David Chipperfield Architects Ltd

Cava Arcari

Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner

Cava Arcari

David Chipperfield Architects

STONE SUPPLIER AND INSTALLATION
Laboratorio Morseletto Srl

PARTNERS IN CHARGE
David Chipperfield, Giuseppe Zampieri

DESIGN ARCHITECTS
David Chipperfield Architects Srl, Milan, Italy

PROJECT TEAM
Filippo Carcano, Francesca Carino, Tommaso Certo, Gionata Comacchio, Andrea Garcia Crespo, Andrea Del Pedro Pera, Stefano Goffi, Tsukasa Goto, Juan Laborda Herrero, Noa Ikeuchi, Maris Kojuharov, Eugenio Matteazzi

MANUFACTURERS
Viabizzuno

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Associate Director

ASSOCIATES
Federica Zerbo, Marie Mincke

PROJECT COORDINATOR
Laboratorio Morseletto Srl

LIGHTING CONSULTANT
Mario Nanni

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Laboratorio Morseletto Srl

PHOTOGRAPHS
Edmund Sumner

AREA
1880 m²

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
Zovencedo, Italy

CATEGORY
Cava Arcari / Cultural Center

Sitting rather outside of any conventional commission or even typology, the project to design a performance space within the Arcari caves – which used to supply Pietra di Vicenza stone until their closure – evolved through a long professional collaboration between David Chipperfield Architects and the Laboratorio Morseletto, who produce traditional artisanal Venetian stone and marble.

Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner

The caves are the result of 60 years of quarrying which left a cavernous space supported by irregular massive piers and largely filled with water underneath a wooded hill in Zovencedo, near Vicenza.

Upon entering the caves, it is possible to experience space, material, and structure as one unique entity, where nature and architecture seem to imitate each other.

Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner

Recognizing these extraordinary qualities, the Morseletto family had often used the space for informal events, which encouraged them to develop a more permanent solution.

The romantic and tectonic qualities of the quarry with the carved stone and the filtered water were already so strong that minimal interventions were required.

Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner

The project reintroduces the typical white Vicenza stone into the space with a series of platforms, steps, and ramps, reminiscent of Adolphe Appia’s stage sets.

The platforms are known as Cavea, a reference to the stepped tiers in ancient Roman theatres.

The intervention has created a dialogue between the accidental architecture of the caves and the formalized stage and seating platforms that represent occupation and performance.

Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner

Vicenza stone is the only material used in the project.

The stone is both added and subtracted, and the project can be seen as a continuation of the historic quarrying done on the site.

Both the ambient and stage lighting, designed by Viabizzuno, enhance the atmosphere, with the surrounding, water-filled chambers lit from below adding to the visual spectacle.

Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner

The project has created a multifunctional space that preserves and emphasizes the unique characteristics of the place.


Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner


Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner
Cava Arcari
© Edmund Sumner


Cava Arcari
General plan
Cava Arcari
Plan


Cava Arcari
Cava Arcari
Cava Arcari
Cava Arcari

David Chipperfield Architects Ltd
T +44 20 76204800
David Chipperfield Architects Ltd
9 Dallington St, London EC1V 0LN, United Kingdom