The project was presented as an alternative to that of the Società Autostrade Italiana, which was proposing to ‘hide’ the presence of the motorway tunnel beneath a public green area.
Our project, on the contrary, wanted to highlight rather provocatively the presence of the Autostrada which besides being an irreplaceable infrastructure is nonetheless a large source of acoustic and atmospheric urban pollution.
We decided to feature the tunnel in a construction which would evoke the idea of a steam machine with various smoke chimneys.
The structure has an enormously large cylindrical body where air is cleaned by a purification plant of filters. The residue gases along with the exhaust fumes extracted are subsequently dispersed high above the surface, by the smoke stacks.
The volume enclosed within the cylindrical structure is designated for public services, for sport, culture and leisure. Meaning this “no go” area of the motorway running inevitably through a residential urban area is returned back to the residents in multiple forms.