2016 Oliver WenzOliver Wenz - Via Nuova Marina in Naples
The analogy of city and house as described by Leon Battista Alberti is a characteristic quality of Neapolitan architecture. The project conveys this idea with a big house dedicated exemplarily to living, working and socializing by elaborately interweaving public and private spaces.

The masterplan proposes an ensemble for four parcels in disposition at the Via Nuova Marina. The typological relationship with existing buildings along the street establishes a link to the greater spatial context of the city. Following the individual masterplan a design and a programme for one of the parcels was to be developed thoroughly.

The Via Nuova Marina marks the spatial end of the city and the beginning of the open landscape. Although this is only partly perceivable at the level of the street – with the cargo port located between the city and the sea – the confined space of the city is perceptible at first upon entering the arcade accompanying the street. It mediates between the scales of the city and the landscape. The closer location is heterogeneous and shows a complex stacking of historical layers.

The basement confines the surrounding spaces and allows for flexible compositions of the rising volumes. The steplike arrangement of the three figures, namely residential tower, office slab and pergola creates dense spatial situations on the terrace linked to the basement by halls and various stairs.

The varying uses are articulated by different facades. The pergola has big openings with segmental arches, the office slab shows french windows in repetitive pattern and the tower facades appear playfully composed with smaller openings with balustrades, loggias and balconies. The measurement of a single brick establishes a consistent order linking all parts to an organismic whole. The fickle coloured brickwork and the tectonic treatment of the material merge the elements to a sculptural whole as well.

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