ultramarine drapes and restored 1950s marble anchor cinemazero redesign by alberto caiola

ALBERTO CAIOLA UNIFIES THREE CINEMAZERO CULTURAL VENUES

Designed by Alberto Caiola, the phased renovation and expansion of arthouse institution Cinemazero unifies three distinct cultural venues in Pordenone, Italy: the upgraded cinema foyer, the newly constructed community pavilion SpazioZero, and an expanded Mediateca housed within the 16th-century Palazzo Badini. A cohesive material palette anchored by saturated ultramarine blue links the dispersed sites, juxtaposing heritage architectural elements with contemporary media infrastructure.

ULTRAMARINE BLUE PALETTE anchors the 1950s RESTORATION

Located on Palazzo Badini’s first floor, the Mediateca integrates an educational media lab with chroma-key blue screens, a public exhibition lounge with open archival shelving, a 20-seat micro-cinema, and a VR gaming room accented with linear neon fixtures set against historic ceilings. Access to the physical archive is delineated by a metal-clad portal, framing an original set piece from Federico Fellini’s Satyricon alongside vintage theater seating. At the primary cinema complex, Alberto Caiola Studio restores the nine-meter-high 1950s foyer by stripping back ad-hoc additions; floor-to-ceiling blue drapes conceal later interventions, revealing original travertine walls and geometric marble inlay flooring. Overhead, a suspended lightbox ceiling illuminates a central ticketing counter and the portals leading into the four auditoriums, named after Totò, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Tina Modotti, and the Sala Grande. Connecting to the foyer via a covered walkway, the new 100-sqm SpazioZero annex features full-height glazed facades, opening views between the adjacent public park and the flexible event interior.

project info:

name: Cinemazero
architect: Alberto Caiola Studio | @albertocaiola

location: Pordenone, Italy

photographer: Max Rommel | @max_rommel

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