Borgo Prino Square

This public square is meant to be the heart of a new residential and commercial complex in a district of the city currently under redevelopment. It is a pedestrian area that is intended to be the “local town square” and act as the hub of community life. It hopes to become a reference point for this large suburban area that previously lacked a place that the local public identified as theirs. The designers wanted to emphasise the important symbolic function of the new square by using an immediate and evocative language for the paving. The sun, water and earth are the main elements of the design: on the one hand, a large sun dominating most of the area and on the opposite side a set of fountains symbolising rain. The shapes and colours of the paving at the centre of the square are meant to recall a small stream going from the town towards the sea. All of the pedestrian area was tiled with porcelain stoneware tiles supplied by Marazzi Engineering, who also assisted the architects primarily in choosing products that guarantee high standards not only as far as the looks of the square are concerned but also in terms of skid resistance. It also offered its support during the preparation of the final plans and for the site installation, using adhesive, on the floor slab. The design’s complex pattern in the various sections of the square required water jet cutting starting out with a standard size (30x60 cm). Particular care was taken to keep waste as limited as possible. The final stage of the job was the flooring for the areas around the large communal pool inside the residential complex.