RAVENNA EVENT CENTRE

The Ravenna canal port is a unique landscape, a suspended place where nature and industry meet and sometimes collide. It is an environment rich in evocative qualities the same ones that Michelangelo Antonioni transformed into an icon in Red Desert. The film’s chromatic atmosphere and its narrative of the conflict between humans and the environment have become one of the interpretative keys of the project. An intimate reference, yet one capable of resonating with the site’s contemporary condition. Within this context, the new building is inserted as an essential presence, a “spine” emerging from the ground and giving space back to nature through a garden that envelops it. Its pure form houses an auditorium from which glimpses of the canal or the sky can be perceived, also thanks to a large circular window a simple gesture that connects the interior to the surrounding landscape. The composition recalls the logic of the regular volumes that characterize the port area, resulting in a recognizable object with a restrained sense of monumentality, yet still capable of dialoguing with its surroundings. The relationship with the main headquarters of the Port Authority is echoed through the theme of the base and the upper volume, as well as through the use of brick. The upper portion, built in timber and wrapped in an inclined black surface, becomes an active element, capable of promoting natural ventilation and protecting the envelope, while integrating photovoltaic panels that contribute to the building’s energy self-sufficiency. The project does not merely occupy a place, but helps to reconstruct its landscape: the grass garden, the canal, the shading canopy along the waterfront, and a new green connection that redesigns the cycle pedestrian path, restoring its continuity all the way to the sea. Two entrances one facing the city and the other the canal lead into a foyer open toward the auditorium, café refreshment area, and terraces, configuring an informal and welcoming space of social interaction. The structure combines waterproof concrete in the underground portion with high-performance X-LAM panel façades. Building services are entirely based on renewable sources: water-to-water heat pumps exploiting the thermal potential of the sea, an integrated photovoltaic system, and high-efficiency ventilation systems. The auditorium adopts localized air distribution beneath the seating, while offices and the refreshment area employ hydronic solutions and controlled ventilation with energy recovery. The new building thus becomes a recognizable object within the port: an essential and autonomous architecture that draws strength from nature and offers a more conscious way of inhabiting the relationship between architecture, water, and the industrial landscape.