Zaha Hadid Architects designs starfish-like cultural centre in Italy

UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed designs for the Centre of Mediterranean Culture, which is currently under construction on its coastal site in Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Informed by its marine setting, the centre is set to comprise a sinuous, round-edged volume that draws on the "radial symmetry of starfish", and will be finished with reflective aluminium panels and rounded roof openings.

Situated along the Strait of Messina in southern Italy, the centre has been developed by Zaha Hadid Architects as a primary civic space for Reggio Calabria. It will form part of the city's wider Reggium Waterfront redevelopment.

Once complete, the 24,000-metre-square centre will serve as a cultural space hosting events, exhibitions and forums for the local community.

"Zaha Hadid Architects won the centre's 2007 international architectural competition with an organic design concept informed by the radial symmetry of starfish," the studio said.

"The new Centre of Mediterranean Culture will complement Reggio Calabria's existing archaeological and art museums by exploring the profound relationship between Calabria and the Mediterranean Sea that has defined the region's past and will continue to shape its future."

Renders of the centre's exterior reveal landscaped courtyards that wind around the building to provide shaded outdoor space for visitors.

Inside, the centre will be organised across four wings sheltered within a single volume.

A double-height atrium will centre the wings, where programmes will include galleries, an aquarium, an auditorium, conference spaces, educational spaces and leisure amenities including a bookshop and restaurant.

Similarly, sinuous design elements informed by the coastal setting will feature across the interior, with renders also showing winding, raised walkways that will connect the centre's upper levels.

"Creating a visual and sensory narrative, the centre's interiors are informed by the Mediterranean and the rich marine environment of the straight," the studio said.

"With its wealth of colours and organic forms, marine life serves as the source of inspiration for the auditorium's interiors where coral hues evoke the vitality of the straight's ecosystem."

Sustainable strategies integrated into the design include the planting of 60 native plants in the centre's courtyards, which will be irrigated with rainwater captured on-site and contribute to the area's biodiversity.

Additionally, the building's reflective exterior clad with anodised aluminium panels is intended to reduce both the heat gain and cooling demand.

"Collectively, these strategies – responsive building orientation, a high-performance facade, hybrid ventilation, considered material selection, integrated water management, and native planting – reflect the centre's commitment to sustainability, biodiversity and visitor comfort," the studio said.

Elsewhere, the studio has completed a fluid, copper-coloured convention centre in Beijing and revealed plans to create 520 homes in a former diesel depot in Bristol.

The renders are by NightNurse. 

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