Via Garibaldi, with its extraordinary architectural richness and imposing impact, stands as one of the most significant streets in the historic center of Genoa. Originally named “Strada Maggiore”, it was later dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1882 and has since carried his name.
Starting from the mid-16th century, the elegant noble palaces adorned themselves with magnificent facades featuring marble and stucco decorations, majestic atriums and beautiful gardens with fountains. These residences did not go unnoticed, as the Flemish painter Pieter Paul Rubens published in the early 17th century the book “Le Strade Nuove e il sistema dei Palazzi dei Rolli” which included drawings of the palaces on Via Garibaldi. The Rolli palaces, known for the quality of their architecture and decorations, have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage.
City Green Light, in collaboration with Restart, has overseen the improvement of the street’s lighting system with the aim of further enhancing the facades of the palaces, restoring their ancient splendor and maintaining a careful eye on historical memory and the current context.
An initial analysis of the urban context allowed for a better understanding of where interventions would be most useful, defining design strategies to improve and emphasize the chromatic rendering of each palace’s architecture. The redevelopment work involved the projectors located at the corners of the palaces and the accent lighting provided by linear bars on the facade. Through the reorganization of the projectors, a reduction in their number from 60 to 40 was proposed, along with a new set of orientations to direct the light more effectively.
One of the goals of this project was to replace outdated and energy-consuming technology with a more efficient system that would deliver good lighting effects with lower energy consumption. The energy efficiency work embraced a discerning approach to light management, illuminating only the essential areas and minimizing unnecessary dispersals.
The products chosen for the system upgrade are from iGuzzini, including iGuzzini Woody projectors with 28W and 39W, medium-wide optics and equipped with diffusing lenses for general illumination on the palaces. Additionally, iGuzzini LineaLuce Compact surface 75 linear bars with wallgrazing optics and power ranging from 8W to 22W were used for accent lighting on cornices and shelves. All lighting fixtures used were specified with a color temperature of 3000K.
