Engineering company F-Ingegneria will develop the new internal rationalisation plan for La Spezia Container Terminal, operated by Gruppo Contship, in the Calata Artom area of the Port of La Spezia. The project concerns a central part of the terminal, located between Molo Garibaldi and Molo Fornelli, and will reorganise operational functions, technical infrastructure and the architectural layout of an area currently used mainly for container storage and handling, covering about 36,000 square metres. The company has developed the project as part of the Lsct 2022 Business Plan and envisages the construction of a modern, specialised new Technical Area aligned with the terminal’s future operational development. The main objective is to concentrate in a single hub the technical and maintenance functions currently spread across different areas of the facility, with expected benefits for internal traffic flows, vehicle and staff safety, and the efficiency of maintenance activities.
The new layout includes a multifunctional building with mechanical and electrical workshops, technical warehouses, operational offices and staff facilities. These will be complemented by a new shift-change building, a fuel station with underground tanks, a vehicle washing area, an ecological island, new plant infrastructure and the redevelopment of yards, internal roads and drainage networks. The project is therefore intended to provide an overall reorganisation of the terminal’s service functions, while the rationalisation will also gradually free up other port areas currently occupied by dispersed technical activities, creating the conditions for later functional conversions. The plan includes the phased demolition of buildings that are no longer aligned with the terminal’s operational requirements, under a multi-year programme spread over four years.
The new layout has also been designed to improve maintenance operations and internal circulation, while maintaining integration between maritime, rail and road traffic. The new configuration will connect directly with the new access gate, the internal rail system, the new pedestrian overpass and the future organisation of the operational areas. Calata Artom’s location also has particular importance in terms of the relationship between the port and the city. The area is one of the closest points of contact between La Spezia’s urban fabric and its commercial port area. For this reason, the project does not treat architecture as separate from industrial functions, but as part of the terminal’s visual identity. F-Ingegneria says the design language is inspired by the image of containers, reflecting their modularity, stacked volumes, colours and composition.
The architectural concept is described by the designers as "mimetic": the project does not seek to conceal its industrial nature, but to reinterpret it in a contemporary way. The new buildings echo the geometry of container stacks and use colours linked to the port environment and Lsct’s identity, including blue, red and metallic grey tones. In this way, a technical infrastructure is also conceived as a recognisable element of the industrial port frontage. The project also incorporates solutions focused on environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, including provision for photovoltaic systems, improvements to building energy performance, new technology networks and better management of rainwater and industrial water.
The main building will be about 170 metres long. To avoid the monolithic effect typical of large industrial structures, the design introduces overhangs, recesses, staggered volumes and dynamic façades, again inspired by the irregular arrangement of containers in the yards. The section intended for offices and changing rooms will have a specific architectural role, as it will interrupt the building’s linear rhythm and give the frontage a more articulated appearance.
