The aim for this project, at Piazza di San Lorenzo, is to keep the piazza as found. The project has never been thought to intervene with the programmes that already exist at the piazza, but rather to reinforce the experience one get when visiting San Lorenzo and area around it.
The project invites tourist as well as locals to explore the city of Florence. By inviting visitors to move vertically, they have the opportunity to explore the façade of San Lorenzo on new levels, along with the opportunity to explore the piazza, the city of Florence and the life within it, through observational distance. Given this opportunity for observational studies, a great part of the project has been designed to accommodate twelve Ph.D. students from the respectively faculties: theology, history, anthropology and ethnology. These faculties where chosen, since each one of these apprehends the study of life and/or cultures that can be found at Piazza di San Lorenzo – as Florence has a historical city center that attracts people from all around the world.
The units for these students are positioned in rather hidden spaces near the facade, since a compact construction at its front could counteract the aim for the project. Along with the possibility of noise irritations from visitors, the student units have been placed with distance from the public, though they have to take the relatively same vertical walk in order to access their private study hall and social space on the rooftops, in between existing constructions.
When arriving at the piazza, one will meet a great steel constructed staircase, though meshed railing allows the façade to remain mostly visible. The staircase appears rather functional, as it is mainly arranged at the left side of the façade, where it connects with two levels carried by white marble columns. These columns additionally create a corridor at the ground level, with references to the Renaissance building tradition, though the columns are placed in pairs, as an attempt to create a more modern and therefor less dominant expression.
In order to create a project, where the respect for San Lorenzo remained a priority, though it should tribute to new and modern needs, great inspiration was found in both Exner’s transformation of the ruins of Koldingshus and Carlo Scarpa’s Castelvecchio.
When taking the first steps on this vertical walk, one will see four roughly cut marble blocks creating two steps. Designed as a tribute to Michelangelo, the Italian artist, given this project began with the study of his proposal for the very same facade. From these steps one will then walk on meshed steps - in order to affect the pace of walking. Levels plated with marble blocks will then again allow one to slow down and appreciate the views; over the piazza and the rooftops of Florence, which are presented to one, at the top of this walk along the façade of San Lorenzo.
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