In October 2018, an agreement was signed between the European University Institute (EUI) and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to annex the historic Palazzo Buontalenti to the EUI campus.
EUI identified the property as the new prestigious headquarters for the School of Transnational Governance (STG), a high-level political education school that offers executive apprenticeship programs, hosts a scholarship program, and conducts policy dialogue on international administration topics. STG, currently located in the Badia Fiesolana premises, also intends to launch a master’s program that will take place precisely in Palazzo Buontalenti, a large building complex of over 20,000 sqm, owned by the Italian State and managed by Agenzia del Demanio, located in the center of Florence. The operation holds great urban planning significance, as Palazzo Buontalenti is a complex that has always played a strategic role for the center of Florence, having housed the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Court of Appeal, but has been unused since 2012. The hope is that, following this repurposing, it can acquire a key role in Florence’s urban and social fabric, happily counteracting the long-standing trend of relocating strategic functions, thereby uprooting them from a historic center increasingly devoid of the functional content that, for centuries, defined the fabric of its urban relationships.
The Interventions
The contracted services are divided into functional lots, named “Lot 1” and “Lot 2”.
Lot 1
The set of activities planned in this first lot will make the school fully functional in all its components and restore the transversal ‘urban’ public pathway by removing incongruous elements that, in the twentieth century, compromised the Buontalenti facade and separated the two courtyards. A necessary prerequisite will be the execution of safety measures for the stone and frescoed surfaces of the entire complex, in order to carry out subsequent interventions without further damage. The restoration of the approximately 440 sqm courtroom will allow for the creation of a large conference hall, while the canteen, designed for two shifts of 150 people, will be structured on three levels: the basement will house the kitchen, ancillary services, and restrooms; the ground floor will feature the dining area with serving stations and tables across approximately 250 sqm, with the possibility of further expansion through the creation of a mezzanine floor. Two different types of accommodation have been planned for students and faculty: for students, studios ranging from 18 to 27 sqm, equipped with 1 or 2 beds with private bathrooms and a fitted kitchenette; for faculty, one-bedroom apartments varying in size from 27 to 60 sqm.
Lot 2
Lot 2 includes the most important building of the entire complex, the Casino Mediceo, which will be divided into various functional areas: distribution system and floor services, complementary services such as catering, IT, and various facilities, teaching and research rooms, a multi-room library, and offices. The restoration approach, based on historical research and the interpretation of transformations over the centuries, has been particularly careful and accurate to free the structure from all insignificant additions and to restore, as far as possible, an original and coherent layout that also considers subsequent expansions to safeguard a stratification that today represents an essential value of historical architecture. The restoration not only considers the frescoes still visible in many parts but also focuses on a thorough investigation campaign to rediscover decorations and paintings hidden by ill-advised subsequent coverings. Furthermore, it aims to recover significant secondary elements such as floors, wall coverings, moldings, fixtures, and furnishings.
The service was awarded to a temporary joint venture (RTP) composed of leading Italian Architecture and Engineering firms. In addition to SB+: Politecnica, Archea, Consilium, Abacus, Studio Mattioli, Ingegneri Riuniti, DBA PRO, Prof. Arch. Loris Macci, Dr. Monica Endrizzi, and Dr. Stefano Landi.
