Trieste Sea Museum designed by Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra arises from a critical position before the mere act of "fossilizing history" by implementing a current and quite varied program. In addition, the proposal proposes the construction of a new element on the roof of the building, in its central body and located on its vertical axis. This new body is a complete glass gazebo, which could house a multipurpose space and a cafeteria with sea views.
The lower body is used for the restaurant with its corresponding services. This with views of the sea and towards the splendid landscape of the city. Inside the building, some existing slabs are subtracted, corresponding to the second and third floors, with the aim of introducing soft ramps in the route of the flow of visitors as well as in the central body, in order to guide the light natural cascade to the central spaces. In addition, newly built transverse bands are added to one side and the other of the large rooms, to respond to the functional and regulatory compliance of the project.
Description of project by Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra
The proposed intervention on the Magazzino 26 building in Trieste's Porto Vecchio not only aims to restore the building's historic value by completely renovating it but also to give it a new cultural use: the Museo del Mare, a new first-class cultural facility. It is, therefore, the reactivation of the old with contemporary reuse. To incorporate it into the life cycle of the city.
In this intervention, we are trying to find a middle way between historicist mimicry and the contrasting position of a certain tradition of modernity. A way closer to the establishment of relations of analogy with the old building is to find an architecture that does not imply discontinuity or rupture, in which there must be a certain interaction between the innovative languages of modernity and those consolidated from history, in such a way that they become the languages of the old building.
history, in such a way that they become complementary languages, seeking, in short, a certain physical and historical continuity.
On the other hand, the proposed intervention on the Magazzino 26 also distances itself from a certain reductionist attitude that seeks to fossilize history by anchoring it in a single historical moment, that of its initial construction, preventing the incorporation, over time, of new architectural contributions that could enrich its heritage values.
After a detailed analysis of the formal configuration of the Magazzino 26 building and its relationship with its immediate surroundings, in terms of both the neighbouring buildings and the exterior spaces, our proposal proposes the construction of a new element on the roof of the Magazzino 26 building of a new element on the roof of the building, in its central body, and located on its vertical axis.
This new element, capable, in its discretion, of giving a contemporary touch to this operation to transform the old and obsolete port structures, is thus charged with a new symbolic significance, which speaks of a new culture, of a deposit of our time in the old building. This upper body, the new viewpoint of the Museo del Mare, made entirely of glass and technically resolved for its correct functioning, and which we have called Sala Marconi, could house a multi-purpose cultural space, as well as a cafeteria, which will also have outdoor terraces with magnificent views over the sea.
The lower body, which is more enclosed, is intended to be used as a restaurant, with its corresponding services, an essential element in the programmatic contents of the Museum, and at the same time resolved for its autonomous operation, outside the opening hours of the institution. A good-sized restaurant with views of the sea and the splendid landscape of the city. Inside the building, some operations were carried out to remove the existing floor slabs on the second and third floors, to introduce gentle ramps along the route for the flow of visitors, as well as in the central body of the building, to guide the visitors through the building, the central body, to cascade natural light into the central, shadier spaces of the building, and the addition of newly constructed transverse bands on either side of the large halls, to satisfy the functional and regulatory requirements of the project.
The project's functional and regulatory requirements are completed by the addition of transverse bands of new construction on either side of the large halls.
