campomarzio proposes cinema to protect archaeological ruins

campomarzio proposes cinema to protect archaeological ruins

all images courtesy of campomarzio

the vestiges of a medieval city are preserved in campomarzio and w+w’s proposal for palazzo del cinema di locarno, a site both enhanced and indebted to the monumental and highly specific waterfront site, home to both the 16th century castello visconteo and rivellino. the historically rich fortified port on the lake is part of a larger former vision of the swiss city as an urban complex on the waters of lake maggiore. the design proposes to keep the original walls intact by partially submerging the architectonic artefacts in a flooded stretch of the ruins. the cinema, a place of refuge, collective imagination and shared hyperreality would forge a dialogue between the urban history of the city, the lake and public space. while the excavation of the medieval ruins would require the demolition of a bernasconi-designed school, the new white concrete volume would hover over the archaeological ruins and meet the ground at the impost of a gently curved arch. the protective mass forms an entrance to the theater while connecting piazza grande and piazza castello, arguably the two most important public spaces in locarno. 

view into the curved, protective entrance of the cinema, with hints of the original walls in tact

the hall interweaves different gradients of public and entertainment spaces with the existing fabric of the city

interiors retain the language of the monumental fortification, albeit with slate-colored concrete

the white volume weaves into the exiting urban context

site plan shows the location of the forthcoming excavated structure and the submerged area

plans and sections show the relationship of the cinema to the public space