Benedetta Tagliabue reveals mass-timber metro station under construction in Naples

Barcelona-based studio EMBT has revealed images of a mass-timber metro station, which is under construction in the Centro Direzionale area of Naples.

The Naples Underground Central Station is being built in a neighbourhood designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange as part of a major upgrade to the city's infrastructure.

Naples Underground Central Station will be located in a neighbourhood designed by Kenzo Tange

The studio, which is led by Benedetta Tagliabue, chose to build the station from wood to create an organic contrast to 1970s district.

"Kenzo Tange designed Centro Direzionale and he built a very Kenzo Tange-type of city with reflective skyscrapers and a piazza, very 1970s, very clean," Tagliabue told Dezeen. "It didn't work because it's so different from the rest of Naples."

The station is being built from mass timber

Instead, Tagliabue's design was informed by older parts of Naples.

"It's a place where there are a lot of offices and a lot of business space but at five o'clock at night, it's deserted and very dangerous," she said.

"So the idea of making a new station there and connecting with the new subway line was also to try to introduce a piece of nature and a piece of the original part of Naples into this artificial piece of the city."

Undulating arches will cover the station

The swooping new station is being built on top of existing underground lines, replacing a previous building that was little more than cover for the staircase down to the metro platforms.

"We are working on an existing series of platforms and if you put more weight on top, you never know how much you can put," Tagliabue explained.

"Wood is a very light material, and it combines very well with the pre-existing structures."

Wooden columns sit atop a concrete structure

"We used the pre-existing concrete structures, the pre-existing columns, and we inserted new wooden columns in that," she added.

"We matched the steel part of the concrete to make the base of the new columns, and then the rest of the column is totally made in wood."

The station was designed to evoke a "walk in the wood"

The 20,000 square-metre station's signature shape is formed from glued laminated timber. The width of the rail tracks below is reflected in the width of the undulating vaults.

"We love vaults," Tagliabue said. "It's a great shape that works with most materials – vaults were first made with stone and then with ceramics, and I think it's also efficient with wood."

"Especially laminated, because you can give any shape to the beam that you want," she added.

Miralles Tagliabue wanted to design an open piazza

The vaulted ceilings are also a nod to classic train stations that are often vaulted, while the shape of the station was intended to create the feel of a "walk in the wood".

"In a way what we are trying to achieve here is a kind of a new organic piazza, like being able to walk in a wood when you are in this very artificial business centre," Tagliabue explained.

The wooden station is one of numerous new Naples metro stations

Centro Direzionale is one of several new metro stations being designed by international architects for the city under the slogan AAA – architecture, art and archaeology – with each station featuring both art and archaeology.

However, the overall project has seen a number of stations delayed due to archaeological finds in the ground, including a design by Studio Fuksas that will now also act as a museum after an ancient Roman temple was found on its site.

Read:

Zaha Hadid Architects completes first phase of high-speed rail station in Naples

The Centro Direzionale station did not have the same problem, as it is in a newer part of town, but construction was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic and Tagliabue says there have been other changes and delays.

"We also had a garden, which now they are trying not to build – budget is always a problem," Tagliabue said. "It's been two years of not building anything because of the coronavirus."

It will feature a painting on its roof

"Naples is not an easy place for maintaining timetables," she added. "I really hope they're not going to cancel the garden, because it's really important and it shows that we're trying to make it into a natural place."

The finished station is also supposed to feature a piece of art on its roof that will depict a face from an archaeological piece found in Pompeii, in a nod to both the art and architecture in the project's slogan.

The studio began creating the metro station in 2004

The exact completion date of the Centro Direzionale station has not yet been announced.

"We started the project in 2004; infrastructure is very slow," she said. "And the Naples way of doing it is not so easy, so you have to be very patient."

"I think because of this station, we won another station in Paris in 2014, 10 years after [the Naples station] and I'm sure the one in Paris will finish before the one in Naples."

A completion date has not been announced

Other Naples infrastructure projects designed by well-known architects and designers include a high-speed rail station by Zaha Hadid and another station that was designed as part of the underground project, the University of Naples Metro Station by Karim Rashid.

Photography is by Paolo Fassoli.

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Project credits:

Architect: Benedetta Tagliabue – Miralles Tagliabue EMBT
EMBT design team: Joan Callis, Eugenio Cirulli, Alessandra Deidda, Cecilia Bertozzi, Mirko Silvestri, Joanna Karatzas, Gabriele Rotelli, Guile Amadeu, Lucien Puech,Valeria Alfonsi, Michela Cicuto, Francesca Martinelli, Guido Bigolin, Maira Carillo, Jan Kokol, Andrè Temporelli
Structural Engineer: MC2. Julio Martínez Calzón

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Ten must-see pavilions at Dubai Expo 2020

The Dubai Expo has officially opened with pavilions designed by architects including Foster + Partners, WOHA and Santiago Calatrava. Here we round up 10 of the most interesting.

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UAE Pavilion by Santiago Calatrava

Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the host nation's pavilion was informed by the shape of a falcon's wing.

The building is topped with 28 carbon fibre "wings" that can be closed to shelter the roof solar panels.

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Singapore Pavilion by WOHA

Singapore studio WOHA created a plant-filled pavilion for the country's pavilion at the expo.

Described by the studio as a "three-dimensional garden", the building has a series of raised walkways that wrap around three plant-covered cones.

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Finland Pavilion by JKMM

The Finland Pavilion was built around a calm, timber-lined space where people can escape the bustle of the expo.

Designed by Helsinki studio JKMM Architects, the pavilion was covered in a white tensioned industrial fabric to evoke the appearance of Finnish snow.

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UK Pavilion by Es Devlin 

The UK's contribution to the expo is a cone-shaped cross-laminated timber pavilion created by British designer Es Devlin.

It was designed to display an AI-generated poem across its facade.

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Mobility Pavilion by Foster + Partners

This trefoil-shaped pavilion, designed by UK studio Foster + Partners, anchors the expo's mobility district.

Each of the building's three cantilevered forms contains a gallery with an immersive exhibition designed by London-based design consultancy MET Studio.

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Italy Pavilion by Carlo Ratti Associati

Carlo Ratti Associati designed the Italy Pavilion to investigate reusable materials and natural cooling.

It was topped with three boat hulls – coloured green, white and red to match the Italian flag – and surrounded by a curtain made from 70 kilometres of recycled plastic rope.

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Swiss Pavilion by OSS

The attention-grabbing Swiss Pavilion has a facade that acts as a giant mirror, which reflects the giant red entrance carpet.

Named Reflections, the pavilion was designed by Zürich-based architecture studio OOS to make visitors reflect on the image of Switzerland.

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Sustainability Pavilion by Grimshaw 

Anchoring the sustainability district, the Sustainability Pavilion was designed to generate all of its own water and energy.

UK studio Grimshaw topped the pavilion with a 135-metre-wide, solar-panel-covered canopy.

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Dutch Pavilion by V8 Architects

Also located in the sustainability district, the Dutch Biotope pavilion was built around an 18-metre-high "food cone" covered with edible plants.

The pavilion is topped with colourful solar panels for power and extracts water from the desert air to irrigate the plants.

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Opportunity Pavilion by AGi Architects

Spanish-Kuwaiti studio AGi Architects designed the main pavilion in the opportunity district.

Named Mission Possible, the building was built around a covered plaza.

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Expo 2020 Dubai is open to the public from 1 October to 31 March 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Watch our Good Design for a Bad World talk about carbon at Dutch Design Week 2021

Dezeen has teamed up with Dutch Design Week to host a live talk about how designers and architects can help remove carbon from the atmosphere. Tune in from 11:00am Eindhoven time on Saturday 16 October.

This special edition of Dezeen's Good Design for a Bad World talks series looks at ways of tackling climate change including carbon-capturing materials, net-zero cities and alternatives to fossil fuels.

An estimated 40 per cent of global carbon emissions stem from buildings and infrastructure, which makes the built environment one of the largest contributors to global warming.

Titled Good Design for a Bad World: Carbon, the talk will explore the various ways that architects are trying to achieve net-zero developments and offer sustainable alternatives.

Taking place ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in November, the talk builds on Dezeen's pioneering carbon revolution editorial series, which explored ways of capturing atmospheric carbon and putting it to use on earth.

Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs will moderate the talk, which will feature contributions from biomaterials researcher Darshil Shah, Hélène Chartier of C40 Cities, designer Teresa van Dongen and solar design specialist Marjan van Aubel.

Darshil Shah is a biomaterials researcher at Cambridge University

Shah works at Cambridge University as an associate professor in materials at the Department of Architecture and a senior researcher at the university's Centre for Natural Material Innovation.

Shah specialises in studying biomaterials, such as engineered wood, bamboo and natural fibre composites as well as hemp, which can be used as alternatives to conventional materials for building, construction and transportation.

Hélène Chartier leads zero-carbon developments at C40 Cities

Chartier is head of zero-carbon development at C40 Cities, an organisation coordinating the climate strategies of almost 100 cities around the world.

Her team develops programmes and activities that connect cities and progressive players within the built environment sector to push forward low-carbon and resilient building design, as well as urban regeneration projects.

Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel is a solar design specialist

Dutch designer Van Aubel is an innovative solar design specialist whose work focuses on integrating solar technology into everyday objects and buildings.

Her studio works at the intersection of sustainability, design and technology, with the aim of making solar power more accessible to everyone.

Teresa van Dongen is a lighting designer based in Amsterdam

Van Dongen is an Amsterdam-based lighting designer whose work explores the uses of light as an energy source, as well as alternative forms of energy and materials.

Van Dongen's work typically takes a scientific approach as a result of a long-term fascination with nature and science, which motivated her to study biology before graduating from Design Academy Eindhoven.

This talk takes place on 16 October in Eindhoven, Netherlands as part of Dutch Design Week. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Brands don't prioritise sustainability "unless they see dollar signs" says Benjamin Hubert

Leading design brands need to stop valuing affordability over sustainability or risk becoming obsolete, according to Layer founder Benjamin Hubert.

Despite a growing number of companies touting their environmental initiatives, the designer revealed that in product development meetings "cost is always the conversation".

"Unless you can stand up in front of the C-suite of a company and justify how something generates the same or more revenue, then the sustainability question isn't even considered," Hubert explained.

"The reality is, particularly for big companies, unless they can see dollar signs next to advancements it's very difficult to get them to trade off."

Benjamin Hubert (top image) has designed the Hula 46 stool for Andreu World (above)

To make a difference, designers have to learn to advocate for the necessary material innovation and retooling from a business perspective, he said, and actively seek out companies that are willing to make these investments.

"I think the thought leaders will lead and everyone else will follow," he said. "So it's about finding and engaging with the right people."

"Anybody that's not doing it now or thinking about it will end up being behind the curve. They have to be doing it now or they die."

Andreu World among brands investing in materials

The designer made the comments as part of a live Dezeen panel talk with Andreu World CEO Jesús Llinares to mark the launch of the brand's new book Conversations About Work, which looks at the working practices of eight renowned designers.

Hubert is featured alongside Patricia Urquiola and Philippe Starck after collaborating with the Spanish furniture brand on the Hula stool and the upcoming Triada table, both made from infinitely recyclable aluminium.

Andreu World is among the companies that have increased their investment in research and development in recent years, Llinares explained, with the aim of making its entire product catalogue circular by 2025.

"We are hoping to use materials that are 100 per cent recycled and 100 per cent recyclable," he said.

Read:

Benjamin Hubert creates packaging and branding for wellness brand Never Go Alone

With this aim, the company launched three proprietary materials last year including a thermoplastic called Pure ECO and a synthetic yarn called Circular ONE, both made from recycled plastic and recyclable at the end of their life.

The final material is BIO, a bioplastic synthesised by living microorganisms, which the brand claims is both recyclable and compostable as well as having a carbon footprint equivalent to that of wood.

"Now, it's only available in some colours but in the next few years, we want to do it for the whole catalogue," Llinares said.

"We want to work through the designs that we have in our actual portfolio one by one to see how we can optimise the circularity."

Production will be carbon neutral by 2025

Whether the final products are considered circular will depend on how often they can be recycled and whether they are recycled at all, which is only the case for around nine per cent of plastics globally.

Unlike companies such as Takt and Sebastian Cox, Andreu World has not shared a goal for reaching net-zero emissions as a business in line with the targets set out in the Paris Agreement.

But the brand has committed itself to making its production carbon neutral by 2025.

Hubert is the founder of London studio Layer

Beyond moving away from virgin and fossil fuel-based materials, this will see Andreu World switch to all renewable energy by the end of next year and build a dedicated solar farm for its new production centre, which is set to open in early 2022.

"Sustainability for us is mandatory," Llinares explained. "There is no choice."

"Obviously, companies have to be economic but that's the challenge," he continued. "And it's a beautiful challenge."

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Stefano Boeri Architetti covers Palazzo Verde in Antwerp with greenery

More than 1,000 plants adorn the exterior of the Palazzo Verde housing that Italian studio Stefano Boeri Architetti has recently completed in Belgium.

The L-shaped residential block in Antwerp incorporates a total of 1,200 plants, 86 trees and 1,000 shrubs – equating to 780 square metres of greenery.

Stefano Boeri Architetti has completed the Palazzo Verde housing in Antwerp

Palazzo Verde, which translates as Green Palace, was designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti as a green landmark for a wider masterplan in the city called Nieuw Zuid.

Nieuw Zuid, which is being overseen by local developer Triple Living, will include other apartment buildings by the likes of David Chipperfield and Shigeru Ban when complete.

The building incorporates more than 1,000 plants

"The client envisioned the project as a green spot, a green landmark for the Nieuw Zuid district," said the studio's founder Stefano Boeri.

The size and layout of Palazzo Verde were dictated by the masterplan, which was drawn up by the Italian firm Studio Associato Bernardo Secchi Paola Viganò.

The facade is broken up by balconies

All of the plants and trees used throughout the building are native species, chosen as "a continuation of the existing ecological context", according to project director Hana Narvaez.

"The studio performs a thorough site analysis, often with the guidance of our consultants, in this case, Laura Gatti, to ensure that the chosen species follow a set of parameters," Narvaez told Dezeen.

The balconies are lined with wooden flooring

According to the studio, the aim of the greenery is to help improve local air quality and improve urban biodiversity in the area.

The chosen species also have a "reduced water consumption and need for maintenance" compared to other plant species, Narvaez added.

Trees are also incorporated throughout the building

Stefano Boeri Architetti is best known for its buildings that integrate plants, since developing the Vertical Forest concept and building its first prototype in Milan in 2014.

The studio has since developed vertical forests for Eindhoven, Tirana and Egypt's New Administrative Capital, which will all use local plant species to suit the different climates.

The greenery is hoped to purify the air

"It all starts with the climate conditions observation and a consequent selection of species," Boeri told Dezeen.

"To us, greenery is not an ornamental element of the facade but a basic component of our architecture. We aim to create ecosystems that, in time, can self-regulate, grow and flourish," he continued.

The building is clad in cement panels

Inside, the block comprises 67 apartments. Each one has access to a loggia or balcony, which breaks up the building's fibre cement and concrete facade.

The building's loggias, which are fronted by sliding glass and lined with wood, are intended as extensions of living spaces behind them.

Read:

Stefano Boeri designs first tree-covered social-housing project

Meanwhile, the balconies are intended "purely as outdoor spaces" and sit externally to the living spaces.

Each one is finished with white plaster walls and wooden flooring but some are sheltered while others are open to the elements.

Some apartments have enclosed loggias with sliding glazing

The ground floor of the Palazzo Verde is lined with commercial units, including the Circularity Centre – a space containing tools for residents to repair bicycles and household items.

The housing is complete with three roof gardens, as well as a 2,000-square metre courtyard that links to a public amphitheatre.

The loggia areas are lined with wood

Stefano Boeri Architetti was founded by Boeri in 2011. Its main office is in Milan but it also has studios in Shanghai and Tirana.

Alongside its vertical forests, the studio recently designed a new entrance and walkway at Rome's Domus Aurea and it is collaborating with Diller Scofidio + Renfro on the revival of Pirellino skyscraper in Milan.

Boeri was the curator of this year's Salone del Mobile fair. In an exclusive interview with Dezeen, he said his goal was to "demonstrate that Milan is alive" after the 2020 event was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The photography is by Paolo Rosselli courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti.

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