Superintendency and Gruppo Building will work on the project of an archaeological area
Turin, 25 September 2017 During the restoration work on the Sant ‘Agostino convent between Via delle Orfane and Via Santa Chiara, the Quadrilateral district of Turin and the heart of the Roman city of Augusta Taurinorum, archaeological findings of exceptional consistency have emerged. It is a vast plan from the Roman imperial period dating back to between the 1st and 3rd centuries, probably used as commercial or public premises, with mosaic decorations representing the mythological figure of the hunter Acteon, torn apart by his dogs. The site of the discovery is the restoration work of the convent and its transformation into a contemporary condominium Quadrato, a project by Boffa, Petrone & Partners and Building Engineering, whose works are under construction by Building SpA.
“For years we have been committed to safeguarding the historical heritage of Turin, alongside the Superintendency. The Roman find will allow us to build an archaeological area within Quadrato, which we will open to the public, in absolute consistency with the philosophy of our other housing projects on via Lagrange12 and via Alfieri6 ” stated architect Luca Petrone, founder of Boffa, Petrone & Partners with Piero Boffa, President of the Gruppo Building. The discovery is of great importance for the city and follows the recent findings from the Roman era by the architect Cino Zucchi team at Corso Brescia and via Bologna in the area of the new Lavazza business center. In synergy with the Superintendency of Architectural and Cultural Heritage of Piedmont, the Building Group has opted for the possibility of saving the complete portion of archaeological finds. On the site of Quadrato, particularly well-preserved Roman environments are located in the south-eastern sector of the area: the hypothesis is that these are rooms and flooring for interiors and exteriors of a spa area. Specifically, there are four rectangular and side-by-side rooms, which overlook a porticoed courtyard, witnessed by the remains of a brick column covered with grooved stucco, with large stone thresholds in which footprints can be seen that could correspond to wooden closing gates. The complete opening of the three southern rooms on the eastern side seems to exclude that it is a dwelling domus, hypothesizing rather the public and commercial use. The rooms retain mosaic decorations of which the most noteworthy is that in the western sector of the large southern room, about 10 m X 6, depicting an emblem with white and black mosaic tiles, in which the mythological figure is probably represented. The Square Project of the Building Group, recovery of the Sant’Agostino convent, is located in a strategic position on the corner between Via Santa Chiara and Via delle Orfane: it consists of five floors above ground, an attic floor and a basement; it includes a large inner courtyard and is part of the largest Augustinian convent complex built in the mid-16th century. The premises were occupied by the former conservatory and later by the civil section court. The project involves the construction of underground garages at the large courtyard. Work started in January 2016 will end in two stages: the first scale by the end of 2017, the second scale a year later. In 2018, accordingly, the archaeological area will open, a project that the Piedmont Architectural and Cultural Heritage Office and Building announce today.
