Press release
Thetis takes a leading role in a project that will convert the Karst region into a new museum
Partners in the project include the studio of prominent Swiss landscape architect Paolo Bürgi (head of ATI and signatory of the project), Glass Architettura Urbanistica, Laut Engineering and architect Stefano Alonzi.
The project was initiated in anticipation of the upcoming centennial of World War I (1914-1918) in 2014. This region, a border territory during the war but now “borderless” as Slovenia is a member of the EU, was the site of crucial events and bloody battles. The project to convert the Karst region into an ”open air museum” – a site having both historical significance and value as a unique natural and scenic area – became a reality in 2009 when the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region agreed to provide funding.
With the region’s financial support, an operational programme for the construction of this unique attraction was developed and an “image” for the Karst region was created through a comprehensive marketing project. In 2010 the Province of Gorizia held an international design competition, soliciting designs relating to three specific areas of the project: the Open Air Museum on Monte San Michele, the Scenic Viewpoint overlooking Lake Doberdò in Castellazzo, and the improvement of the area above the Redipuglia War Memorial (dating from 1938, it is the largest in Italy, one of the largest in the world, and contains the remains of more than 100,000 soldiers who died in the Great War).
Thetis will contribute its expertise to these three areas of action, assisting in the implementation of the competition’s winning project by designing the building services for the new museum on Monte San Michele, organizing the exhibition areas in the museum’s galleries, managing the financial aspects of the different projects and overseeing various activities relating to the Scenic Viewpoint and the War Memorial. In addition, the company will be in charge of formulating safety guidelines and evaluating risks relating to the construction work, and will manage the construction sites for the entire project.
These three areas of action are particularly important since Monte San Michele has the region’s highest concentration of artefacts from the Great War. As such, the open air museum will be essential to enhancing the region’s tourism value. The area where the Scenic Viewpoint will be built is equally important, but from a natural rather than historical perspective, as it will be located in the heart of the Lakes Doberdò and Pietrarossa Regional Nature Reserve (Gorizia). As the Redipuglia War Memorial is a powerful symbol of extraordinary historical value, it plays a strategic role in this project, which is designed to promote the region by attracting cultural and historical tourism.
A circuit (which can be travelled by car, by bike or on foot) will connect these three areas with other points of interest in the Karst region. Informational signs will be posted to point out important aspects and enhance accessibility, while respecting the “sacred” and “delicate” nature of the sites.
Notes about the project
The circuit. The project’s strategy focuses on minimal intervention at specific locations, stressing existing itineraries and encouraging a personal experience that promotes reflection and strengthens the sense of awe that these sites produce.
Area 1) Museum and artillery station. During the first phase, the small Monte San Michele Museum’s existing building will undergo remodelling to remove all interior and exterior decorations. In the second phase, the new museum will be constructed on a man-made hill. The hill has a natural slope that will allow the new structure to be placed partially underground while enjoying a view of the valley. The exhibition area will be housed in a long section of the building that connects with the old artillery station. In this two-storey tunnel, lights and shadows will be projected on the walls.
Ambito 2) Castellazzo - Doberdò del Lago. In Castellazzo, a section of the existing trail will be improved and a simple viewpoint where visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the lake will be built. In Doberdò del Lago, a trail will be cut between two karst walls. The trail carved from the rock will lead down to a scenic viewpoint, where visitors can admire a view of the landscape that stretches to the horizon.
Area 3) Redipuglia War Memorial. The first objective of the project is to restore the cypress forest on Sant'Elia Hill. The second is to create a large, shady and peaceful area where visitors can rest after walking up the War Memorial’s stairway and admiring the scenery from the viewpoint. The area is designed to suggest a future in which mere commemoration of the war is replaced by remembrance of the event combined with a feeling of hope.
Credits
Studio Bürgi, Camorino, Switzerland (parent company): Prof. Paolo Bürgi
Studio Glass Architettura Urbanistica Srl, Venice
Thetis Spa, Venice
Laut Engineering Srl, Padua
Studio A4plus, Venice: Stefano Alonzi, architect
Press Office
Orange PR – Gruppo REM
Tel. 0432 179 33 50
Fax. 0432 179 33 60
Alberto Rochira
cell. 347 3354320
Anna Maria Toldo