The Talea multifunctional center evokes the agricultural landscape of the Teatine municipality
LAP architettura
Culture
/
Future
TALEA is located in Ripa Teatina, a hilltop village a few kilometers from the Adriatic Coast and the city of Chieti. The idea of creating a multifunctional center stems from the desire and need to establish an accessible and socially active place, a sort of indoor plaza with care services. The name, TALEA (in english cutting), evokes the agricultural landscape of the Teatine municipality: a mosaic of hills cultivated with vineyards and olive groves that descend towards the sea. Like the cutting, the center preserves the “genetic” heritage of the place – understood as the set of social and cultural aspects that are passed down – and is rooted in an area near the historic center that was in a state of neglect. Hence the idea of grafting a modern, innovative architecture that reflects the territory and its inhabitants.
Like a vine cutting carries a few buds capable of regenerating, the project aims to revitalize a “lost” area of the town, thereby becoming an identifying landmark. TALEA features a sinuous profile, in harmony with the rolling hills of the landscape. The play of transparency in the surfaces, along with the soft irregularity of the roof, makes the separation between inside and outside imperceptible, giving the impression of a space immersed in nature, which dominates over the urban center. Although the interior appears to be a large and open space, it is actually designed to create private areas intended for services that may require privacy and silence.
The planned system for the building is designed to ensure sustainability and efficiency. It is a NZEB construction. The building is equipped with a photovoltaic system that generates 10,437.23 kWh of energy annually. The heating system utilizes hydronic fan coil units powered by a reversible inverter hydronic heat pump. Water management includes a rainwater collection and recycling system, with partial purification for reuse as greywater, facilitated by an Imhoff tank. The entire site has been redesigned to incorporate permeable green areas and semi-permeable pavements on pedestrian paths and outdoor parking areas.
The transparent surfaces blend with the softness of the roof's profile, where the separation between the interior and exterior space becomes blurred. The linearity of the parallelepiped volume is disrupted by a covering that, like a sheet in the wind, rests on its corners, creating double-height interior spaces and a walkable roof, which in turn becomes a connector between the two levels of the street and the lot. Moreover, even the ground floor becomes a moldable surface, rising sinuously from the walkway to form a dune, creating an underground space housing children's laboratories, above which a stepped platform takes shape overlooking a fluid environment, ready to accommodate various types of services. Given the uniqueness of the envelope, the intention is to conceal functional and service rooms, promoting the enjoyment of an open plan perceived as a single and harmonious space. These rooms primarily cater to the functions outlined in the tender and include: the sleep room (30 sqm), the breastfeeding environment with a nursery area (30 sqm), sanitary facilities, and a storage area for the Center's staff, consolidated into a block against the west facade of the building, creating the necessary space on the upper level for the design of a reception/wardrobe area overlooking the ground floor hall.
The foundation of the project was the desire to understand and address the needs of the community, to reintroduce a green and social dimension to a space that was once a place of gathering, sports, and sharing, but later "lost." The TALEA Multifunctional Family Center will be a "soft" building with various facets, envisioned as an opportunity. We focused on the context, behaviors, and emotions of the people to create a space that has a precise place in time.
Ripa Teatina
Italy
Comune di Ripa Teatina
Centro culturale
12/2024
500 mq
1,400,000.00 €
LAP architettura
LAP architettura
I.E.S. Fratelli Mammarella
Ing. Pietro Di Pietro, Ing. Federico Esposito
Curriculum
LAP architettura, founded in 2015 by Architects Daniel Caramanico, Federico Sorgi, and Simone Esposito, is actively involved in developing social and cultural projects based on a new model of participatory design that evolves and adapts through community engagement. One notable example is La Scuola dei Desideri in Pacentro, designed in collaboration with MCA - Mario Cucinella Architects. In recent years, the studio has specialized in educational buildings, with 10 school projects currently underway or set to begin in Abruzzo. The studio's works are characterized by a perspective that interweaves the storytelling of traditions with innovative theories on contemporary society and its lifestyles. Their design approach emphasizes the lightness of volumes developed in continual dialogue with the context and built environment. LAP Architecture relies on a cohesive team of young, talented, and passionate designers who continuously renew themselves.
