The Palazzo del Luce is a sixteenth-century building located within the ancient walls of Treviso that overlooked the enormous Temple of San Nicolò. Built originally by the military commander Mercurio Bua, it was used as his personal house.
Over the centuries, the Palazzo del Luce underwent some huge transformations. From the late medieval era to the present, Treviso has endured damage and reconstruction from bombings during two world wars, which resulted in altering its identity and subsequently its destiny via the conversion in headquarters of many public institutions. Hence, the renovation and conversion provided a great opportunity to learn about the centenary history of the city.
The first phase of the project involved removing erratic integrations within the building to preserve what remained of its original structure. This also facilitated a clearer reading and helped revive some ancient murals/paintings on the main fascia. As per the essence of Treviso, this is also called Urbs picta because of its various frescoed buildings.
With openings created towards the city, the need for a new name also arose – Palazzo Della Luce. This also highlights the public aptitude of the building and its ability to serve as a novel place where unique structural design and spatiality mix with contemporaneity to create new forms of sociality and professionalism, combined with a fluid practice of superior technological services.
Photos by: Marco Zanta
