The extension of Palazzo Carcano in Trani, Apulia, completed by a belvedere over the Adriatic Sea

The city no longer expands indefinitely: the era of 'total' expansion is being replaced by the era of re-signification. The aim is to reinterpret, through the redevelopment of existing places, parts of the city that have lost their identity. In the case of Trani, the strategic objective is to construct an overall masterplan that constitutes, through the creation of a large public pedestrian area, a basement system on which the Castello Svevo, Palazzo Torres, the Cathedral and Palazzo Carcano stand out. The project is divided into two consequential actions: the first, consisting of the extension of Palazzo Carcano, provides the opportunity to reconfigure the public space in front of it, which is the second action. The architectural intervention is configured as a small piece of Trani stone that completes the area of the Palazzo Carcano in which the archaeological remains of the Via Traiana were found: the idea is to transform this part of the historical complex into a cultural container capable of making both the area of the archaeological excavations and some parts of the existing building itself usable, in order to use it as an exhibition-museum and meeting space. The building's typological and formal characteristics are clearly recognisable and can be traced back to the first built nucleus, dating back to the 15th century, consisting of the one-storey body, still visible today on Via Accademia dei Pellegrini, which has a tufa masonry structure with pillars, arches and vaulted rooms, with a well-articulated, geometric spatial layout. The two floors above, built in more recent times, are made of tuff masonry and mixed reinforced concrete structures, with flat roofing slabs of the latero-iron-cement type and fragmented compartments of varying sizes. The cladding of the building, made up of Trani stone elements of different sizes and textures juxtaposed like the large tesserae of a mosaic, will be approached by a new skin, some portions of which will be excavated, worked and perforated like a chiacchierino fabric, a weave of yarns typical of the place, which forms a permeable weave that distances the façade from its condition of physical limit and configures it as a filter, in order to restore an osmotic relationship with the context: the volume, characterised by solids and voids, thus becomes a lantern, a landmark, a contemporary lighthouse that contributes to the characterisation of Trani's waterfront. The internal distributional reorganisation and general re-functionalisation of the existing building takes into account the different sectors into which the judicial activities are divided, the inter-functionality relationships, the incidence of public attendance and relative security, and the functional contiguity relationships of the various operational offices. The new cultural space that is to be created in Palazzo Carcano is also intended to give rise to events aimed at promoting experimentation and research activities in the artistic sphere that may interest and involve young people in particular. The exhibition activities will also be able to relate to another important cultural landmark, in this case already in operation, namely the 'Beltrani' Palace of the Arts, located near the Cathedral and the Swabian Castle, which is home to the city of Trani's Multifunctional Cultural Centre. On the second floor, which is dedicated to permanent exhibitions, is the 'Ivo Scaringi' Art Gallery, which houses paintings by the master Scaringi as well as other municipal-owned works. The exhibition halls are open for temporary solo or group exhibitions. The new volume, which is proposed as an extension, is open and in dialogue with both the existing structure and the urban context. The idea is that of an inclusive space, easily adaptable to a multifaceted programme of cultural activities, capable of offering multi-sensorial approaches. In this context, it is fundamental to guarantee the maximum flexibility of the exhibition system to allow for a multiplicity of configurations, so that the space can be flatly adapted to the various needs and scenarios of future installations. A central and structuring element is the perimeter ramp that connects the main connection points with the existing - entrance, staircase/elevator, archaeological floor, etc.- and constitutes the equipped floor of the visitor route. The museum offer must include the production and realisation of innovative didactic workshops, events and experiential visits through the creation of video environments, sensitive environments, multisensory paths, theatrical performances and films, an artistic path is drawn across traditional disciplines. The external layout envisages a promenade paysagère, i.e. a place whose collective role combines the two functions of walking and standing, and which, characterised by a remarkable landscape system, becomes a privileged experience. The project thus conceived, once reorganised into areas, becomes a predominantly pedestrian space, a promenade, a belvedere over the sea which, interspersed with green spaces and rest areas in which to set up temporary installations, constitutes the possible flywheel for a cultural growth of the city.