The auditorium-conference centre symbolises the island as a whole. The centre creates its own space, and is comprehensible at a glance. From there, the cultural centre emerges, which in turn splits into multiple spaces.
This new indoor and outdoor landscape is an attempt to respond to the island's climate and pays tribute to the patios that characterise the architecture of its houses and churches.

The building creates a proper space in the landscape. A place that gives it a unique character and makes it possible to set up visual filters with the developed surroundings nearby. The layout is divided in two according to the morphology of the land: the rectangular Cartesian space is occupied entirely by the Conference Centre and Auditorium, whereas the Cultural Centre is located more freely, inserted among the trees and contour lines. Within this space, the complex is divided into:

THE CULTURAL CENTRE
The exhibition space is used as a distribution area toward the other rooms. The folded volume of the building is a response to the enumeration of all the meeting spaces and to the systematic method of capturing exterior light: two spaces house the multi-purpose rooms on the lower level and a third contains the double-height assembly hall, with capacity for 437 seats. The restaurant, a large space connected to the Conference Centre that can be divided into three ample dining rooms is located on the entrance level. Thinking of diverse uses, the group of lecture halls is designed as a transformable, versatile space that is compatible with cultural usage and the different presentations essential for conferences. The entire complex is lit by four skylights: two toward the exhibition halls, one in the assembly hall and the other covering the patio. The project attempts to find secondary light planes from the café illuminated by the patio, enabling the pine forest to be seen through the exhibition space. It seems appropriate to conceive of the Cultural Centre under this double condition: It should be a response to the cultural needs of the city, but it should also be used as a complementary space to the Conference Centre, absorbing the "fringes" of use. The Centre becomes lung for the Project and takes on the role of "gate and watchtower" for the complex, giving the building the dynamics of daily use.

THE CONFERENCE CENTRE-AUDITORIUM
The lobby leads to the entryway of the unique space of the hall. This large hall is designed as a place that can be transformed according to each use: from a large Conference Hall-Auditorium with 1243 seats which, with one separation, can be made into an 840-seat theatre, dance hall or conference room, and with another separation, it becomes a concert or conference hall with 403 seats. A set of mobile curtains enables us to separate the grandstands from the corridor and differentiate the differently sized rooms in a "theatrical" desire to add a meaningful element - the curtains – to the architectural body, to separate the permanent elements from the mobile ones.

A Conference Centre is primarily a meeting place, and the project focuses on these passing, waiting and conversation areas as characteristic spaces in the building that are organised around the grandstands. These intermediate spaces are highly significant in the island's architecture and arise as transition areas between the building and the surroundings, wooded, shady spaces, walled in and separate from the exterior, always in high places, above the landscape...

THE STAGE SPACE
The stage space has an area of 15x20 m, with an added apron into the main grandstand and an additional wing that is directly linked to the loading dock and storage areas. The sound and technical equipment in the stage area, dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms and technical booths round off the facilities. The idea is to separate the stage and dressing room areas from the space designated for the audience. To this end, there is a separate entrance for stage material and production staff.

THE ACOUSTIC CONDITIONS
The acoustic conditions have influenced the hall's design, adapting both its volume and reverberation time to intermediate recommended levels, between those for an auditorium and those for a theatre. The entire acoustic control system is located on the roof, where the technical control of the facilities is linked to precise calculation of the acoustics of the halls. The elliptical horn is added to the set of technical elements in the stage area and will fold over it for concerts.

ENTRANCE FLOOR (+0.00)
LOBBY. Information, reception, cloakroom. RESTAURANT-CAFÉ.
Dining room (200 diners)
Services.
MAIN HALL (1243 seats, dividable into 840 and 403)
TREE-LINED WALK.
Restrooms.

GROUND FLOOR (-3.60)
EXHIBITION HALL
ASSEMBLY HALL (437 seats)
MULTI-PURPOSE ROOMS (2 x 100 seats)
LECTURE HALLS
Medium halls (5 x 50 seats)
Small halls (5 x 30 seats)
Workshop, rehearsal rooms.
Dressing rooms.
Storage, installations, control rooms.
Administration.
Parking area.

BASEMENT (-7.50)
Stage Space.
Dressing rooms.
Rehearsal rooms.
Loading dock.
Parking area.

Simona Bianchi Directora Comercial