Piazza/ Palazzo Annigoni
Visitor Center
Florence, Italy
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Kent State Florence
Spring 2014
Professors:
Andrea Ponsi, Architect
Peter Forbes, FAIA
The concept of this building is to draw inspiration from historical buildings,taking elements from them and expressing them in an abstracted language.
For a ground plan, a ‘U’ shape of similar idea to the Uffizi was chosen. This plan allows it to be open toward the west side, and enclosed on others, creating a new smaller urban space. One of the arms of the visitor center lines up directly with Mercato S.Ambrogio's outdoor canopy, reaching out to its neighbor. This creates a progression back and forth from the market to the visitor center.
The progression starts at the market and passes through the covered loggia, where there is new seating for existing restaurants, as well as additional market space. The progression continues to a grand staircase that ushers people to the central entry space. Once inside, all the other program areas branch off from that central space.
The progression from Mercato S.Ambrogio through the loggia leads up a grand stair into the main entry hall.
Ground Floor Plan
First Floor Plan - Inside the building, the circulation halls are positioned as to look inwards into the new, more enclosed exterior urban space.
Second Floor Plan - includes a cut out area which overlooks a 10mx20m scale model of the city of Florence on the first floor.
The facade of the visitor center is inspired by historical work in the city by Filippo Brunelleschi. A proportional system squares and ‘X’s were derived from the facade of Ospedale degli Innocenti. That system expresses itself through the columns and variations in the glass pattern. This takes the old historical building and expresses it in an abstracted way.
The Sant’Ambrogio market, initially opened in 1873, was a super modern building and used the newest construction techniques, but still held true to old architectural ideas. The visitor center does the same thing, but in a language of our early 21st century. The ground plan and facade are inspired by historical architecture but are expressed in a contemporary fashion.
