The Piacenza State Archives will have a new home in the former Sant’Agostino monastery, a layered historic complex where restoration, security and contemporary performance requirements must be held in careful balance. The commission followed the design competition won in 2019 with Corvino+Multari and Arethusa, and led to the delivery of the final design in 2024.

The project approaches restoration as sustainable reuse: not simply preserving a historic image, but creating the practical conditions for the building to continue its life as a home for archival storage, consultation rooms, offices and contemporary services. Every decision is based on a close reading of the building and its transformations, using a bespoke method that integrates building services, environmental control, accessibility and circulation. The strategy follows the principle of minimal intervention, while giving each new element a clearly contemporary identity and ensuring that additions are reversible.

The complexity of the project has been addressed through interdisciplinary coordination and advanced design tools, with particular attention to the durability of the solutions and the building’s long-term management. The result is a measured architecture in which innovation and context reinforce one another.

Collaborations: Corvino e Multari, Arethusa, Letizia Anelli, Terra & Opere.