Polo Archivistico Lombardo

Park Associati’s project turns the former military arsenal of Pavia into the Lombardy Multifunctional Archive Centre, creating a cultural area open to the city housed within a new urban park that is a contemporary interpretation of the meaning and form of the archive. The project's vision envisages a set of connected open buildings designed to accommodate multiple scenarios. The archive's function of preservation and management is combined with that of sharing, thus creating a hub that welcomes employees, institutions, scholars and citizens.

The complex is located in the south-western area of Pavia, a strategic position that connects the city's historic centre to the north and the green banks of the Ticino River to the south. The first evidence of openness to the community is the removal of the arsenal fence wall on these two sides, followed by the creation of a large green pedestrian boulevard along the north-south axis.

The vast industrial structures of the three main warehouses, featuring saw-tooth roofs and large windows, are refurbished to house the archives, which will be equipped with innovative automatic retrieval high density storage systems. Connected by a series of contemporary insertions, the buildings form a wide covered pathway open to the public that runs parallel to a green boulevard featuring different areas, such as reading rooms, meeting rooms, restoration workshops and educational spaces.

Characterised by a finely-designed metal structure, the lot's existing shelters are turned into energy hubs thanks to the addition of photovoltaic panels, climbing plants and misting systems aimed at improving the climate of the inner courtyards, which are meant to host outdoor cultural events.

The landscape project enhances the existing botanical environments, from the large trees planted in the industrial period and the spontaneous vegetation that, over the years, has been spreading to take possession of the abandoned buildings, up to the area's typical river flora.