Lucca, the Cavallerizza gym is inaugurated

From the restructuring of the Cavallerizza Ducale one was born new gym in Lucca, delivered Jan. 9 to the city and high schools. The gymnasium is located in the former Cavallerizza Ducale, adjacent to the Real Collegio, in via della Cavallerizza.

The return to class after the Christmas holidays coincides with the official delivery to the city of Lucca and to the high schools of the historic center of a brand new system built by the Province in a completely renovated building built two centuries ago.

The building, built between 1821 and 1823, was started by the architect. Lazzarini, trusted technician of the Baciocchi family and then completed by Lorenzo Nottolini on the recommendation of Maria Luisa di Borbone.

New Cavallerizza gymnasium in Lucca: an urban redevelopment

At the inauguration were present the president of the Province of Lucca Luca Menesini, the president of the Tuscany Region Eugenio Giani, the regional councilor Stefano Baccelli, the president of the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Foundation Marcello Bertocchini, the director of the territorial school office of the provinces of Lucca and Massa Donatella Buonriposi.

Also present was the mayor of Lucca Mario Pardini, the manager of the technical office of Palazzo Ducale arch. Fabrizio Mechini and the former manager of the sector, arch. Frances Lazzari.

Satisfied and happy the president of the Menesini Province: “From a covered riding arena for the exercises of the young students of the Real Collegio in the 1800s to a modern gymnasium for high schools in the historic center of Lucca today”.

“The intervention is to be underlined not only for the sporting and functional value it represents but also because it contributes to the redevelopment of an area which is located adjacent to the Real Collegio, the Youth Hostel and close to the city walls of Lucca”.

“A restructuring that is also urban redevelopment, to which the Foundation has allocated resources since its commitment to the world of education has not ended with the tenders, which in the last ten years have allowed the renewal of provincial school buildings, but continues and today sees a new important chapter being written”, commented the president of the CRL Foundation, Marcello Bertocchini.

The president of the Region Eugenio Giani greeted the opening of the new Cavallerizza gymnasium in Lucca, emphasizing not only the architectural aspect and urban recovery which he defined as “precious” but also the didactic value that such a space represents for the schools of an ancient historical center such as that of Lucca.

The economic framework of the work is about 2.6 million euros in total, coming from funding from the MIUR of about 1 million euros, 1.2 million from the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Foundation and 400 thousand euros from the Tuscany Region.

To renovate the ancient building (over 800 m2) that houses the Cavallerizza gym, the Province of Lucca obtained 1.2 million euros from MIUR funding, a contribution from the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Foundation of 1 million euros and 400 thousand assigned by the Tuscany Region, for an economic framework of the work of around 2.6 million euros in total.

The renovation project of the Cavallerizza gymnasium in Lucca

The historic building that houses the new Lucca gymnasium was completely refurbished as of 2020with new iron fixtures and the remaking of the plaster on the four facades of the building, smoothed with wood to recreate a particular effect of the type used for the facade of Palazzo Buonvisi, headquarters of the Passaglia art school in via Fillungo.

It has been accomplished a main gymnasiumwhere the sporting activities will take place and a smaller, service one, intended for warm-up and athletic training. Two separate changing rooms, with bathrooms and showers connected by a stairwell and lift.

The making of new coverage required several months of work for both the grandeur and the conformation of the beams and trussesboth for the installation of the new gutter channel on the roof recreated in terracotta, as well as the new terracotta tiles.

Particularly the gutter channel has been faithfully reproduced on the design of the one created by the architect. tumblers; the will of the Province to leave the beams and trusses exposed is a reference to the drawings of the truss with three monks by the well-known Lucchese architect.

Internally the new gym of the Cavallerizza of Lucca is entirely covered with anti-reverb acoustic panels made of recycled and natural materials such as wood, cement, marble dust and water, which represent a natural and sustainable insulator.

From the plant engineering point of view the heating is underfloorwhile the gym can count on controlled mechanical ventilation to guarantee the right exchange of air and electricity.

The lighting is LEDspecific for sports facilities while the flooring of the playing field is in rubberized resin.

Access to the structure is on the north-east side, i.e. from the side of the small square on via della Cavallerizza (previously used as a parking lot) which allows users to enter and exit safely.

The project of functional renovation of the Cavallerizza gymnasium in Lucca received the clearance from the Superintendence for Architectural, Historic, Artistic and Ethno-anthropological Landscape Heritage for the provinces of Lucca and Massa Carrara, as well as the subsequent green light from the Lucca City Council.

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