«Digital» neo-rationalism

Just as literature feeds itself, so too architecture is reproduced through mysterious alchemies based on a single component but with different cultural densities. The accentuated polychromy of the facades, together with a philosophy that can be defined as Rationalism stripped of the Corbusian axiom of «When the cathedrals were white», reveals Alberto Apostoli’s strong affinity with the generation of architects who graduated in the 1990s — a generation capable of creatively managing the digital revolution that transformed the end-of-millennium architectural idiom.
Residence Santa Caterina is part of a large framework agreement put in place by the Municipality of Verona. The overall project will extend over a residential area of around 18,000 sq.m and a public area of more than 30,000 sq.m. The work as a whole replaces the previous project for a University Campus that would be compatible in terms of urban planning with the current municipal land use plan but would be substantially altered in accordance with the wishes of the residents and city council. The public area, located to the north of the development, was to accommodate a public park, a widened road and a car park. A key element of the park is the central pedestrian and cycle path, with entrance and exit respectively from the north and east sides.
The architecture of the Residence consists of vertical elements with three finishes (plaster, stone and green laminate) which appear to overlap randomly to diversify the dwellings. The development introduces an innovative concept of high-quality housing and environmental integration into the heart of the Verona landscape. The complex is surrounded by greenery, amongst meadows criss-crossed by pedestrian paths leading directly to the individual homes. These delightful routes are punctuated by resting places that foster interaction between the inhabitants of a community who are well aware that they live in a privileged location.
The new development is powerfully modern while at the same time firmly rooted in the contemporary consciousness, which considers the values of nature to be essential for a healthy and sociable lifestyle.
The environmental footprint is considerably reduced thanks to the low height of the dwellings, which consist of just two above-ground floors plus a basement.
Porcelain tiles from Glam Quartz collection by Ceramica Sant’Agostino have been used for the exterior pavings; white body and porcelain wall tiles, also from Ceramica Sant’Agostino (I Marmi Italiani and S. Wood), for the interior spaces.