Along this central axis are situated the main items of street furniture, the lighting and the key facilities for overcoming architectural barriers, as well as various architectural solutions designed to enhance the sensory experience of the new social spaces. The existing square, which has been partially modified, features a new system of perimeter panelling designed to redefine its boundaries, thereby restoring a unified appearance to the whole whilst allowing the historic façades to remain visible, rather than obscuring them. Finally, the opening up of the Gardens through the removal of some existing walls allows an intimate, natural setting—rich in trees and aromatic plants—to interact and engage, in a more or less ‘filtered’ manner, with the decidedly more urban space of the square.
The difference in level between Piazza S. Giovanni and the project site is bridged by the installation of a lifting platform, aligned with the project’s axis and situated next to a small panoramic balcony overhanging the courtyard.
The redevelopment of the southern section of the project area and the resulting creation of a ramp/square extending all the way to Via Rapisardi helps to restore the balance between green space and paved areas, providing a sufficient and necessary paved area for socialising, playing and relaxing. The project’s axis connects the new ramp/square with the garden and allotments via two short ramps.
The new Courtyard will be a place of passage, a place to linger and a place for socialising, but it will also, and above all, be a great showcase for Ragusa’s historical, cultural and natural heritage, promoting the city and its surrounding area both economically and as a tourist destination. As well as architecturally reconstructing the façades and illuminating the space in the evening with various scenes and atmospheres, the panels will also, at times and/or on occasions deemed appropriate by the community, serve as supports for screens and interactive projections aimed at promoting tourism in Ragusa. Taking inspiration from a recent art installation that took place in all European capitals, some panels will be able to support screens connected directly to the main attractions of the surrounding area or Ragusa itself, creating multimedia ‘bridges’ between distant locations. Through this system, it will be possible to interact in real time with people on the other side of the screen: passers-by, tour operators, street performers… Other panels will be used as backdrops for the projection of videos or information relating to services and facilities, which may also be interactive thanks to the use of motion sensors. Still others will be used for temporary exhibitions or displays. The use of the technologies required to transform the new Courtyard into a panoramic multimedia square showcasing the resources of the Ragusa province will be made possible by the involvement of sponsors and/or partnerships amongst the new businesses likely to set up shop in the new Rampa/Piazza. These same organisations will be entrusted with the supervision, management and routine maintenance of the Courtyard, in accordance with specific agreements with the local authority, including the option to close off the areas, using doors or gates, during the night.
The project’s central axis serves as a striking feature that clearly distinguishes the existing green spaces to the north from the new ramp/square to the south; at the same time, its geometry succeeds in establishing a relationship of intense dialogue between the two areas, both physically and visually, with a series of ramps bridging the inevitable differences in level between the Garden and the Vegetable Plots on one side and the Square on the other, and removing any visual barriers between the two sectors, and from a conceptual and sensory perspective, creating a sort of boundary—a frayed line along which the greenery and the path brush against one another, mutually influencing each other. Walking along the path, it is in fact possible to touch the aromatic plants peeking out from the Vegetable Gardens with your hands, or even sit down and fully enjoy their scents, or approach the Garden’s fountain from a slightly lower level, with the sensation of being immersed in the rush of the water. The axis accommodates all the street furniture, with particular attention paid to Universal Design principles: from seat pads for people with reduced mobility to height-adjustable chairs, from information panels and tactile maps to litter bins. Integrated linear lighting has been provided not only for architectural reasons but also to help people with impaired vision better identify the route. The decision to structure the project along the simplest and shortest route also reflects a design approach aimed at creating a more accessible – and therefore safer – space, including for people with orientation difficulties.
The axis is therefore the key element of the project, both from a compositional and formal perspective and in terms of access points and circulation routes. Furthermore, it organises the project area into distinct zones, each to be experienced in a different way, whilst bringing them together within a unified architectural space. It enables architectural barriers to be overcome, whilst also offering the opportunity to engage in a profound sensory experience of the site. The use of prefabricated construction technologies is a viable option, as it allows for better site management, improved organisation of services and ductwork, and a significant reduction in time and costs.
The project’s axis must necessarily link up with the ends of the route, highlighting the presence of the Courtyard and inviting people to enter. The features at the entrances will be as open as possible to the surrounding context, leaving scope for integration with future developments in Piazza S. Giovanni or on Via Rapisardi. The backbone runs the entire length of the new route, from the small projecting balcony through the multimedia square, then along the paved ramp to the Orti, remaining the focal point of every view. During the evening hours, the lighting system – comprising recessed LED floor lights – utilises the diffusion of light through the perimeter panels to create RGB light effects, with the aim of producing new and/or changing scenes depending on the occasion.