Location: Verona, Italy Year: 2024 Architects: MASAAI studio
In the very heart of Verona, near the ancient Roman gate ‘Porta Borsari’, Spazio Diaz is a co-working space that celebrates its own past. It is located on the second floor of a building that prior to recent renovations, and for many years, was home to a jewellery shop.
Its division into four offices and a meeting room, was largely defined by an old beam found on the floor, at the centre of the large original openspace.
In the past, the bracing system that supported the heavy safes of the old jewellery shop, also offered protection against intrusion into the floor. Such a system is composed of the floor beam, the metal slab present in the screed, the 14 tie-rods distributed throughout the space, and the ceiling grid, visible in the shared spaces.
In order to meet new needs, the airtight box characterized by these important metal structures has been divided by opal glass partitions with minimal aluminum frames. Through the glazing, light filters between the rooms; at the same time, privacy is maintained. The micro-cement floor offers continuity and contributes to the simplicity of the space, while also fitting into its richness.
The metal carters found underneath the structural ceiling grid, reveal the electrical infrastructure required for the new use of the space, becoming a unifying element across the spaces. Text description by the architects.
