1
International Competition for Ideas for the Area of “Il Mercatale
”Preliminary design document
MUNICIPALITY OF URBINO
Mayor Maurizio Gambini
Councillor for Urban Planning Roberto Cioppi URBAN PLANNING SECTOR
Procedure Manager Costantino Bernardini
Drafting of Notice and preliminary design document Adriano D’Angelo
Costantino Bernardini
Research and preparation of documents Chiara Cesaroni
Competition administration office Antonella Londei
2 CONTENTS
BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTES Page 3
1 COMPETITION OBJECTIVES Page 4
2 URBAN OVERVIEW Page 4
2.1 IDENTIFICATION OF REALM OF INTERVENTION Page 4
2.2 CURRENT MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY Page 5
3 PROJECT INDICATIONS Page 5
3.1 PROJECT INDICATIONS Page 5
3.2 LEGISLATIVE AND PROTECTION RESTRICTIONS Page 6
3.3 FINANCIAL LIMITS FOR PROPOSALS Page 6
3.4 ESSENTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY Page 6
3 BRIEF INTRODUCTORY NOTES
Piazza Mercatale is one of the central, most representative places in the city of Urbino (UNESCO heritage site since 1998) both due to its historical value and for the image of the city in consideration of the emblematic buildings surrounding it (the Data, the city walls, the Rampa of Francesco di Giorgio Martini and more in view, Palazzo Ducale).
The large area of the square is surrounded on the northern side by the city walls and connected to the old town centre via Porta Valbona and by the Rampa of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, while the eastern side is totally occupied by the Data. The western side is formed by a block of buildings that form the Borgo Mercatale and by Colle delle Vigne.
The southern side is open onto the surrounding landscape and has the state road supported by the huge buttresses designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini as its physical limit.
The square was built at the end of the fifteenth century when deep containment work was carried out to the project drawn up by Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The place was named Mercatale as originally it was the custom to hold the livestock market there. However, the square was used for several events: as a meeting place, a parade ground and the location for popular games.
Until the start of the twentieth century, the square was the site of the local market.
The way in which the Mercatale was used changed in the second half of the 1900s, following intervention by the architect Giancarlo De Carlo, who designed the underground car park, which currently exists, followed by the creation of a car park on the surface, with connected bus station.
In recent years, the configuration of the square on the surface has been changed, with realisation of a platform and reorganisation of the stops on the ground.
From the summary notes provided above, it immediately seems evident that the topic of the competition of ideas is to be set as an overall project on urban scale and not just a simple redesign of the square’s decoration.
4 1 COMPETITION OBJECTIVES
The objectives that the municipal council intends to pursue through the international competition of ideas are the following:
- optimisation of the square via its urban and architectural reconfiguration in order to create a central place for city life. In this objective, the introduction of a bus stop and rationalisation of the road access to the underground car park and traffic flows from Via Mazzini must be considered, offering solutions to minimise vehicle mobility and favouring pedestrian connections with the old town centre, historical buildings and Colle delle Vigne.
- increase relations between the Piazza, the buildings around it, in particular the Data (which is currently undergoing a functional restoration) and the natural and anthropic landscape, of which it is historically an integral part, via project proposals that can harmonise the current image of the square with its context, using architectural solutions and materials that are compatible with the complexity of the overall urban set up;
- identify landscape arrangement that also also involve the area of the Colle delle Vigne, with special attention paid to converting interventions and to pedestrian connections with the square and old town centre.
- introduction of functions that are compatible with the square’s context, making project suggestions that can make it more lively and attractive.
- optimisation of the existing commercial units in the building block of Borgo Mercatale.
2 URBAN OVERVIEW
2.1 IDENTIFICATION OF REALM OF INTERVENTION
Piazza Mercatale is a place of cultural and tourist attraction, due both to the relevance of the architecture surrounding it and to the fact it is the historical “arrival point” for those coming to Urbino.
Some of the most interesting structures in Urbino architecture look down onto the Piazza:
- Porta Valbona, which stands at the bottom of the slope of Via Mazzini, with its monumental facaded open toward Piazza Mercatale. It dates back to 1621 and was built for the wedding of Federico Ubaldo della Rovere and Claudia Medici.
- The Rampa di Francesco di Giorgio Martini, on which the nineteenth-century theatre stands, as part of an overall project by the architect Giancarlo De Carlo, as an arrangement involving the entire area of the Mercatale.
- La Data, which forms a single architectural building with the towerand which has recently undergone a functional restoration intervention by the architect Giancarlo De Carlo.
Currently, although not fully restored, the structure is used for temporary exhibitions and cultural events. A direct pedestrian connection was recently created between La Data and Piazza Mercatale.
The context of the square, as previously sated, is also limited by the compact row of buildings of Borgo Mercatale, by Colle delle Vigne and by the side open onto the landscape, crossed by the state road supported by the huge buttresses of Francesco di Giorgio Martini.
In particular, the Colle delle Vigne, alongside the Ducal palace, has always been one of the key items in the city’s landscape context. Its privileged position, that places it opposite the historical centre of Urbino, has meant that it has been portrayed as an integral part of the urban complex in several views and representations of the city.
The landscape value of the buttresses of Francesco di Giorgio is often placed in the foreground in historical views, making it a highly important element for the architectural composition of the city.
This is especially evident in the prospective view of Urbino by F. Mingucci (1626) and in the one by G. Van Wittel, dated 1723. In both of them, it is possible to see the inseparable relationship between Colle delle Vigne, Francesco di Giorgio’s buttresses and the historical centre of the city.
5 2.2 CURRENT MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY
The context of the competition of ideas stands on a public and private mobility system that is very important for access to the historical part of the city.
At the moment, the square is only partly pedestrianised, as two sides have roads (traffic coming from Via Mazzini and the state road SS 73 bis) and on the remaining side there are entrances to the public car park both on the ground and underground. There is also a road for the transit of buses.
Therefore currently, Piazza Mercatale cannot be called a meeting place, but just a place that can be crossed, with a car park. On the side of Borgo Mercatale there is also another car park and the local police station. The only pedestrian connections with the old town centre and La Data are provided by the Rampa di Francesco di Giorgio and by the recent intervention, consisting of a small pedestrian ramp between La Data and the square. Ther is also another pedestrian entrance directly connected to the city walls (Scalette del Teatro).
Undeniably, the presence of vehicular traffic has a large effect on the quality of the square. This could only be remedied by reducing the conflict between the pedestrian and the vehicular space, increasing pedestrianisation and reducing the currently existing vehicular transit.
3 PROJECT INDICATIONS
3.1 GENERAL INDICATIONS
An overall rethinking of the square space is the goal of the competition of ideas. This rethinking must not only involve functional and architectural aspects, but also the representational and symbolic ones.
In particular, the elements to consider in the design are:
1. with regard to vehicular and pedestrian mobility, it will be vitally important to identify a solution that can interpret the square’s dichotomy, as a place to be, for meeting, stopping, and at the same time as a place of transit and crossing. Consequently, a rationalisation of traffic flow is required, which minimises vehicular traffic flow and increases pedestrian flows. This objective must be achieved while bearing in mind the existing entrances to the underground car park, which cannot be moved as the car park must be kept in its current configuration. There must also be a bus stop with relative entrance/manoeuvring lane, while eliminating the current bus station;
2. A project solution for the pedestrian use of the square must be proposed, that must be placed in relation to the the existing pedestrian accesses to the old town centre with special reference to the Rampa di Francesco di Giorgio and the current pedestrian entrance to La Data. Project proposals must favour technical solutions that aim to remove architectural barriers and allow access for otherwise able people. These solutions, however, must protect the monumental context of the Mercatale area.
3. The project must address and solve the problem of increasing relations between the Piazza, the buildings around it and the natural and anthropic landscape, of which it is historically an integral part, via project proposals that can harmonise the current image of the square with its context, using architectural solutions and materials that are compatible with the complexity of the overall urban set up;
4. the project must identify landscape arrangement that also also involve the area of the Colle delle Vigne, with special attention paid to converting interventions and to pedestrian connections with the square and old town centre.
5. The project must address the problem of night-time lighting of the square, also in relation to the various uses of said square.
6. functions must be proposed that are compatible with the context, making project suggestions that can make the square usable and essential at various times of the day and night and in the various periods of the year, also in relation to the pedestrian connection to the following roads:
• via Mazzini – piazza della Repubblica
• scalette del Teatro – corso Garibaldi – piazza della Repubblica
6
• scalette del Teatro – rampa di Francesco di Giorgio – Pincio – Palazzo Ducale
• Data – Bastione di Santa Caterina
• Borgo Mercatale – fortezza Albornoz
• Borgo Mercatale – Collegi
7. The competition of ideas must also foresee the use of the square for the organisation of temporary events that can attract large amounts of people (concerts, events etc).
8. The project must be separate from the presence of the current police station as the municipal council intends to locate it in another area.
3.2 LEGISLATIVE AND PROTECTION RESTRICTIONS
The projects must pay special attention to the identity of the place, in observance of laws on public spaces, such as removing architectural barriers and safety
It is also underlined that there are several legislative restrictions to protect the area, mainly referring to the historical and artistic value of the monuments already restricted pursuant to Leg.
Decree42/2004 - “Cultural and landscape heritage Code”, in particular, we highlight:
- Borgo Mercatale and Piazza Mercatale: Leg. Decree 42/2004 - art. 136 Real estate and areas of considerable public interest
- Rampa di Francesco di Giorgio: Leg. Decree 42/2004 - art. 136 Real estate and areas of considerable public interest, art. 45; Instructions for indirect protection, articles 10 and 11 Cultural Heritage; Law 633/1941 - Sect. 2 Protection of rights on the work in defence of the author’s person. The author’s moral right art. 20;
- Data: Leg. Decree 42/2004 - art. 136 Real estate and areas of considerable public interest, art. 45 Instructions for indirect protection; articles 10 and 11 Cultural Heritage;
- Porta Valbona and city walls: Leg. Decree 42/2004 - articles 10 and 11 Cultural Heritage;
article 136 Real estate and areas of considerable public interest; article 45 Instructions for indirect protection;
The idea proposal can also set out solutions that vary the configurations proposed by the current General Urban Zoning Plan.
3.3 FINANCIAL LIMITS FOR PROPOSALS
A reference cost for projects that will be paid by competitors, estimated at
€ 3,700,000.00 (three million seven hundred thousand/00) for surface arrangements and systems, lighting, decoration and technical items.
3.4 ESSENTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
In order to further your historical knowledge of places and items that are the subject of this competition of ideas (and without any exhaustive but only approximate presumption), consultation of the following minimum biography is suggested:
- Franco Mazzini “I mattoni e le pietre di Urbino” Argalia Editore Urbino
- Giuseppe Cucco “Urbino percorso iconografico dal XV al XIX secolo” Accademia Raffaello Urbino – Provincia di Pesaro Urbino.
- Paolo Boninsegna, Leonardo Benevolo “Urbino” Editore Laterza
