PROTIRO / NOWA

Architects: NOWA
Area: 400 m²
Year: 2016
Photographs: Peppe Maisto
Client: Fondazione Concetta D’Alessandro Onlus
Project Authors: Marco Navarra, Maria Marino
Collaborators: Fortunato Pappalardo
Structures: Filippo Leocata
Electrical Plants: Claudio Pitino
Fruit Plastic Boxes External Size: 935x640x560mm
Fruit Plastic Boxes Internal Size: 890x595x545mm
Fruit Plastic Boxes Weight: 6.5kg
Fruit Plastic Boxes Material: HDPE
Architect In Charge: Marco Navarra
Electrical Plants: Claudio Pitino
City: Caltagirone
Country: Italy

PROTIRO, designed by NOWA, repurposes two former artisan sheds to transform a neglected urban environment with expressive architecture using raw materials. Created for the Concetta D’Alessandro Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting people with disabilities, the project combines rehabilitation and training facilities. The ground floor serves as a guesthouse, while the upper floor, under a large vaulted roof, provides a space for group activities. A new lift and staircase feature a facade made from recycled plastic orange crates, using color and lighting to create a distinctive landmark. This project advances a decade-long exploration of using plastic crates as architectural materials, turning them into a strong aesthetic and social statement. The main hall’s design, with its vaulted ceiling and textured facade in shades of green, reinforces the building’s unique identity.

Developed for the Concetta D’Alessandro Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on the treatment and rehabilitation of people with disabilities, the project incorporates spaces for both rehabilitation and training.

The ground floor has been transformed into a guesthouse, while the first floor under a large vaulted roof provides a spacious area for group activities. Two low volumes accommodate service areas and form an entrance vestibule to the main hall. The addition of a lift and a new staircase required the creation of a new facade, which was made using recycled plastic boxes traditionally used for collecting oranges.

The new structure, with its use of color and lighting, serves as a distinct marker, standing out as a recognizable symbol within the otherwise uniform cityscape.

This project continues a decade-long exploration into reusing plastic crates as architectural materials, demonstrating how form and ornament in architecture can serve as powerful tools to promote valuable social actions. The facade transforms these humble materials into a strong aesthetic signal through intricate design and weaving, enhancing the building’s identity.

The main hall is defined by a large vaulted ceiling that stretches beneath the roof like a wrinkled cloth. This vault stands out against the plane created by the wooden plank flooring. The new structure features a steel frame clad in plastic boxes, originally used for harvesting oranges, in two shades of green. These boxes form a pixel-like texture, with a pattern created by parallel diagonal lines in light green.