Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has won a competition to design a large-scale urban regeneration scheme in Naples.
The masterplan for “Napoli Porta Est” (Naples East Gate) sets out a €700m programme of works covering 30ha of derelict industrial land in the east of the city.
ZHA says the area, which includes disused railway yards, is isolated from the rest of the city and is considered unsafe, with inadequate public spaces and “physical and psychological barriers” hindering mobility and social interaction.
The individual projects include a 60,000-sq-m regional headquarters for the government of Campania province. This will have space for 2,000 civil servants, housed in two towers and surrounded by tree-lined squares.
The headquarters will act as the quarter’s anchor. Besides offering access to public services, it will offer a conference centre, cinema and shops.
There is also a redevelopment of the Piazza Garibaldi area, complete with parks and underground parking and the burial of the Circumvesuviana tourist railway.
There will also be a bus terminal and a new road system, including a motorway link.
ZHA says its design is intended to reconnect the east of Naples to the historic centre. The emphasis is on walkability, multi-modal transport and a 10ha park designed in collaboration with landscape architect Martha Schwartz.
This park is inspired by the volcanic Phlegraean Fields landscape around Mount Vesuvius. The Park is divided into functional zones – play, contemplation and civic engagement.
The project will also incorporate geothermal energy and some 7,000 sq m of photovoltaics on its upper surfaces. The buildings will be fitted with water recycling systems, and ZHA hopes to obtain LEED platinum certifications for them.
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