Cannobio, Piedmont, Italy, 2003. New nautical infrastructure:
The project takes its cue from the Castello lakefront, because, observing and echoing the recent architectural reading of the district, there is… no better wall to assault than that of a castle.
And the idea of the castle carries with it that of mediaeval military architecture: thus a drawbridge departs centrally and hovers over the moat used for manoeuvring and mooring vessels towards the lake, a movable footbridge connects it to a central platform that shunts visitors to the two arms of the actual floating dock; these end with two siege towers rising from the lake.
Used in those days by the attackers to reach the high castle walls and conquer it, the modern interpretation sees them as protagonists of the landscape: while the loopholes on the lake level direct the view to focused points. Climbing the stairs to the upper level, the view sweeps 360 degrees, conquering the visitor. The further insertion of a lakeside promenade, accessible from the existing ramps and new ones planned symmetrically to the former, improves the entire usability of the site, offering more intimate points of view and contact with the lake environment.