La Casa dei Mandarini © LAP Architettura

In a country where the rate of violence is still high, the dissemination of “antibodies” within society becomes a fundamental operation. The more so in small villages, increasingly affected by depopulation, places where there is a strong need for social, educational and cultural services.

From this assumption, on the ruins of a building confiscated from mafia properties, House of Clementines (Casa dei Mandarini) took shape: it is a multipurpose anti-violence center for the community of Santa Maria Imbaro, in Abruzzo.

The name originates in the only living element present in the abandoned courtyard: a clementine tree that grows and thrives despite the decay around it. Just as this audacious tree with its roots has managed to explore fertile substrates, Casa dei Mandarini lays its foundations here and stands as a symbol of collective consciousness and rebirth. A center of aggregation and socializing, with a playroom, art workshops, a study room and a library. A meeting and leisure place, where the dynamism of the environment reflects the momentum that inspired its creation, stimulates dreams and creativity. A project that supports the birth of entrepreneurial activities and forms of self-employment, it supports female and generational empowerment; a “safe space” that spreads anti-violence culture and gender discrimination; but above all, a shelter for women and children who live in marginal conditions and are victims of oppression.

The concept and the project

The clementine tree, with its fruits, is an icon of nature that reclaims spaces and gives beauty. A metaphor for a community that claims its “right to the city”.

Anatomy of the clementine concept of the project © LAP Architettura

Anatomy of the clementine concept of the project © LAP Architettura

Just as the resilient and protective peel is the first element of recognition, so the external walls of the building, peculiar and permeable, show glimpses of the interior. The invitation to enter is emphasized by a copper band on the floor which, from the main entrance, opens onto the rear garden. Here it is transformed into a staircase that winds and leads to the upper floor, like a ribbon.

The House of Clementines_ main entrance © LAP Architettura

The House of Clementines_ main entrance © LAP Architettura

The House of Clementines_ back © LAP Architettura

The House of Clementines_ back © LAP Architettura

The wedges, rich in nutritional elements, represent the essence of the project: they contain thoughts and perceptions arising from exploration and complex ideas. The functions assigned to the designed spaces become a source of energy at the basis of the enhancement process of the entire building. On the first floor, the walls are not rigid. They are always concave or convex, versatile, equipped to create open spaces, at most definable by a system of curtains and terraces, with seating and play functions. In the basement, on the other hand, where a listening center is expected, the interiors guarantee privacy and confidentiality.

The House of Clementines_ first floor © LAP Architettura

The House of Clementines_ first floor © LAP Architettura

Seeds are the most precious and powerful element for the spread of the species. They exist in the present and future simultaneously and their propagation generates new life. They symbolize the beneficiaries of Casa dei Mandarini who, living in new spaces and experiencing a different life, will be able to spread useful actions to the community. The garden and the clementine tree are the starting points to get to the nearby school complex and they lead to those places to remark the close union and collaboration between the two institutes. The green space, made of terraces, gardens, vegetable gardens, work tables, play structures, becomes the bearer of ecological value and a cultural asset.

The project is the result of a synergistic work between Studio LAP Architettura, the landscape architect Marilena Baggio, Prof. Carlo Colloca, professor of sociological analysis and methods for territorial planning at the University of Catania, Dr. Antonella Agnoli cultural designer, Dr. Nicla Roberto as a fundraiser, and CIVICA, and it was listed as part of the National Strategy for the reclaiming of assets confiscated from mafia properties provided for by the PNRR.