The project involves the adaptive reuse of the ticket office of the sports arena in Ragusa, which had been abandoned for years, into a bar-bistrot.
The building, owned by the municipality, was the subject of a public tender for private management. The goal was to renovate a dilapidated asset while bridging private ambition with public needs.
The objective is to restore the building and simultaneously improve the built environment of a highly critical area: an urban void situated between the suburbs and the new expansion zones. This low-density space remains as the leftover of a residential expansion scheme disconnected from the pre-existing urban layout.
It is a fast-transit area that houses several public services, including sports facilities (the sports hall, basketball stadium, municipal swimming pool, and riding arena), a local market, schools, a administrative center, and their respective parking lots.
The vast empty spaces, low building density, and sporadic public use give this area the typical characteristics of a “non-place”. The municipal water tower opposite the site serves as the main visual landmark and primary point of orientation for the entire area.
The public-private strategy aimed to launch a commercial business catering to both sports facility users and local residents, creating a social hub for the community to trigger a broader process of urban regeneration.
Built in the late 1980s, the building features a square floor plan with a reinforced concrete structure, a flat roof, and brick infill walls.
The design solution lies in a new outer skin made of reclaimed timber, which reshapes the building’s silhouette. The openings on the side elevations, facing the sports hall to the south and social housing to the north, are shaded by this new filter, while two large glass facades on the front elevations maintain clear views of the urban landscape. On the northern facade, a section of the cladding is designed to fold down, serving as outdoor tables when needed.
Beyond screening technical equipment and providing storage, this outer envelope creates a perimeter ventilated cavity that enhances the building’s energy performance.
Inside, a green polyurethane resin-enameled partition wall separates the work area from the customer zone. The original beams and columns are left as exposed concrete, serving as a visible trace of the pre-existing building.
The flooring consists of polished industrial concrete treated with a clear resin, the bar counter is clad in sheet iron, and the furnishings draw inspiration from a vintage/retro style.
