Zaha Hadid's project in Reggio Calabria will happen

In 2009, the renowned Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, still alive at the time, won the international competition organized by the Municipality of Reggio Calabria to design a large architectural complex on the waterfront. After several obstacles, the Lotto Zero project will finally be realized thanks to over 120 million euros from the PNRR funds. The complex will include the Mediterranean Museum and a Multipurpose Center, featuring Hadid's characteristic sinuous lines inspired by starfish, which will be clearly visible both from the land and the sea. It will redevelop an area of 25,000 square meters between the Falcomatà promenade and the port. The Museum will integrate the connection between the city and the sea into the landscape and will offer exhibition spaces, laboratories, a marine biology center, and more.

The realization of the complex is entrusted to Cobar Spa with the contribution of Nilo Domanico, a Calabrian engineer involved in significant projects such as the world's largest botanical garden in Oman and the master plan for the hydraulic reclamation of the Archaeological Park of Sibari. The project places great emphasis on the relationship with the coastal landscape and enhancing the city's panoramic potential. It promotes direct mobility by sea between regional and national infrastructures and the new tourist hubs, while also envisioning the use of eco-friendly shuttles to ensure continuity between the waterfront and parking areas, thereby reducing traffic congestion along the coast. The project aims to make Reggio Calabria a cultural capital and a reference point for technical and economic aspects in the Mediterranean basin, thanks to the unique position of the complex, which will be visible from the opposite coast, along the narrow stretch of sea between Italy and Sicily.