The studio's new headquarters is a space with unique characteristics, resting on the city walls, between Porta Lame and Porta San Felice and a few steps away from MAMbo, the Museum of Modern Art in Bologna; the geometric structure of the walls is still visible in the three arches on the ground floor, as well as in the open area outside the building, now used as a public park.
It is an architectural complex erected in the 16th century that was once the Church of the Holy Trinity with an adjoining oratory and hospital, one of the twelve churches built on the city's third circle of walls, located between the historical centre and what used to be the countryside, which is now the western expansion of the metropolitan area of Bologna.
A space of 1,200 square metres on three floors, on which the studio intervened both structurally and in terms of modernisation, as well as restoring the many valuable architectural and decorative elements, in a redevelopment activity that lasted 12 months.
Over the course of time, the building has lived many lives, going from being a church to a dance hall and then a carpentry shop.
Open Project's intervention was focused on achieving a careful balance between renovation and respect for the old, to create a contemporary environment in terms of functionality and style, while at the same time aiming to enhance its important historical stratification.
This was a complex balance to achieve, since it involved reconciling the spatial and technical requirements of a contemporary office with the characteristics of an old building, and led to the modernisation of the plant engineering and acoustics project, with functional interior fittings such as the large acoustic box for meetings and furnishings.
Particularly on the ground floor, the box, designed by the studio, provides a cosy space without interrupting the visibility of the original volume, while in the main hall on the first floor, where the ceiling is more than ten metres high, the wall has been kept unfinished to emphasise the stratification of the place over the centuries.
All the workstations are in open space to encourage continuous discussion and sharing, features that have always been crucial in Open Project's design activity. A design approach that we find in the different areas of the studio, with spaces that allow team work, extended meetings and a break area that encourages sociability.
During the renovation work, a double row of frescoes was found, visible in the main hall on the first floor, and a stone plaque recalling the building's history displayed inside in the entrance hall.