UNstudio: ponte parodi

'ponte parodi' by UNstudio, genoa, italy
all images courtesy of UNstudio

aspiring to revitalize the industrial waterfront of genoa, italy, 'ponte parodi' is a residential, retail and cultural center 
designed by amsterdam-based firm UNstudio. replacing one of the many currently vacant sites due to the gradual relocation 
of industrial activity from the coastline, the masterplan will attract visitors and residents to the harbor creating an extension 
of the city center. positioned between porto antico and the historical district, the area will become a location for gathering of
students and inhabitants as well as tourists from cruises. a combination of indoor and outdoor spaces, the development 
will create 130,000 square meters of public venues within a 20-meter tall structure which responds to the scale of the nearby 
urban fabric.


northern piazza

the three-story building contains an amphitheater, cruise terminal, cafes and restaurants accessible through carved
corridors and rooftop park. pedestrians are circulated through and atop the complex via branching paths which begin 
at the site boundary and ends at the water with a sea-side promenade. plazas on the ground and upper levels create
points of interest amidst the occupiable volumes and gardens.


elevated promenade overlooking central piazza


retail center


lower gallery


view from the harbor


complex visually integrates into the industrial character of the coastline


aerial view of the complex


interior circulation diagram


rooftop circulation diagram


public spaces circulation diagram


study models

project info:

client: altarea italia progetti s.r.l.; (competition) porto antico di genova spa
programme: public attractor with a 3-dimensional piazza and mixed use: cruise terminal, wellness experience, 
knowledge experience, commercial experience, public park with amphitheatre.
gross floor surface: 76.000m²

volume: 160.000 m³

site: 36.000 m²
total project area: 132,200 m2
internal activities: 49553.82 m2
public urban park on roof: 18838.04 m2
parking area: 36437.08 m2
technical areas: 8356.81 m2
outdoor areas (quays, north piazza): 18929.94 m2



unstudio: ben van berkel, caroline bos, astrid piber with nuno almeida and (design development/building permit) 
mirko bergmann, margherita del grosso, veronica baraldi, kristin sandner, abhijit kapade, chiara marchionni, 
cristina ferreira, casper damkier, rainer schmidt, adrien leduc, lorenzo vianello; (schematic design) cristina bolis, 
paolo bassetto, alice gramigna, michaela tomaselli; (competition) cristina bolis, peter trummer, tobias wallisser,
olga vazquez-ruano, ergian alberg, stephan miller, george young, jorge pereira, mónica pacheco, tanja koch, ton van den berg

advisors:
structure: d'appolonia, genoa
building services: manens, verona
traffic: systematica, milan
project coordination: studio augusti, genoa
(competition) infrastructure and structure: arup, london; off-shore construction: grootint b.v.
visualisation: rendertaxi, aachen