Casa del Popolo
Renovation + Public Gardens, Siena, 2025
Client: Municipality of Radicondoli
Surface: 500sm (interiors), 1.600sm (outside)
Design phase: 2021/2023
Construction phase: 2023/2025
Structural Design: Ing. Fabio Masi
MEP Systems Design: Alfacubo
Safety Coord.: Geom. Federico Costi
Contractos: CGV srl, Esa Costruzioni srl
Photos: Matteo Rossi
The design for the new Civic Center of Belforte started from the architectural regeneration of a 1950s structure.
The intervention prioritizes spatial flexibility and inclusive accessibility, enabling a continuous 24/24 use for a wide spectrum of users. The design supports multiple, simultaneous programmatic configurations, embodying a model of dynamic and adaptive civic architecture.
The first scope of the work, renovating the interior spaces, gradually evolved into a broader architectural intervention— aimed at reestablishing a meaningful connection between the building and the historic core of the village. This target was achieved through the design of new pedestrian paths, pergolas, and a public garden, reinforcing the role of the ‘Casa del Popolo’ as a social and spatial anchor for the community.
It has been a public project in the truest sense, rooted in the values of a collective space and civic engagement. The existing building, marked by layers of additions and alterations over time, occupies a marginal and partially subterranean position in relation to the historic town center. The new Multipurpose Center, in order to be hosted inside an half hidden building, needed a new physical and visual connection to Belforte and the elevated square above, reinforcing a sense of continuity with the historic center. The new access route is accentuated by a linear architectural element—a pergola—that gradually evolves into a green façade, wrapping and redefining the identity of the building.
The original community center was physically built by the residents of Belforte. Today, however, safety regulations prevent the population from taking part in the physical reconstruction of the space.
For this reason, we involved the community as much as possible—from the design phase through to the execution of the works—particularly in defining choices related to: the use of spaces, the layout of environments, the selection of new materials, and the technological equipment.
