http://vis.sns.it/origins-bridge/

The Scuola Normale di Pisa (“SNS”) is promoting the development of an extremely innovative project that will strongly impact both the domestic and international milieus, and will be worth of the School’s world-wide notoriety in some of the leading sectors of scientifi c research.

The concept of the project illustrated in the following pages foresees the construction of a “bridge-building” over the river Arno that will be known as Origi Bridge: it will be a Centre for research and science popularization concerning the origin of universe and life, a set of labs that will gather those responsible for researches and studies on cosmology/astrophysics on one side, and those dedicated to researches on molecular biophysics and astrobiology on the other. The Centre will also house groups of researchers and independent scientists coming from other domestic research bodies (CNR, IIT, INAF, etc.).

As foreseen by the design, besides the facilities at the exclusive service of the SNS, the Bridge will also provide series of areas for private and/or mixed use: an integrated system for science popularization consisting of conference and multimedia rooms, exhibition areas and meeting facilities to favour the interaction between scientists and the public, a bookshop, restaurant facilities, etc.

In addition to the buildings, the bridge will also develop a public porticoed pedestrian path overlooking the historical city. The bridge will connect the two banks of the river where, on one side there is the Municipal library, the Church and the monastery of San Michele degli Scalzi, whilst the opposite side will house the future Parco della Cella.

The Origins Bridge will thus become, thanks to its absolutely innovative environmental and architectural formula, a new tourist attraction for the town of Pisa, which is, notoriously, one the primary destinations for tourists from all around the world thanks to its wonderful monuments.

Summary

The Scuola Normale and the Pisa context

The promoter of the Origins Bridge is the Scuola

Normale Superiore di Pisa, the most prestigious

Italian institution in the education and research

fields for both Science and Humanities, in which

the SNS boosts a consolidated tradition of success

and international reputation.

According to the University Ranking, elaborated

on the basis of the Academic Ranking of World

Universities criteria, in 2013 the SNS was ranked

5th amongst the best world Universities and 1st in

Europe. Students (about 500), researchers (about

100) and professors (about 30, almost all part of

the Top Italian Scientists’ inner circle) are selected

according to extremely high standards and

represent as élite in their own group . Three of its

old students - Enrico Fermi, Carlo Rubbia and

Giosuè Carducci – were awarded the Nobel Prize.

At present, the Scuola houses 26 research centres,

15 of which at the Classe di Scienze (Science

dept.). In the last 8 years the SNS has lead and

been a partner in 40 projects financed by the EEC,

thus proving to have, like nobody else in Italy, a

high investment attractiveness.

The town of Pisa, with its 86.000 inhabitants,

more than 50.000 university students and

approximately 3.000 people between professors,

administrative and technical personnel

dedicated to academic and research fields, is, as

matter of fact, a real campus integrated within

one of the most known and famous towns in the

world.

Besides the most important Italian and European

universities – the SNS, the University of Pisa and

the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna – Pisa houses the

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (National

Research Council), the National Institute of

Nuclear Physics and numerous other research

institutes.

Moreover, Pisa houses the internationally

renowned annual Internet Festival: in 1957 the

first computer entirely designed and produced in

Italy came from Pisa, as did the first Computer

Engineering degree course to have ever been

held in Italy during the 60ies .

As previously mentioned, Pisa is an important

tourist magnet, counting more than 3, 75 Mil

visitors per year and therefore representing a

large portion of the 44 Mil visitors in Tuscany.

The site

Church of San Michele degli Scalzi and its leaning bell tower Foreseen way-in to the bridge - Viale delle Piagge

Masterplan

The Origins Bridge is consistent with the project

of a River Park as foreseen by the Structural Plan

(Piano Strutturale) and the Planning Code, where

the existing areas, developed with sports

facilities, are integrated with others, compatible

with the floodplain function, are intended for

open air events and leisure activities.

The Masterplan of Parco della Cella foresees the

enhancement of the sports facilities, both public

and private, combined with areas for outdoor

events and recreation activities, with the creation

of volleyball fields, bocce courts and children’s

playgrounds, as well as adequate car parks on

unpaved areas.

The Plan foresees removable berths to be

installed along the Arno at the service of floating

restaurants or of small ferries that might go back

and forth between the town, the river park and

the San Rossore estate.

The area will also be organized with cycle and

pedestrian tracks forming a multi-direction

network.

The entire project is also consistent with the

‘sovracomunale planning’, whose aim is, as

previously stated, the creation of a park in the

Arno valley, covering an area from Florence down

to the river mouth next to Pisa.

View from viale delle Piagge

The project

The Origins Bridge will be located at the ea-

stern city limits where the river Arno, the main

landscape attractions in Florence and Pisa,

fl ows through the town and its suburban area

towards the Thyrrenian sea The bridge will

link the two river banks next to the Basilica and

Convento di San Michele degli Scalzi , which

outlooks onto the right bank.

Upstream the Ponte della Vittoria, and across

the Via delle Piagge (right bank) and the Lun-

garno Guadalongo/Fiorentina (left bank), with

the construction of such bridge-building the

project promotes the substantial transforma-

tion of a suburban area into a real river park

and the creation of a new cultural and recrea-

tional hub.

The structure will be light and eco-friendly as

will the construction materials that will be used

and the waste disposal criteria. This will guaran-

tee:

* fl exibility, as the building constructed over the

planking will be mainly formed of demountable

and modifi able elements, in terms of structural

components – also to guarantee the required

seismic resistance – external shell and internal

partitions.

* sustainability in terms of energy production,

since the roof will be covered with a PV fi lm and,

as far as possible, electric power and heat will be

produced by utilizing the Arno’s current.

The roofi ng panels will be made of high-perfor-

ming materials, which will maximize the reduc-

tion of the thermal losses of the whole building.

The genesis of form

Ground Floor

First Floor Second Floor

Entrance from Viale delle Piagge

Section AA

Section CC

Section BB

Section CC

View from est

The deal

1

2

3

DDue to the nature of the promoting body and the

project’s characteristics, the Origin Bridge has to

be seen as a public interest complex, in part at the

exclusive service of the SNS and in part for public

use, and thus becoming an income producing

asset in line with market values.

Amongst the various potential solutions, it is

preliminarily assumed that the SNS

which

holds

the

coastal

areas (through a general agreement with

the Municipality of Pisa) will issue a call for tender

di disponibilità” (as per Art. 188 del Nuovo Codice

degli Appalti, -Tender code- as per Law Decree 19

April 2016, no. 50), which provides for the

awarding Contractor, at his own risk and expense,

management, of a privately owned artwork,

which can be leased to public entities (in this case

the SNS) against compensation.

Therefore, the future private bidders shall be

responsible for:

- Financing of the project, which will include a

public contribution (UE funds and other national

or local sources) up to a max 50 % of the

estimated CAPEX.

- Final and construction design;

- Execution of the works;

- The leasing agreement for 50 years or more with the

SNS for the area at its exclusive service;

- The direct or delegated management based on

private-enterprise criteria – of the facilities for private

use.

played by domestic or international sponsors

association of their brand with such a prestigious and

unique development would have an optimum return on

their market image.

association of the Sponsor’s brand/name to this

unique “spot”;

use of the public areas for events and shows at the

Involvement of the companies connected with the

Sponsor for innovation initiatives/projects.

Project data

Surfaces Financial Sources and Uses

USE Ground floor (sqm)

A uditorium

Class rooms

Storeroom

Kitchen

Bar area

B ar

B ookshop/ D iv ulgati on

Waiting room

A rc hiv es

Reading/relax room

Refreshment area

L abs

U ffices

Meeting room 1

TOTAL SURFACE 2 3 10 173 5 8 2 0 4.86 5

First floor ( m q)

Second floor (sqm)

Total Surface (sqm)

News

News

Key references

promoter

Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa

Piazza dei Cavalieri, 7 | 56126 Pisa

pre-feasibility study carried out by: Arcotecnica Group spa

prof. Andrea Ferrara

dott. Marcos Valdez

arch. Andrea Silipo

ing. Massimo Bottega (TECHNÈsrl)

dott. Donata Cappelli

dott. Paolo Parrini

ing. Paolo Viola

ing. Mauro Oliveri (ARUP srl)

ing. Luca Buzzoni (ARUP srl)

arch. Andreas Kipar (LAND Milano srl)

arch. Mauro Panigo (LAND Milano srl)

the team : general coordination architectural concept design

socio-economic studies structural study

environmental studies

arch. Andrea Silipo

arch. Marianna Pierucci

contacts: prof. Andrea Ferrara andrea.ferrara@sns.it

arch. Andrea Silipo andrea.silipo@gruppoarcotecnica.com

arch. Ilaria Feraco

CEO

legal counselling prof. avv. Riccardo Delli Santi

(Studi strategici Delli Santi, Roma)