Art and Architecture

The two departments are laid out around an ample quadrangular courtyard, the Physics section on the western flank of the building and the Chemistry section on the eastern side, their respective accesses in two blocks facing each other.

The main façade looks onto Rua Larga. It has a large portico with strong pillars giving access to the central courtyard, where
the Rectory’s auditorium, the largest in the university, as well as a canteen, are situated. In addition to the reflecting pool, in front of the auditorium, there are two sets of emergency staircases, built in the 1980s, which have altered the primitive plan. On the south flank there is yet another portico with an ample terrace with a view to the Botanical Garden.

One of the outstanding features of the whole complex is the repetitive pattern of the windows, similarly found in other buildings, which emphasises the symmetry of the complex.

Proposed Intervention

The proposal aims to eliminate the physical separation between the departments of Physics and Chemistry and to contribute to the perception of the building as a whole, rather than the sum of its autonomous departments. This will allow certain spaces to serve both departments, with the consequent concentration of means and maximisation of resources.

The existing barriers to horizontal circulation, in particular, will be eliminated, thus allowing for a more fluid circulation in the whole building. Above all, this functional reorganisation and spatial rationalisation is meant to ensure that this building will regain its original programme, with specific areas for the auditoriums, classrooms and laboratories (these last having, with time, been deactivated or transformed).

All the spurious elements that mar the typological integrity of the building – namely unsuitable occupation of circulation spaces – will be eliminated.

Technical Document PDF