It is an underground intervention where a seemingly finished work of art finds its counterpart beneath the surface, a protected space that gradually reveals itself in all its complexity.
Rethinking The Future Awards 2026
First Award | Landscape – Public (Concept)
Project Name: The Secret Garden
Category: Landscape – Public (Concept)
Studio Name: Laboratorio di Architettura Semerano
Design Team: Toti Semerano, Salvatore Musarò, Ludovica Fava, Stefano Sabato, Riccardo Catamo
Area: 4800 mq
Year: 2025
Location: Tharwa town Corniche Sea front
Consultants:
Photography Credits:
Render Credits: : Image courtesy of Laboratorio di Architettura Semerano
Other Credits:
Artist Marco Bagnoli’s environmental sculpture is dedicated to the Ancestors, witnesses of an ancient, almost forgotten culture.
These enigmatic figures emerging from the landscape—mysterious from afar—reveal their true nature up close: they are the pieces of a gigantic chessboard. The visitor gradually understands that they are part of the game—the game of life. The monumental sculptures, carved from sandstone with their color recalls the desert, and their imposing shadows move throughout the day like a vast sundial. At times, an unusual music seems to emerge from the stone, evoking images of starry skies and water flowing from deep crevices in the rock. Nearby, a labyrinth perforated with characters from an ancient script reveals another dimension of the landscape—this time subterranean.
Leaving the dazzling light behind and descending underground becomes a surprising experience. Along the gentle ramps, a refreshing coolness is accompanied by visions that gradually appear as the eyes adjust to the dim light. One begins to perceive a sequence of spaces opening up one after another, seemingly endless.
The first space to emerge is a large room where the sculptures above reappear, now inverted, like enormous stalactites. They shimmer in reflection in a pool of water—the same size as the chessboard above. The water creates a microclimate, acting like a mirror that reflects the ceiling in an infinite play of light and shadow.
Continuing, the light filtering through the perforated walls shimmers like the surface of the water, creating ever-changing images—like in a kaleidoscope.
Only when the eye has fully adjusted to the dim light do other thresholds become visible, leading to new spaces: a large vaulted room intended for exhibitions and events and, above all, a secret garden.
Here, the sound of water cascading in countless rivulets along the mostly green rock walls creates a serene and intimate atmosphere. The water collects in small pools, offering freshness and wonder. It’s like discovering a magical and familiar place—one to return to again and again.
Architecture possesses this power: the ability to create emotional sequences of spaces that evoke a profound sense of familiarity and belonging. A place not just to be visited—but to be inhabited, intimately.
