The purpose of the “City Gate” project is to repair the historic center of Valletta, not only an architectural project but an urban redesign going through four elements: the complete reorganization of the main entrance to the capital of Malta, with The creation of a new entrance gate, the immediately adjacent place of resettlement outside the city walls and moats, in addition to the construction of a new Parliament building and the design of an outdoor theater, “machine”, inside From the ruins of the old Royal Theater. The strong fortifications that surround the coast face the conflict of preserving the historic walls and at the same time satisfying the functions that a contemporary city requires. Valletta is located on a strip of land that extends into the Grand Harbor, a wide bay that forms the main port of the island. The project is located in a crucial area of Valletta, capital of Malta, already declared a World Heritage Site, near the historical walls of the sixteenth century. The project turned out to be more a “reinterpretation” of the entrance to the city, and also implied the restoration of the walls of the bastion and the recreation of a square that was built in the nineteenth century, which has now been cleared to make visible the facades Of the 16th century that surrounds it. This rearrangement frees the fortifications of the arch that previously obscured them, allowing them to be seen with all their height and power. The key element of this redevelopment was to open the door to heaven, where the addition of two cozy stairs with gentle slopes lead people to the new door. “… The immense stone blocks, delimited and framed by the steel blades used to highlight the union between the old and the new, plus the two steel posts, each 25 meters high, are sufficient to characterize this Gap in the wall … ” According to Renzo Piano, responsible for the project, the new door of the city is very contained and austere. The undeniable historical and architectural heritage of the place was preserved and restored, while the creation of new cultural and civic places achieved a more vibrant urbanity. The Valletta City Gate project transformed the main entrance to the capital of Malta creating a coherent scheme for an area that has suffered a controversial and confusing urban development.
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