Italian studio Mario Cucinella Architects has designed a cultural centre in Tuscany within traditional houses, which connect to a new angular terrace that protrudes from the hillside.
Located in the medieval hillside town of Peccioli, situated between Pisa and Florence, Palazzo Senza Tempo was built as a response to the local government's push for new cultural programmes and built heritage.
The Palazzo Senza Tempo cultural centre occupies a series of renovated townhouses in the hillside town of Peccioli
The centre occupies a number of renovated and repurposed 14th-century townhouses above a steep slope, as well as a new two-storey structure with a cantilevered plaza that protrudes from the side of the hill.
"The redevelopment works as a bridge between the historical memory, which characterized these buildings, and its future, a civic and cultural centre for the town of Peccioli, the entire Valdera, and the thousands of tourists visiting each year this extraordinary open-air museum," Mario Cucinella Architects told Dezeen. Mario Cucinella Architects renovated the historic houses in a way that celebrates their history
Across its multiple levels, the cultural centre houses apartments, gallery spaces, work areas, a library, cafe, restaurant and a 600-square-metre cantilevered terrace.
The facades of the townhouses maintain their traditional aesthetic, but have been updated with protruding full-height windows that visually tie to the contemporary angular structure belo...