San Lorenzo Town Hall
  1. Home
  2. Architecture
  3. San Lorenzo Town Hall

San Lorenzo Town Hall

EM2 Architetti

San Lorenzo Town Hall
By Francesco Pagliari -
The new San Lorenzo di Sebato town hall is bigger than the previous one, but it has been carefully inserted into the town centre, facing east onto the church square and dialoguing with the painted facades and pitched roofs of the surrounding buildings. This new structure is quite large, but with simple, sharp lines that make the edifice a modern interpretation of the local urban fabric. Indeed, it has a clear identity and this helps to discreetly shape the nature of this section of the town. The external elevations are characterised by a notable formal balance between the coated and glazed sections. This formality is maintained even with windows that are variously sized and differ in prominence. The external appearance is also tied to the internal layout and it is clear that light is a central feature, with the windows creating correlations between the interior and the town outside. The windows are either flush with the outer wall or slightly recessed, creating coplanar spaces and areas of greater depth. This adds to the overall composition dynamics, which are in turn developed by the use of wood to frame, support, decorate and partition the windows. The volume is relatively compact, with just three above-ground storeys, and it fits in with the scale of the surrounding buildings. Yet, it still has subtle changes and partially offset sections. For example, the eastern elevation, facing onto the piazza, has a slight "fold" in the facade rising above the glazed entrance section. Similarly, the southern facade is also not straight, creating a tapered look that gives the building a streamlined lateral appearance. The building obviously has the rooms needed to run the town, such as the mayor's office, a secretarial area, administrative offices and meetings rooms, but it also has a multi-purpose hall on the ground floor and rooms for a library. The latter consists of one room on the ground floor and another on the second floor that can be reached via an internal staircase. The library also has its own entrance and the spaces are organised in accordance with practical requirements and the need for access by the public. The double entrance to the building in the glazed ground-floor section (for the entrance foyer and the library) is emphasised by the splay in the wall that creates a protected transition space set slightly back from the main plane of the facade. The entrance foyer is another multi-purpose space as it both directs people to the required parts of the building - the library, the multi-purpose hall, the staircase and the lift up to the section from where the town is administered - and provides an exhibition space for archaeological finds. The skylight in the roof rises above the staircase, providing plenty of natural light for the stairs, corridors and offices below as well as, partially, for the foyer. The use of natural light was clearly a key design element, combining light from both the sides and above. Interestingly, there is also glazing on the north side - mayor's office, meeting rooms and other administrative offices - but there is no need for particular sun-shading there. The utilities and installations are premised on containing annual costs while ensuring a high quality environment for staff and visitors. As such, the temperatures are designed to be comfortable, the internal climate can vary between the different spaces and air quality is important.
Francesco Pagliari

Location: San Lorenzo di Sebato, Bolzano
Client: Comune di San Lorenzo di Sebato
Completion: 2008
Gross Floor Area: 18,492 sq.ft. (1718 m2)
Architects: EM2 Architetti – Kurt Egger, Armin Pedevilla
Contractor: ZH General Construction Company
Consultants Structural: Team 4 – Richard Neumair
Plant: Davide Parisi
Suppliers Glass: Vitralux
Windows: Wolf Artec Paint, Gypsum Board, Pandomo
Flooring: Decor
Flooring: Hecher – Treppenbau & Holzböden

Photography: © Guenter R. Wett

EM2 Architetti The firm is active in northern Italy, mainly in the Province of Bolzano. With their different professional skills, the partners perform design projects –with all relative costings, works management, testing and accounting – in various public sector areas, including both buildings and infrastructure. They are also involved in private residential and industrial builds. Kurt Egger Born in San Candido in 1953 Studied at Vienna University of Technology 1981: Degree in architecture at Vienna University of Technology 1983: State examination in Venice and registration with the Province of Bolzano Order of Architects 1982–85: Practice with Carlo Baumschlager and Dietmar Eberle in Bregenz (A) 1988–2002: Practice with Dora Aichner and Werner Seidl in Brunico 2003–07: Practice in Brunico 2008 – present: EM2 Architetti with Gerhard Mahlknecht and Heinrich Mutschlechner Gerhard Mahlknecht Born in Brunico in 1956 Studied at Innsbruck University of Technology and IUAV in Venice 2001: Graduated in architecture from IUAV, Venice 2001: State examination in Venice and registration with the Province of Bolzano Order of Architects 1981–84: Founding partner of PlanTeam in Bolzano 1988–2007: Architetti Mahlknecht & Mutschlechner 2008 – present: EM2 Architetti with Kurt Egger and Heinrich Mutschlechner Heinrich Mutschlechner Born in Brunico in 1957 Studied at Innsbruck University of Technology 1987: Graduated in architecture from IUAV, Venice 1988: State examination in Venice and registration with the Province of Bolzano Order of Architects 1988–2007: Architetti Mahlknecht & Mutschlechner 2008 – present: EM2 Architetti with Kurt Egger and Gerhard Mahlknecht

Keep up with the latest trends in the architecture and design world

© Maggioli SpA • THE PLAN • Via del Pratello 8 • 40122 Bologna, Italy • T +39 051 227634 • P. IVA 02066400405 • ISSN 2499-6602 • E-ISSN 2385-2054