The client's objective was to carry out the redevelopment and restoration of the square in order to integrate the National Archaeological Museum (where the Riace Bronzes are exhibited) and the urban context, achieving a comprehensive renewal that would combine the past (preservation of listed historical artefacts) and the needs of contemporary city use. The new Piazza De Nava is the true urban centre of Reggio Calabria, where the two urban systems of the built fabric converge: that of the historic city and that of the twentieth-century expansion, structured along two axes with different angles, both parallel to the coastline. We structured the project around this feature, linking it deeply to the urban structure of the city.  The new layout of the square acts as a catalyst for dynamic urban views that, in combination with an order that is only seemingly symmetrical within the space, naturally positions itself as the representative centre of the city. This is not only due to the presence of the Museum, but even more so for its potential to be metaphorically configured as an urban theatre.  It is a space with a steady slope that follows the current profile, divided in two by a diagonal axis that picks up the direction of the 20th-century expansion. The redevelopment of Piazza De Nava is very simple, low-impact and ecologically compatible, thanks to the recycling of rainwater, the new RGB+W lighting system entirely based on LED sources, and the planting of new trees and numerous shrubs from the Mediterranean maquis. The choice of materials combines innovation and tradition.

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PRIZE

<World Architecture Design Awards 2025 -

Best of Best >

WINNER

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<Archello Awards 2025 >

LONGLIST in the Public Space of the Year category

The Archello Awards is an exhilarating and affordable global awards program celebrating the best architecture projects, the firms that designed them, and the most sustainable building products in the world.