Main Architecture and Design Tower B1: Tall Block at the City Gate

Tower B1: Tall Block at the City Gate

Tower B1 is a part of the Porta di Roma (it. – Gate of Rome) – shopping centre, designed by Valle Architetti. This large multi-functional centre is a part of the Urban Plan of the Bufalotta district, a settlement of 10,000 inhabitants with housing and services situated along the GRA (Grande Raccordo Anulare) ring road to the north of Rome, which was also designed by Valle Architetti.

Many of Valle Architetti’s architectural projects fit into the most complex scenario of urban plans developed by the same design group. They are conceived as integrated parts of the city, as the tiles of a larger urban mosaic where the public nature of the buildings and spaces is favored: opening squares, connecting paths, and new points of reference in poorly characterized areas.

The narrative of these projects takes place over long periods of time due to unplanned variations, halts and changes that are seen as opportunities for critiquing and developing them. This concept is linked to the semantic stratification of the project over time and the deliberate lack of a recognizable language. When developing the Tower B1 concept the authors faced with the need to revise existing project due to changes in the functional purpose of the building, and so had to diversify its external appearance and internal layout. The matter was rather complicated, because the general construction works have already been completed.

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