A New Chapter for Podere Cerreto

Located in the province of Siena, Podere Cerreto, originally built as a military watchtower, has now been transformed into the headquarters of GESCO “Green Energy Center,” a center dedicated to innovation and research in the field of renewable energy and sustainability.

The project, developed by ZAG Architecture, preserves and reveals traces of eight centuries of history, while adding a new chapter that seamlessly continues its legacy.

Podere Cerreto: Where Tradition Meets Innovation

Tradition, innovation, and energy are the three conceptual pillars of the GESCO “Green Energy Center.” Historically, the estate was crossed by the Via Francigena – the ancient pilgrimage route connecting Canterbury to Rome, which still passes close to the site today – and this influenced the layout of the buildings. To recall this memory, a linear path of locally sourced ancient stones was created, cutting through the boundary wall and enhanced with two Cor-Ten steel slabs and new travertine paving, oriented towards the Castle of Monteriggioni. This composition defines the new main entrance.

All exterior and interior parts of the buildings were restored with respect for the site’s historical preservation, working both by analogy and by contrast. Traditional materials are highlighted through their pairing with contemporary elements: travertine stone, terracotta tiles and bricks, Cor-Ten steel, blackened steel, resin, expanded metal, wood, and glass. The traces of former uses, discovered on the old masonry – such as ancient fireplaces, niches, arches, lintels, and preexisting openings – have been left visible, contributing to the story of the place. The solidity of the load-bearing walls has been emphasized, while non-structural partitions have been replaced with glass dividers.

A Dialogue of Textures

The semi-elliptical staircase, starting from the inner garden and extending across all floors, symbolically represents the flow of energy in nature. Since the façades are under conservation restrictions and could not be altered to enhance natural light, a full-height space was carved into the stairwell, functioning as a lightwell.

This vertical void channels daylight from the skylight into the surrounding offices and laboratories through openings in the internal walls, reducing energy consumption for lighting. These openings, framed in blackened steel, recur throughout the building: some aligned to accentuate depth, others distributed irregularly like the original façade windows. They connect different workspaces and frame interior views and perspectives, much like the external windows frame the surrounding landscape.

A rough, textured resin floor recalls the silvery color of the olive leaves encircling the estate, unifying the various spaces while contrasting with several “carpets” of terracotta bricks salvaged on site. The same terracotta material was also used to craft counters and other furniture pieces, establishing a constant dialogue between past and present.

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