Teatro e piazza Repubblica a Varese

The new theatre will occupy the triangular plot among the southern edge of piazza Repubblica, via Bizzozero and via Mazzini. By placing the theatre in this position, two squares appear in the city. In fact, next to Piazza Repubblica a new piazzetta appears. In this manner the enormous size of piazza Repubblica is not wasted, its emptiness is not removed, yet it is measured and con- nected to the rest of the city through the new piazzetta. The two squares are immediately complementary in terms of dimensions and atmosphere (piazza Repubblica is 12,000 sqm, entirely paved, totally urban; the new pi- azzetta is 4,000 sqm, planted with trees, extremely quiet). The two squares compose a system with many fantastic precedents inside Italian cities, such as piazza and piaz- zetta San Marco in Venice, piazza della Loggia and largo Formentone in Brescia, piazza delle Erbe and piazza della Frutta in Padua. The triangular block containing the theatre is divided in two parts: the large northern part, with its trapezoidal plan hosts the theatre, while the southern part is an open air loggia directly open onto piazza Repubblica. With this organization the new theatre corrects the main defect of the existing one (not being connected to the square) and provides a façade that defines its entire side. As a consequence the access from the main façade and the access to main hall of the theatre are perpendicular, a singular solution that repeats the example of the Carlo Felice theatre in Genoa and allows the theatre to adapt to context while providing the maximum urban energy to the spaces surrounding it. The façade along piazza Repubblica is entirely covered with marble panels. The building has an explicitly monumental appearance on the public space. The façade is pierced by several openings. At times, the monumental façade in marble appears just as a fragile screen, that does not hide the trees on the hill at the back.