In 1567 “Torre della Rinalda” was built as a part of a series of coastal towers. Serving as a lookout tower in during a time of frequent raids and plunders. Now it is not certainly forgotten, but is hardly remembered as it was. 

This project aims to protect this tower in multiple ways. In addition to physical protection and structural support, a historic structure must encapsulate life. A living structure is protected. Thus this projectalso aims to keep the structure alive in the memories of the people and have it serve as a landmark.

To do this an exterior timber structure system in the form of typical Kingdom of Naples towers is applied around the structure. The design is focused on the tower’s form because every other layer of information about the tower’s historic being is still remaining. The texture, the material, the color, the setting… Only missing layer is its original form. The timber structure can give hints of form and not cover any part of the tower. Revitalize the historic being of the tower as it gives structural support.

The choice of timber beams as a material is to provide a replaceable system for this exterior structure. This structure can constantly regenerate itself piece by piece. Just like the ship of thesus each individual piece may change but the system stays as it is. This is to assure that the design is a long term sustainable structural and spatial support to the tower.

There are two possible paths designed to experience the tower, an exterior and an interior path. The exterior path is for the casual visitors. It starts from the south of the tower and provides a promenade around the tower with timber platforms and stairs. One side of the promenade gives close interaction with the tower and the other side faces the sea. The promenade ends on the first level of the tower. The interior path starts from the inside and takes the user directly to the first level with a vertical ladder. A transition from dark to light. These two paths meet on the first level, then to the top of the tower there is again a ladder and a series of stairs.