Domus Galilae

With its formal Kahnian allusions, the part of the complex devoted to religious calling (already built) now finds completion in the adjacent construct of the little convent and Chapel of the Most Holy, placed at the centre in a circular layout.?At the same time, connecting and separating the two halves of the whole complex, a wide pedestrian path descends from hill to valley on several levels, marked by partition layers of gigantic proportions, following the natural lines of the slope. The sandstone of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, in keeping with the building’s cladding on the sides, is in a constant quest for balance between the various materials: white marble is used with a fusion of metals, glass, and water. To each of these, a specific, individual role is assigned; the grey sandstone, on the other hand, is given a dominant, characterizing presence. The project investigates the whole range of possible uses of the Italian grey stone: there are internal floorings and external paving, wall facings and even roofing, in addition to various sculptural elements. The floor surfaces are presented in slabs with a symmetrical, uniform design, with no diversity in the stonework of the various settings. In this way, the ground surface provides a neutral platform from which one can contemplate the natural landscape with no obstructions. We find ourselves in front of a temple by the sea, like at Tharros or Delphi, so that rather than being a sculptural feature of the landscape, designed to be observed from the exterior as in the already constructed part of the Domus Galilaeae, this place gives us a space for contemplation where we can finally stop and admire the surrounding nature. The designer clads the gigantic partitions with slabs uniformly juxtaposed in two lines, which always follow a pattern with an overlap along the centre line, after which the sequence is then repeated. Finally, the sculptural elements, just like the ashlar masonry on the roof of the constructions situated at the perimeter of the new open space, attempt a contemporary reinterpretation of typical oriental geometry.