OMA presents urban, social and ecological master plan for Cagliari, Sardinia

(Cagliari, April 9, 2008) The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has presented its concept Masterplan of Saint’Elia, a fishing port in the south of Cagliari, the capital of the Italian island of Sardinia. With an initial foreseen investment of €30 million, OMA’s masterplan aims to address the complex social and environmental issues in the neglected area.



The concept Masterplan was presented by OMA partner, Floris Alkemade, to the president of the region of Sardinia Renato Soru, the mayor of Cagliari, Emilio Floris and Francesco Licheri the president of the social housing agency AREA, responsible for the existing homes in the area. This follows an agreement signed last week between the city of Cagliari and the region of Sardinia to redevelop St. Elia, a 73 hectare area on prime location on the waterfront in the south of Cagliari.

The focal point of the masterplan is the refurbishment of a neglected 1970’s modernist social housing estate at the harbour of Saint’Elia; and regeneration by reprogramming the communal spaces with minimal architectural intervention to preserve the unusual quality of the existing buildings and enhancing their potential. The generous well-performing apartments are to keep their social character whilst communal spaces are to be redefined partly into retail and more exclusive community spaces thereby increasing the safety of residents and creating better social pride and cohesiveness. This will be conceived through a collaborative approach with interviews and discussions with current inhabitants.

The concept plan further envisions a reconnection of the area to its now unused harbour by stimulating and redeveloping the waterfront with educational facilities, retail, temporary structures for different uses and possibly a relocation of the Sant‘Elia Stadium to an area where it is in scale with its surroundings. Diversion of traffic and a new tramway link will reconnect the area to the city centre.

The project’s strong ecological component entails reduction of individual traffic in the area and the reopening of a river to stimulate marine bio-diversity. Another proposal is facilitating ecological tourism on the adjacent St. Ignazio and Saint’Elia mountains reserve including the Cala Mosca Beach.

“The ambition of the masterplan is not only regeneration of an under-valued area and community,” says Floris Alkemade, OMA partner in charge of the project: “The greater vision is exploiting the full potential of this spectacular waterfront site for the benefit of the entire region whilst improving social and environmental conditions of the current inhabitants and local nature.”

The Cagliari project is lead by OMA Partners Floris Alkemade and Rem Koolhaas with project leader Cristina Murphy.



Cagliari Masterplan architect : OMA

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