Major Work Carried Out on the Former Arsenal
Main Conference Hall
The new conference centre’s heart, which would have been the venue for the meetings among the leaders of the countries taking part in the Summit, is the Main Conference Hall. Glass is the dominant feature of this building of contemporary design, which is situated in the south-west area of the harbour. The two-storey building, with its approximately 1,700 square metres of overall floor space, extends beyond the quay and is reflected in the water, drawing in the striking interplay of the archipelago’s light and colour. The ground floor, with its trapezoidal ground plan, forms a spacious foyer, the meeting rooms on the first floor, have a square ground plan. Faced as it is with a geometrically patterned forged glass cladding, the Main Conference Hall looks almost suspended over the sea, revealing a glimpse of the Costa Smeralda, framed by the islands of Caprera and Santo Stefano, reflected in its broad windows.
Delegation Area
The building originally intended to house the G8’s official delegations is behind the Main Conference Hall. The building’s perimeter is staked out by old granite arches, which also demarcate the working areas. In the late 19th century, the period in which the original building in granite was erected, sailing ships had given way to steamships, whose goods and passenger capacity was greater, and a quayside coal merchant who supplied the ships once traded behind the arches. The adjacent quay, not for nothing known as the Molo Carbone, lost its original role long ago – the Navy subsequently set up warehouses and motorised units on the area – but its name still recalls that ancient maritime practice. The plans for the building, which has over 7,000 square metres of floor space, involved not only converting and shoring up the historical parts but installing a protective metal covering at a height of 10 metres and with an area of about 1 hectare, roughly equivalent to that of a football pitch. The open spaces, glass walls and windows, which are secured to the covering structure, leaving the old parts of the building intact, guide the eye towards the area outside, enabling the old and modern architectural features to enter into dialogue with those of their natural surroundings.
Catering Area
A spacious catering area has been set up in a third building, with over 3,000 square metres of floor space, obtained by restoring a facility that housed naval workshops in the days of the Arsenal. The original five-nave plan has been preserved, with the addition of a partial metal roof, left open in the central area laid out as a garden.
Press Pool Area
In the area opposite the conference centre, too, the work has involved a combination of new building and restoration and extension work on existing buildings. The main building, another that dates back to the late 19th century, extends about 300 metres along the whole eastern façade of the old Arsenal. Now fully restored, it housed maintenance units, workshops and warehouses in the Navy days and would have been the venue for press conferences. The old building is flanked by three others, two newly built to the north and one to the south, next to the quay, of about 2,000 square metres, obtained from a large hangar once used for laying up boats. The buildings have an overall floor space of around 7,000 square metres, whereas the outdoor areas extend over 30,000.
