The renovation project for the Three Large Halls of Palazzo Nuovo involves the repurposing of the projecting volumes, which were originally designed as a significant external extension of the university complex.
Project Name: The Renovation Of Palazzo Nuovo’s Three Large Halls
Studio Name: Marco Visconti Architects
Location: Italy
Palazzo Nuovo, designed between 1961 and 1966 by the Turin-based architect group Levi Montalcini, Bardelli, Hutter, and Morelli as the headquarters for the humanities faculties, is a modernist building inserted into a 19th-century historical context, not far from the Mole Antonelliana. Its avant-garde expression comes from an innovative construction choice: it was the first building in Italy to use industrially produced steel profiles, wrapped in large windows and modular insulating panels.
The Three Large Halls also follow this same construction logic. In this case, the supporting structure creates an independent volume partially projecting over Via Sant’Ottavio, which will be repurposed by using new materials and a new design for the facades and roof, aimed at enhancing the existing complex volumes.
The new roof is made of continuous slatted aluminum sheets, attached with an interlocking system, with the existing skylights closed using a dry construction method. Additionally, two new facades will be created on the north and south sides, replacing the existing windows, and a new crowning will be integrated with new sunshades along the west facade.
The interiors involve partial reconfiguration of the stepped classrooms, following a logic of improving space usability. This includes updating the escape routes and creating two new side balconies for disabled access, designed to harmoniously integrate the different volumes.
This new internal form is highlighted by a system of wood walls and ceilings. It is an integrated system with the existing structure that interprets the large conference hall roofs in a natural way, with triangular plaster portions designed to connect the lateral surfaces of the roof. The central facets of the new ceiling also contain light tracks that generate characteristic beams of light along the entire length of the hall. A specific radial lighting system is provided near the podiums.
The original furniture will be restored, both the wooden and metal parts. Additionally, new armchairs and podiums will be installed in the central hall.
