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In the aftermath of the devastating 2018 storm, a comprehensive safety plan was conceived to rehabilitate the damaged dam and restore the marina’s functionality. Beyond simply meeting the expectations of a contemporary harbour, the new marina and its architectural elements have been envisioned not merely as a seamless extension of the urban fabric, but as a cultural and symbolic reawakening of the original port and its legacy within Italy’s nautical tradition.
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The redesign of the historic marina unfolds as a delicate gesture of reconnection—between land and sea, past and future, architecture and memory. Conceived as a natural extension of the urban fabric, the masterplan transforms the harbour into a continuous public promenade, where pedestrian paths, clad in “pietra di Carniglia”, guide visitors along the water’s edge in dialogue with the rhythm of the mooring lines.
The project places significant emphasis on sustainability and the long-term durability of materials and construction processes. It embodies a design philosophy focused on reducing ecological impact through natural, recycled, and renewable materials, as well as energy-efficient manufacturing. This approach ensures the built environment’s functionality, resilience, and harmony with its surroundings. In the buildings, passive energy efficiency guides design: orientation and integrated shading within external cladding reduce solar heat gain. Prominent overhangs of terraces and roofs enhance shading both indoors and across outdoor spaces, improving comfort and minimizing energy demand.
The intervention embraces a vision of resilience and renewal. The piers, reconstructed with precast elements after the 2018 storm, feature WPC decking—a recyclable, low-impact material echoing the language of contemporary boatbuilding. Alongside function, the design speaks of tactility and permanence, balancing innovation with tradition. Anchoring the intervention are two architectural focal points: the Torretta and the Club House. The Torretta—once a control tower, now a sculptural landmark—draws inspiration from nautical forms. Floating above the quay, it is wrapped in glazed façades and aluminum composite panels, with a lightweight sun-shading system reminiscent of a ship’s rigging, both technical and poetic in intent. The Club House opens seaward with full-height glazing and a new canopy that visually ties it to the Torretta. At ground level, natural stone cladding engages in a quiet conversation with the old retaining wall behind it—an architectural palimpsest where each layer reveals a new story of Rapallo’s evolving waterfront. The project stands as a renewed threshold between city and sea—an infrastructure of beauty and resilience. Rooted in tradition yet open to innovation, it responds to the evolving needs of contemporary yachting while offering Rapallo a new civic horizon, where the waterfront becomes a shared, future-facing space for both maritime culture and urban life.
The new marina elegantly weaves tradition and innovation, transforming Rapallo’s waterfront into a resilient, vibrant space. Through tactile materials and nautical-inspired forms, it honors local heritage while embracing modernity. Meanwhile, The Torretta and Club House stand as poetic landmarks, linking sea and city, creating a welcoming threshold that celebrates maritime culture and invites urban life to coexist harmoniously. A true symbol of renewal and enduring connection.
Tectoo is a creative hub of architects whose partners’ background experience spans across many countries and continents: Europe, North America, Middle East and Far East, Australia and Africa.
Tectoo has been established by the Architect Susanna Scarabicchi, former partner of Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW). Her expertise, sensitivity and competence have been highly recognized around the world throughout the projects she led and designed over the past 30 years. Tectoo’s cutting-edge approach is also enhanced by the expertise of Architect Andrea Peschiera, with whom Architect Scarabicchi has had a productive collaboration at RPBW and who joined the firm as partner and director since its foundation, sharing the common focus on technical excellence and experimentation, developed through his international experience.
Tectoo is deeply rooted by architectural, environmental and social convictions while the best building concepts grow by means of a rigorous and innovative approach.
