SZN. Nuova Biblioteca per la Stazione Zoologica di Napoli

Even though the new addition to the Zoological Station “Anton Dohrn” is a small insertion for its planimetric dimensions and its volume, it becomes necessary for the continuation of the life of this historic building: it is a clearly contemporary and not mimetic sign, seeking a new formal and linguistic accord. The physical context – from the landscape to the surrounding urban space immediately around – guided the definition of some key design points. The building is composed by three volumes slightly staggered around a central axis, where we added a sinuous spiral staircase, whose movementsand folds were determined, in fact, by the possible views of the city and formal correspondences within the existing building. At the ground floor level, through the insertion of new spaces and services for the public and the employers, we created new covered spaces projected towards the sea.