Είσοδος
Designed on the inspiration of La Défense in Paris, the Bestat business and residential center of Taranto in Apulia ( the so-called Beni Stabili) was built on a project by the well-known architects Piccinnato and Consoli in 1979.
The idea behind the important urban complex develops from a large square (Piazza Dante Alighieri) around which futuristic and slender architectures in reinforced concrete and glass were designed to become homes, offices and business centers.
Overlooking the square and almost crowning the general design is the new and functional "Pietro Acclavio Community Library" which is externally characterized by curved lines and large surfaces covered in crystal.
The interiors are striking for their large volumes, the innovative architectural solutions adopted in the organization of the floors, ramps and stairs as well as for the fine ceiling embellished with a spectacular interweaving of metal cables. The book heritage includes over one hundred and sixty thousand volumes, many of which are rare, ancient and valuable, among which several first editions and autographed writings by important authors stand out. The collection is enhanced by four incunabula, texts dating back to the 16th-17th-18th centuries and some autographed works by Salvatore Quasimodo.
Recently restored, it has become an important cultural and attractive center also used for concerts, exhibitions, screenings and major events: the Agora of Culture.
All thanks to the operation co-financed by the EU under the POR FESR-FSE 2014/2020 of the Puglia Region Axis VI - action 6.7 "Interventions for the enhancement and use of cultural heritage".
The restyling phase lasted two years, for an investment of 2 million euros in the Community Library project, with the aim of making the structure a "square of knowledge", precisely in that space of the city once chosen to show the way towards the future, but then abandoned to neglect.
If culture fascinates, data analysis impresses. Let's have a look at the economic framework!
The executive project for the re-functionalization and redevelopment of the "Pietro Acclavio Library" and outdoor areas is divided into two plans: plan A, which is the money needed for contractual works and services, and plan B, which is the funds available to the administration. Only 82% of these payments were tracked, so what about the others?
As you can see in picture 1, the first part refers to the construction itself and the other one refers to taxes. Analyzing the infographic, three quarters of the total were used for contracts, security and furnitures, while €341.000 were used for the purchase of books, for the direction of the work and IVA taxes on each investment.
According to the ambitious initial project cultural events, music, exhibitions and book courses, conventions and workshops will be organized on the basis of the idea of 'square', where people meet for cultural fare. In addition, a teaching/workshop area, a reading room that can be used for cultural meetings and conventions and an area for children will be used in a refreshment area.
The adjacent outdoor spaces are used for events thanks to suitable electronic devices and 'smart' public lighting systems. They will be useful for the projection of videos, films, events and more usable by temporary seats that can be placed on the pedestrian area.
The work required: the renovation of the roof and the fixtures, the adaptation of the air conditioning systems, the construction of archive rooms, the works for energy efficiency, the resolution of problems related to rainwater infiltration, the review of all the lighting system and the works related to the new local destination and the external areas.
These data are easily accessible on the Internet, and having access to them it is really useful to quantify the entire work till now. Being able to interview the main members of the Civic Library’s Board of Directors and having access to the 18% of money whose use is unknown…will complete the monitoring research and will reflect even more the transparency of its large crystal windows!
