Bergamo Alta, Italy
Relais San Lorenzo, an historic hotel in Bergamo Alta, has been restored and extended in a project by the Natalini Architetti studio.
The design of the new Relais balances many complex elements: the redefinition of the edge of the Piazza on which it sits, preservation and enhancement of the archaeological Roman ruins discovered during the works, as well as a contemporary work space for conferences and hotel offices.
The new construction was designed to blend-in naturally with the oldest part of the town and the hills that surround it.
The architect and professor Adolfo Natalini, following his philosophy of “nothing can be built with ruins, but everything can be built from a ruin”, chose architectural bronze as a natural and timeless material for completing the restoration and extension with a modern stamp on the design and its durable materials.
The new building, on a stone foundation, opens up onto the square with large bronze windows and rises up with a ventilated façade made by Astec with insulated copper alloy panels in a beautiful “Nuvole” finish.
The bronze details in the interior halls and in the rooms are also Astec products, as are the cladding in the inner courtyard, the glass with bronze frames, the special grilles in the archaeological area and the Cor-ten steel skylights in the courtyard.
According to the architect Natalini, the project is an excellent representation of the audacious nature of Astec’s work with Architectural Bronze and other noble metals.
