If there is a place in the world where the future and the past can coexist in perfect balance, this is Naples. My city. I don't know if you know. A city that liberated itself from the Nazis, and that survived eruptions, earthquakes and wars. Now it is about to "reinvent" itself once again with Naples East Gate, a masterplan designed by Zaha Hadid Architects that will transform 30 hectares of abandoned industrial area into a futuristic neighborhood dominated by two towers with an organic and fluid shape.
It is not a wishful project: it is an urban regeneration operation that promises to revitalize the east of the city with a sustainable and visionary approach. From a former tobacco factory a new symbol of Naples will be born, capable of looking to the future without losing sight of Vesuvius. Also because he (or she? “A' Muntagna”, as we call it here) he never loses sight of us.
Fluid form that defies gravity
Imagine two towers that seem to dance, emerging from a common base with sinuous curves that defy every traditional architectural convention. This is the essence of the Naples East Gate project, winner of an architectural competition that will redefine the eastern skyline of the Neapolitan city.
The structures, made of concrete and steel, have a futuristic design that almost seems liquid: glass and metal surfaces that wrap upwards like waves frozen in time. The renderings do not reveal the precise height, but they will certainly not be world-record “supertalls”. What is striking, however, is their ability to integrate with the surrounding landscape while representing an evident break with the existing urban fabric.
The shared base connecting the two towers will house green areas and a plaza, creating a public space that will act as a counterpoint to the verticality of the main structures. It is precisely this horizontal connection that gives the project a broader urban dimension, transforming it from a simple architectural intervention into a true catalyst for regeneration.
Naples Porta Est, the city speaks to itself
The envelope optimizes natural elements (light, wind and panoramic views) ensuring excellent thermal insulation, reducing solar load and glare, without compromising the spectacular views of the Gulf of Naples, Vesuvius and the surrounding hills.
This is how it is expressed ZHA describing one of the most fascinating aspects of the project: the relationship with the natural context. The facades were designed considering the movement of the sun during the day: the openings to the north are maximized to allow natural light and enhance the views, while direct exposure to the sun is minimized on the other facades to reduce energy needs.
But the project Naples East Gate goes far beyond simple energy efficiency. The masterplan includes large areas of green roofs and a 7.000 square meter photovoltaic system that will significantly reduce energy consumption from the grid. The recycled water will be used for irrigation, reducing drinking water use by 60%. The use of geothermal energy is also planned, although details on this aspect have not yet been disclosed.
The new face of Naples
Napoli Porta Est comes at a time of extraordinary activity for ZHA, which recently unveiled the Shenzhen Institute of Financial Technology skyscraper and a driverless transit station in Saudi Arabia. But there is something particularly poetic in seeing this futuristic vision materialize in Naples, a city of contrasts and paradoxes.
Naples, where medieval alleys squeeze under baroque buildings, where the noise of scooters mixes with the melodies of popular songs, is about to add a new chapter to its thousand-year history. And it does so by looking ahead without forgetting its essence. Because after all, as Eduardo De Filippo said, "Naples is a city that enters you and never leaves you." Even when it dresses in glass and steel, even when it rises towards the sky with shapes that seem to come from the future, it always remains the same: unpredictable, contradictory, wonderfully alive.
Is it obvious that I'm emotionally involved? Ok. For the sake of fairness, however, I recently spoke of the great Milan.
