Walking around Plemmirio
Lighthouse Sea Hotel - YAC - Concorso internazionale di idee
Progetto finalista
Experiencing the Plemmirio’s peninsula is the aim of the proposed project where the lighthouse would be a starting point to discover the wonders of the area. Imagining the conversion of the lighthouse of Murro di Porco into tourism facilities is meant as a unique opportunity to make visible and rechable the richness of the Maddalena peninsula and its sorroundings. Murro di Porco is more than a lighthouse and a steep clif, it is a privileged place where history (from Mesolithic period through Greece Roman and so on), culture and landscape (vegetation, sea and sky) could be condensed and experience by tourist and local inhabitants alike.
To enhance and emphasize this exceptional condition, we proposed the creation of a circular path around the lighthouse, walking on which you can experience the changing landscape as an endless panoramic composition
where the diff erent parts create strong relations: a fi rm-lightweight design.
On the one side the path is a tool that allow to preserve the uniqueness of the lighthouse (and its role in the landscape) and to avoid the construction of new elements. It defines an interruption space by means of two elements: 1) the
changing of the existing straight street that leads to the lighthouse; 2) the definition of the level above which the construction of new autonomous volumes will not be allowed. This is done in order to preserve the relationship
between the lighthouse and the cliff.
On the other side the ring is a medium to better organize activities and attractions that you can be found in the site.
Walking around, visitors will find metal plates contaning the information about the view they can appreciate from that specific point. For instance, on the external side are placed descriptions of remarkable places in the south-est of Sicily (architectural, historycal and culinary excellences), while on the internal side information about the floral species that caracterized this area are provided. The vegetation of the inner part of the ring is incremented with the typical flora of the arid subtropical climate. It is organized as a botanic garden whose focus point is hosted in the ruins, west located with respect to the lighthouse. The excellences of the marittime protected area are here displayed.
The imagined accomodation is aimed at a wide public, a benchmark for those who visit the rich mixture of attractions of south-est of Sicily and want to have some rest (short or long period) in a delightful picturesque place. To be open to varius purpouses the project designs different and autonumus parts which are, at the same time, strongly related with each other and within the ring.
In the rooms of the lighthouse, that looks in acceptable state of conservation, the reception of the hotel is set consisting of a comfortable lobby, a place for social interaction with others that are experiencing the same journey in the region whilst trough different approches. Next to the reception, you can find the restaurant of the hotel, open to everybody (not just to hotel guests), and a bar hosted in the ruins close to the lighthouse. These elements look onto a new terrace that extends the existing base with a pergola for the shadow. The boundaries are defined by a garden and a small basin.
The project preserves the existing buildings without altering the external appearance: only two new small boxes in corten are designed to guarantee the necessary services.
The two small buildings in ruins (not far from the lighthouse) become an opportunity to think about a small center linked to the natural and marine reserve. Here it can take place a small info and eductional center about flora and fauna of the Plemmirio area, in connection with the outside garden. At the same time, since the peninsula is famous for the richness of its waters it could be interesting to develop here a diving center. Since the buildings are so compromised that the renovation would be too costly, the project suggests to incorporate a new structure within the existing one to ensure their stability. A new volume, a box in corten, that could be used for lectures and conferences, is proposed in order to create a usefull inner court.
The sound of the waves, the heat of the sun and the surrounding landscape are the core around which the rooms are
designed. Each room is provided with a unique view, thanks to the design made along the single of a soft arch. The
rooms are hosted where increases the gap between the horizontal surface and the degrading existing ground. The
rooms, arranged in two blocks (10 in one and 4 in the other), are connected to the services of the lighthouse with
gentle paths that follow the gradient of the slopes. The focusing on the natural and landscape elements, has meant the
giving up in designing some typical supplementary servicies of a resort.
The inside of the room is organized as a unique space with a big window looking onto the sea, while the services run
along the walls that separate the rooms. Each unit has its own open space in front of the sea. On the opposite side a
window looks towards the lighthouse suggesting the feeling of being part of a suggestive place.
The presence of counterposed windows and mobile tents allows each guest to independently manage the air-conditioned
according to their own desires.
The circle path is a technical infrastructure. It is designed as a hollow beam inside which the technological networks
run. This device allows to minimize the impairment and the excavation of the soil and to think the networks as an
implementable and adaptable system.
The large surface area of the path is a tool for the rainwater collection system, a precious commodity in this context.
The water is collected, purified , and stored in tanks which are placed below the path. Then the saved water is used
for compatible uses within the hotel structure and for the irrigation of the garden as well. The tanks and the other
technical rooms are set under the path when the gap above does not allow to build the guest rooms.
At the same time these spaces serve as a structure of the path, avoiding other punctual supports.
The exceptional and isolated location requires to choose best technical solutions to ensure the energetic sustainability
with a non-invasive systems.
On one side, we had drawn some typical tricks of passive solar systems as jetties that hinder the entry of sunlight during
the summer months allowing it in the winter and the arrangement of windows on opposite sides of the chambers to
generate spontaneous flows.
On the other side, we suggest to use active technological solutions that use energy from renewable sources. Moreover,
in this context we had a varity of choises: it is possible to choose between sun, wind and sea. Our choise fell on the
use of energy from wave motion since the sun and the wind would have both required solutions with a strong visual
impact which we have judged unacceptable for the site. A completely underwater system that converts the energy of
the waves has been positioned in front of the cliff. With a cable that runs under the pier and climb along the stairs
electricity is then brought to the boiler room. Here the electric absorption pumps produce energy for heating, cooling
and hot water that servs the center as well. This infrastructure is a zero CO2 system.
The maintenance of existing buildings without making any significant changes on the outside and the use of
prefabricated systems for the construction of the rooms allow the rooms to be dismissed or used for new requirements.
An exception in this approach is in that element we call “ring”: even if we add a new “sign”, the ring is conceived
as a device that can add values to the site thanks to the exeptional perception of the environment and of the
autochthon resources of Capo di Murro di Porco provide.
