The decision of the town of Povegliano, in the Province of Treviso, to hold a design competition leading to the creation of a genuine "town centre" was certainly a brave act. The res publica or, more specifically, its collective values, were taken as a guide for the expansion. The town had lacked a central location, a focal point to catalyse the activity of the whole area.

The design uses a system of links between the different elements as a "dorsal spine". We put in place both low intensity routes (pedestrian and cycle paths) and a system of new roads. The introduction of green spaces allowed us to make a transition from the "public stage" of the new piazza to the "private stage" of the residential area to the north. The design also made it possible to keep a sense of continuity and recognisability in a town that is still part of a markedly agricultural region.

The piazza paving has been treated like an active surface. It includes an illumination system with multi-coloured RGB LED units; these have been randomly inserted into the stone slabs and produce lighting effects at ground level. On the eastern side of the public space there is a structure in reinforced shaved concrete. This portico houses a large board for town notices and a system of horizontal high output photovoltaic panels, ensuring that this new piazza is energy self-sufficient. Patrizia e Saverio Pisaniello

MICROSCAPE: Piazza Municipio, Povegliano
Architects: MICROSCAPE architecture_urban design, Patrizia and Saverio Pisaniello
Client: Comune di Povegliano, Treviso
Lighting design: MICROSCAPE architecture_urban design and iGuzzini illuminazione
Structural engineering: Luigi Pantera
Systems engineering: Giuseppe Giorgi
Management of operations, Security: Pierangelo Soligo
Photovoltaic systems: Massimiliano Mattiazzo
Building contractor: Veneta Dal Farra srl
Design competition: 2006 – 2007
Construction: 2008 – 2009