Compagnia di San Paolo, the University of Turin, and the Municipality of the City of Turin, in agreement with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, the Order of Architects of Turin and Milan, and the Foundation for Architecture /Torino, hold a design competition for the requalification of the compendium of Cavallerizza Reale.

The requalification project intends to build an international cultural hub, located in the heart of the city that – under the banner of sustainability and with the support of the latest technologies- envisages the establishment of new cultural, educational, receptive, social, and tertiary functions, coherently with the instructions in the regulatory plan and with the Unitarian Requalification Project approved by the Turin City Council, significantly increasing the portion for public use.

Envisaged as a Command Zone for the governance and military operations of the Savoy family, the Cavallerizza Reale was conceived in the mid’600 by Amedeo di Castellamonte as an implement for the Royal Palace Complex. The project, commissioned by Carlo Emanuele II, involved the edification of monumental galleries employed as archives, the institution of an academy for the children on the Turin and European aristocracy, the royal stables, since then located inside Manefgio Chiablese, the Royal Theatre, the Pagliere building, a library, and the Royal Mint. From the first half of the ‘700 on, with great refurnishing works, carried out by Filippo Juvarra and Benedetto Alfieri, Turin acquires a more international dimension, while Bernardo Mosca, responsible for the 18th-century implements, developed a second redesign of the project, equipping the city with an even more monumental and Avant guarde complex.

Today the cavallerizza Reale is part of Turin’s museum district, that features some of the city’s main institutions: Musei Reali, Teatro Regio, Teatro Stabile, Auditorium Rai, Centro di Produzione RAI, Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano, Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Museo Egizio, Gallerie d’Italia, Biblioteca Nazionale, Accademia delle Scienze, Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti, Conservatorio G. Verdi.

The ambition of the competition, also concerning the centuries-old history of the institutions that propose it, is to offer Turin an authoritative, iconic and recognizable architectural sign, which becomes a reference point for the cultural and touristic activities of the territory. 

The Design Groups will have to work on a project that guarantees the conservation of the asset through the implementation of adequate restoration and recovery works and propose internal and external architectural solutions that meet the functional needs related to the intended use and enhancement of the historical identity of the buildings, applying the highest standards in terms of environmental and social sustainability.  

Competition 

The Competition, published on the Concorrimi platform of the Order of Architects of Milan, proposes a two-phase articulation on the model of French competitions. 

The first phase is pre-selection for curriculum and titles, intending to select up to 6 candidates among the competitors, who will be invited to participate in the second phase, and the second, having as its object the presentation of a technical and economic feasibility project. 

In the first phase, a report on the methodological approach to the project is also requested, which will help the Commission to evaluate the integration of the necessary and useful knowledge and skills of the Design Groups in dealing with the Project, taking into account the conditions and constraints contained in the Design Guidelines. 

The prerogative will be that, among those selected for the second phase, the Selection Board may include, where present, at least one Competitor with a professional under the age of 40 as group leader. Each Design Group must also provide for the presence of a young graduate professional, qualified to practice the profession for less than five years.

Rewards and refunds 

There will be a first prize for the winner to cover the costs incurred for the processing of the PFTE of € 200,000 and reimbursement of expenses is paid to each of the remaining participating Design Groups that have submitted the required works, equal to € 28,000.

Deadlines

• submission of the application form, reference projects, CV, and methodological report – by 27 July 2022
• pre-selection committee and shortlist communication – by 15 September 2022
• PFTE presentation by the selected Design Groups – 6 December 2022
• selection and announcement of the winner – by 16 January 2023

Jury

The Jury, which shall be the same for both phases and composed of members appointed on the basis of specific skills, given the peculiarity of the procedure, is composed of 7 effective members and 2 alternates, with a prevalence of components of proven experience and competence in the fields of architecture, urban planning, restoration, cultural heritage. 

The President of the Commission is arch. Michele De Lucchi.

The members of the commission are:

Doctor Alberto Anfossi, Secretary-General of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation;

Arch. Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani, Emeritus Professor of History of Urban Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich);

Arch. Elli Mosayebi, Associate Professor of Architecture and Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich);

Arch. Luisa Papotti, former Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the metropolitan city of Turin;

Prof. Francesco Profumo, President of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation;

Prof. Sara Whiting, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

"The complex of the Cavallerizza Reale deserves attention and a design evaluation that goes far beyond the limits of the city of Turin, Italy and Europe itself: in fact, the transformation of the Royal palace compendium into an important part of the urban center could become a reference model for many future operations. The issue of reconversion is a widely debated topic all over the world, especially for climate, social and economic sustainability," declares the President of the Jury Michele De Lucchi. 

"With this in mind, we have organized a commission of personalities of great competence, combining experts of Turin's urban structure with architects of international importance, able to bring this case to the attention of the whole world. In the ambitions of the program, the Cavallerizza Reale aims at becoming a cultural hub for the arts, with areas intended for functions open to the public and for institutional services and activities. I am happy to chair this commission and that the competition will deliver a design and intellectual contribution of great prestige to the city of Turin."

Estimate of intervention costs

The maximum cost of the intervention to be carried out (economic framework including the amount of the works, design costs, construction supervision, testing, safety costs, competition costs and sums available to the property) amounts to about € 34.5 million. Overall, the recovery and enhancement of the entire Cavallerizza compendium will mobilize investments of about € 100 million, over a period of 5 years. 

To ensure uniform conditions of participation, the procedures of the competition and the relationship between clients and competitors will take place exclusively electronically through the www.cavallerizzarealetorino.concorrimi.it website. 

The competitor will have access to the site mentioned above by registration and will be able to download the material necessary for participation, formulate questions, consult the appropriate "news" page and deliver by uploading the files of both the first phase and the second phase. 

All the works and documentation of the competition can be found on the website.

Top image © Andrea Guermani, courtesy of the competition.

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