Radicepura
Between love of nature and sustainability
Catania - Italy
Radicepura
An old abandoned manor house becomes a nursery and conference centre.
Radicepura is a botanical park and conference centre set in the slopes of Mount Etna: a centre of excellence in floriculture where landscape architects, scholars, experts and enthusiasts can find an enchanting, multifunctional space. From the more than 5 hectares of parkland, to the ancient late 19th-century structure, recovered and transformed into a meeting centre, to the accommodation facilities for private events: an ancient country residence transformed into a place of passion for nature with respect for sustainability.
Hi-res images
Reinterpretation of spaces
The buildings in the park have been redeveloped into a large conference and events centre. The beautiful structures, the result of ancient Sicilian craftsmanship, present themselves as buildings of great beauty and value, enriched by painted vaults, lava stone colonnades, and hand-carved stone fronts: elements that require carefully positioned architectural and technically efficient lighting to achieve an evocative atmosphere. The interiors of the large reception rooms are illuminated by Pound, chosen for their high performance and essential design, able to integrate into the environment without being invasive, leaving the place as protagonists to the original beams and stone elements, recovered and restored. The suggestions continue in the outdoor courtyards, where the geometries of the porticoes and pathways are emphasised by Suelo and Quara, which discreetly illuminate the buildings and the walkway to scenic effect, emphasising precisely the strong points of the architecture of the time. Paseo create luminous rhythm, embedded in the perimeter walls of the main building and along the walls and railings on the edge of the courtyards.
A glimpse of the future
The choice of LED lighting and the resulting low consumption is an integral part of a broader intent aimed at sustainability and respect for nature, an integral part and original motivation of the entire project. Radicepura is in fact an energy and water self-sufficient park, thanks to important design and architectural choices. The roof of the Greenhouse is covered with photovoltaic panels that allow the park to be self-sufficient, while the irrigation of the entire nursery relies on a rainwater recovery system.
Products used
Download all images
.zip