Interventi pubblici a Sesto Calende | Giulia de Appolonia - officina di architettura

The project proposes a refined act of urban stitching in a central location adjacent to the Municipal Headquarters, situated along the threshold between the natural landscape and the consolidated urban fabric.

A roadway crossing the site both separates the intervention into two distinct plots and, through the bridge over the Ticino River, guarantees strong visibility from multiple levels. This condition intensifies the design challenge, elevating the roofs to the role of a fifth façade and making them an essential component of the architectural composition.

The core concept of the project is the void, understood as a spatial and visual connector between the two built volumes and their context. The open spaces are structured as a sequence of differentiated environments: a tree-lined boulevard linking the main square to the Town Hall; a system of ramps descending toward the river, offering spaces for pause and contemplation; surface and underground parking areas connected by an underpass; an event plaza of approximately 1,000 m²; and areas dedicated to public circulation and service access.

The two buildings, a multipurpose hall with around 450 seats and the canoe club headquarters, share identical dimensions and geometry but express contrasting identities: one light, white, and suspended; the other dark, grounded, and solid, establishing a deliberate architectural tension between the urban and natural realms.

Design team

Architectural design: Arch. Giulia de Appolonia
Collaborators: Arch. C. Inverardi, Arch. A. Guarneri, Polarch, Arch. D. Zanoni, Arch. L. Bertassi
Structures, building services, CSP, CSE, Construction Management: F&M Ingegneria S.p.A.
Site supervision; CSE: Arch. Giulia de Appolonia, F&M Ingegneria S.p.A.

Supplier credits

Main contractors: Consorzio AR.CO LAVORI Soc. coop. cons. - PALASER S.r.l. - I.T.I. Impresa Generale S.p.a.
Polycarbonate: PolyPiù S.r.l.
U-glass: Lamberts Linit
Tunnel structures: Prefabbricati L.P.
CSCK flooring and wall finishes: Mosa / Mondo
Multipurpose hall flooring, service modules and external plaza: Ideal Work S.r.l.
Concrete glazing finish: Coplan S.r.l.
Suspended ceilings: Celenit S.p.A.
Windows and façades: Schüco S.r.l.
Metal roof cladding: Melathron S.r.l.