The Project
The project was born in the ideas, the expectations and the hopes of some young professionals from different European countries: Greece, Spain, Italy and UK. The prefixed aim was an ambitious one: building a modern Colossus of Rhodes, following 21st –century standards, a contemporary 150-meters-tall building which would be used as a cultural center, as a library an exhibition hall and a lighthouse.
The ancient staute was located in the middle of the old town, on a podium, with its legs closed. The project doesn’t want to present again a copy of the original structure, 40 meters tall, made of bronze, but to make the visitor shiver and feel the same identical emotions that his ancestors felt looking at it for the first time, more than 2200 years ago. To recrate those feelings, the structure must be unique and original. The project considers a brand new position, not in the middle of the city, but outside its walls, as a new voice, a new point of reference for the ships at night time. The construction will exploit the most recent technologies, employing energy from renewable sources and “intelligent systems” to prevent the consequences of earthquakes and wind forces, providing reliability and flexibility. The structure will be completely sustainable, with a huge contribution in preventing pollution. The external surface will be entirely covered with solar panels, thus being one of the first buildings of its kind, a technological achievement of our times.
The creation of internal open spaces is obtained not with “normal” storages, but with a certain “visual freedom” which enables visitors to admire the enormous space and the central core of the structure. These architectural statements are precious and useful for the air conditioning system and provide a massive reduction of energy consumption, in spite of what could happen in a “closed space”.
The shape of the lower structure,slight and stable from the basis to the central core of the probe, is that of a tripod, upon which the central column of superior storages stands.
The project presents just one only structure in order to respond to the solicitations of wind and earthquakes. The articulation center of gravity allows to control the dynamic reaction to the solicitations that could happen in this area.