best wishes to Cagliari, that this project is successful in revitalizing a neglected area. Hopefully this project can become a precedent for other areas that have been neglected and are need of a facelift. OMA has always proved to be forward thinking firm and this project serves to be one of those many instances. It will be interesting to see the actual changes made to the city and the affects that will result from it. I am curious to the present state of the communal spaces and the proposed “minimal architectural intervention” that is to take place. The fact that OMA is retaining the character of the area with the existing buildings is commendable. I am a believer in maintaining context of an area. I think all architecture should retain an essence of the existing areas but “enhancing their potential.” Many places in the world today are lacking safe public spaces. Many of these “public” spaces have been privatized into gated community, isolating people from real community and society. Ideally the people of Cagliari will embrace this new scheme and plan for their community, because it is only with this that the project will truly become a success. One important and crucial step that has been mentioned is that OMA is interviewing and discussing with current inhabitants. It is a shame that such a prime location like a harbor is not being used to its fullest potential. The idea that OMA is taking by redeveloping it into more public and engaging area is an excellent solution to this ghost town of a harbor. Connecting this new public center with the center of the city will definitely activate the whole city of Cagliari. With all these effort to revitalize the city, I have no doubt that the economy and society will benefit tremendously.
DYK
I found this relocation post interesting. I’m looking forward to what you post next.