The restoration of a property located in the main square of the city, an active part of the overall view of the urban space, requires that the image of the monument carved into the memory of the citizens is faithfully preserved.
The sundial on the facade facing the square, the arabesque pointed arches of the windows on the first floor and the crowning with small terracotta arches of the facades of the historic building known as the ‘Casetta Rossa’ in Thiene reveal its role as ‘annex’ to the nearby gentleman’s residence, the villa ‘Porto-Colleoni’.
Recent town planning changes with the creation of a new square opposite the existing one and the consequent position of the building between the old and new town centre prompted the drafting of a long term project that would combine the needs of conservation with those of practicality. The original Venetian floors and wooden ceilings characterise the spaces of the businesses on the ground floor and the residences on the first floor. The ‘finds’ of ancient life have been reinterpreted in modern vein by turning an old fireplace in Vicenza stone into a big walled frame. The new elements have been inserted according to a profound sense of connection to and respect for the existing. Structural improvements and architectural, management and maintenance aspects are thus taken into account when defining a cultural and functionally valid project.
The main facades were the object of the least possible work, favouring those on the more recent block, made harmonious with the rest of the building by matching the windows and colour with the whole.