“Confidenze misurate” – Redevelopment of Piazza della Motta and Surrounding Areas by Stradivarie Architetti Associati

Built in 2022 / 2025 Built Landscapes / 2025 Entries / 2025 Public Projects / Italy /
www.stradivarie.it

Redevelopment Project of Piazza della Motta and Surrounding Areas — Pordenone, Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy)

The redevelopment of Piazza della Motta and the surrounding areas represents a strategic intervention of urban regeneration in the historic center of Pordenone, the capital of the province bearing the same name in northeastern Italy. The intervention covers an area of approximately 7,000 sqm, subject to landscape protection constraints due to its historical and monumental significance, as well as the presence of water bodies. It includes a network of public spaces: Piazza della Motta, Piazza Ospedale Vecchio, Piazza del Donatore, via dei Molini, vicolo del Silenzio, vicolo del Molino, and the watercourse Roggia dei Molini.

Prior to this intervention, these spaces suffered from widespread neglect, primarily used as parking lots, with damaged pavements, incongruent street furniture, chaotic signage, and a general lack of identity and attractiveness. Despite their centrality and potential as symbols of the city’s heritage, the absence of a unified design style, over time, compromised their social and cultural function.

The main objective of the project was to restore this system of public spaces as the beating heart of urban life through a comprehensive redesign focused on pedestrian accessibility, spatial continuity, and the enhancement of the historical and architectural context. Vehicular parking was removed wherever possible in favor of spaces dedicated to social interaction and cultural activity. Pedestrian pathways were redesigned to be safe, continuous, and barrier-free, with tactile paving and guidance systems for the visually impaired.

The new paving materials were selected to ensure harmony with the historical surroundings, while also improving surface durability, visual coherence, and overall urban comfort.

Water as Landscape Identity
A key conceptual axis of the project is the evocation of the city’s water elements, expressed through the enhancement of the historic Roggia dei Molini and the creation of a new contemporary fountain in Piazza della Motta. This feature acts as both a symbolic and sensorial element: it becomes a shallow reflecting pool at specific times of the day, recalling the city’s hydraulic heritage and introducing a sensory and immersive element into the public realm.

Architectural Lighting and Urban Connectivity
Another central design strategy is the valorization of the architectural heritage that frames the square — such as the former Convent of San Francesco, the old Civic Library, and the Umberto I Elderly Residence — through a network of reconnected pathways and carefully designed lighting. The new low-energy lighting fixtures not only ensure safety and visibility at night but also enhance the architectural façades and spatial qualities of the public realm, supporting a layered and atmospheric nocturnal identity.

A Square for the City, a City Within the Square
Special attention has been given to the design of site-specific street furniture (individual benches, bicycle racks, waste bins), along with artistic and narrative elements (engraved inscriptions on stone surfaces, pavement graphics, mural artworks) that enrich the spatial character and foster a deeper relationship between citizens and place. These small urban gestures transform the space into a place to be inhabited, interpreted, and collectively recognized.

From an infrastructural standpoint, the intervention was integrated with the complete renewal of underground utilities, including the replacement of obsolete pipelines (such as those made of asbestos-cement), the upgrading of the sewer system, and the reorganization of stormwater drainage using sustainable drainage solutions to prevent water stagnation and improve hydraulic performance.

A Long-Term Urban Strategy
This project is part of a broader vision of historic center regeneration, in which public space is conceived as civic infrastructure for cultural life. Today, Piazza della Motta has become a key node for cultural and community activities: it hosts open-air events, performances, and exhibitions, thanks also to the proximity of active cultural institutions such as the Caffè Letterario, the Convent of San Francesco (already a venue for cultural programming), and the future headquarters of local music associations in the former Monte dei Pegni building, currently undergoing renovation.

Through this intervention, spaces once relegated to marginal and underutilized functions have been transformed into a cohesive, vibrant, and recognizable urban system — reclaiming their original identity as places of identity, encounter, and shared beauty. This achievement is even more significant now that Pordenone has been named Italy’s Capital of Culture for 2027, with Piazza della Motta set to become one of the main stages for the events that will bring life back to the city.

Other credits:
Sinergo Spa (systems installation, construction management, and safety supervision)
Basso & Rota (geological investigations)
Dott.ssa Giulia Mian (archaeological consultancy)
Chiara Becattini (photographs)