THE NEW GREENHOUSES, REDISCOVERED CHARM

The context

The complex of the Villa Erba Exhibition and Conference Centre is set in a large flat basin and consists of the main house, the service quarters and guest quarters, the porters - as well as the greenhouse, the dock and the stables. The outdoor areas adjacent to the ancient villa are dotted with mythological and historical works by the sculptor Mazzuchelli, such as the two lions placed on either side of the carriage entrance on the west side, towards the garden. The vast centuries-old park is embellished with exotic trees and rare plants.

The Villa Erba Exhibition and Congress Centre is well known to the public and to those working in the sector.

MICE - Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions - because for many years it has hosted cultural and artistic events, congresses, trade fairs and film sets, as well as private events for weddings as a prestigious wedding location. Overlooking Lake Como, the complex is also and above all enhanced by three elements of great artistic and cultural interest. The ancient villa, which was the summer residence of the great director Luchino Visconti; the centuries-old park, rich in numerous exotic, rare and ornamental plants; and the exhibition centre, a glass and steel architecture designed by architect Mario Bellini and inspired by the greenhouses of the elegant Larian villas.

In the past, Villa Erba also had a lovely greenhouse: a small building (just over 100 square metres) which, through a careful redevelopment project, will be promoted as a meeting place and social interaction point. A project dedicated to the area and an additional suggestion for those who choose Villa Erba - with its Exhibition and Congress Centre - as a flexible and concretely organised system for personalised events, fairs and meetings.

The objectives of the redevelopment of the Greenhouses at Villa Erba

The Serre project is part of a wider context, characterised by the protection and enhancement of local excellence. More specifically, the aim is to make the entire complex more accessible, to enhance the Park, the Galoppatoio and, last but not least, to redevelop Via Regina and create a pedestrian path along the lake, between Piazza Risorgimento and the Galoppatoio area, through the recovery and enhancement of the Darsena.

The projects also aim to optimise, enhance and support the Villa Erba exhibition centre, which has always been a reference point for international trade fairs and events in many sectors: from fashion to design, from technology to education, from culture to innovation.

The object of the first interventions

The Galoppatoio area: a flat lawn extending from the Via Regina wall to the shore of Lake Como, with a tree-lined avenue running along the Breggia stream.

The greenhouse: a small building, now almost completely in ruins, composed of 6 regular fields and a mixed masonry of solid bricks and irregular stones.

The interventions will ensure the protection of the architectural and historical-environmental peculiarities of the area, favouring its public use also for socio-cultural, sports and recreational purposes.

The projectual vision

Architect Corrado Tagliabue, who will be in charge of the project, shares his design vision:

"When I was entrusted with the Villa Erba Greenhouses redevelopment project, I felt the need to identify a language that could stand out in a prestigious context (while still having its own personality), while fully respecting the landscape and the important elements already present in the area. The ancient villa, the centuries-old park, the expanse of the galloping track, the exhibition centre and the undeniable charm of the view of Lake Como could not help but influence my search for volumes and materials that could enrich an area that was already highly suggestive.

But there was also a pressing need to share this extraordinary location with the local area first of all, but then also with visitors from all over the world in search of excellence, Italian in tradition and innovative in projection. In this apparent conflict between tradition and innovation, I tried to identify the most important elements that could be experienced at different times and on different occasions: from the public event to the privacy of a relaxing break, from the route designed for the visitor who is sensitive to artistic and natural views, to the refreshment service in the everyday life of students and citizens who wish to experience Villa Erba and its surroundings at first hand.

In short, this is an additional recreational and cultural offer, designed to involve local associations and operators in order to bring attention back to the knowledge of the landscape and cultural heritage in which the compendium is immersed.

Technical project notes

RESTORATION AND FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY OF THE FORMER GREENHOUSES AND CONTEXTUAL

Location of a refreshment kiosk and services in the area called "ex-galoppatoio".

Villa Erba complex located in Cernobbio (Como) Largo Luchino Visconti, 4.

The project involves the removal of irrecoverable elements, the consolidation of the walls with the insertion of metal tie rods, a cement paving with a perimeter band of gravel, the covering with a fabric curtain for outdoor use; a wooden kiosk will be built next to the greenhouses, with adequate connections, to be used as a refreshment area with services for staff and the public. It is also planned to put back into use the nearby lettorini, large boxes that, with an ancient cultivation practice, reproduce the ideal climate for germination and the development of young plants during the colder season, just like in a greenhouse.

The Villa Erba complex falls within the administrative district of CERNOBBIO.

The intervention area is included in the P.G.T. of the Municipality of CERNOBBIO approved by D.C.C. no. 12 of 24 February 2017 published in the BURL Serie Avvisi e Concorsi no. 29 of 19 July 2017 in the area SISTEMA DEI SERVIZI - SERVIZI ESISTENTI.

Project promoters

Villa Erba spa, in agreement with the Municipality of Cernobbio and the other bodies involved: Province of Como, Municipality of Como, Chamber of Commerce of Como.

The project is also being implemented with the substantial contribution of Fondazione CARIPLO.