In the heart of Sassari, the restoration and redevelopment project for the Accademia di Belle Arti “Mario Sironi”, designed by Studio Associato di Architettura LERUA, takes shape as an operation of architectural rewriting rather than a simple act of building refurbishment. The intervention engages a strategic urban fragment, transforming a historically closed and introverted complex into a permeable, walkable system deeply reconnected to the city.
Located on Via Duca degli Abruzzi, the Academy is restored to a renewed urban centrality through a measured and layered design approach that moves beyond the logic of enclosure to introduce spatial and symbolic porosity. The heterogeneous ensemble of existing buildings and open spaces is reorganized into a coherent, legible, and identity-defining structure, placing collective experience and the continuous relationship between interior and exterior at its core.
The project stems from an in-depth investigative process: the mapping of materials and degradation phenomena guided targeted interventions of remediation and consolidation, in which conservative restoration intertwines with a contemporary architectural language. The refurbishment of façades, replacement of window frames, and systems upgrades are not merely technical operations, but tools to enhance comfort, sustainability, and spatial quality, privileging light, openness, and connection.
Among the most significant episodes is the transformation of the former Medical Clinic, subject to a radical intervention that frees interior volumes through selective demolition of floors and roof structures. The result is a sequence of double-height spaces flooded with light, where the entrance hall assumes the role of a vertical void and perceptual device, while offices on the upper level maintain visual and functional continuity with the spaces below, dissolving hierarchies and closures.
Alongside it, the Incision Pavilion engages with the themes of time and identity. The new longitudinal volume, while respecting the original footprint, introduces an explicitly contemporary language: a framed structure, lightweight brick infill, and a hipped roof in painted aluminum. The chromatic choice—a warm, material brick red—establishes a dialogue with the existing buildings while simultaneously asserting its autonomy, while the high-performance plaster reflects a commitment to sustainability without compromising compositional quality.
The redesign of the outdoor spaces completes the intervention on an urban scale. A new system of pedestrian paths, the removal of architectural barriers, and the introduction of gardens planted with native and Mediterranean species transform the landscape into an active campus device: places for pause, encounter, and open-air learning that strengthen the relationship between the institution and the everyday fabric of the city.
