A permanent, interactive and multimedia exhibition in Genoa’s “Porto Antico”

Webuild have made two pledges to the city and to Italy as a whole: to build a new bridge within a period of time that was unthinkable until now, and to communicate transparently the process and the state of advancement of the effort to build an example of infrastructure that is conceived as an asset for everyone, from the outset. 

Not being able to open up to the public a building site that is working round the clock, a space was created in the heart of Genoa—at Porta Siberia in Porto Antico—which is open to the citizens, and is a place of sharing and participation. This site is known as Spazio Ponte (Bridge Space) and offers a window upon the building site. 

Located in the old heart of Genoa, Spazio Ponte has been for several months a meeting and information point dedicated to the new bridge, where it ha been possible to learn the technical characteristics of the work, admire the model tested in the wind tunnel, measure oneself against digital reconstructions of the infrastructure, practice in the laboratories, immerse oneself in the construction site following the images taken from the drones, discover how to build a bridge.

A place open to the public and to anyone who wants to learn more about the work, another door to enter the site, but also a space for collaboration between citizens and the administration, for the exchange of ideas in meetings where it has been possible to share the future of sustainable infrastructure and mobility.

The Spazio Ponte hosted school and university visits, which allowed students to know more about infrastructure. PERGENOVA technical staff, during visits, accompanied the students in their discovery of the new bridge that is being built, by explaining the project, the materials used and its various phases.

Information, numbers, models, samples of materials, photographs, videos, infographics, and a virtual ascent that each month has made it possible to provide a bird's-eye view of the building site. A moment of sharing, but also a creative workshop, where it has been possible to learn how a bridge is built and to discover the world of engineering at the service of complex infrastructures in an immersive multimedia room.

For the duration of the building site, Spazio Ponte was a site of transparency for the community, where everyone was given the chance to take part in a great challenge: the construction in just a few months' time of a unique and innovative infrastructure, a model for Italy that is restarting. 

Spazio Ponte was active from October 2019 to September 2020. During the lockdown period caused by the COVID-19 emergency, it has been transformed into a digital infopoint, continuing to be a reference point for all those who want information on the construction site and the project.

Spazio Ponte: transparency and collective participation in the construction of the bridge

Last April 25, 2020 on the eve of the completion of the structural part of the bridge, Webuild invited the public to the construction site via “Spazio Ponte Virtual Tour”, a multimedia journey to discover the people involved in the project and the phases of its development.

The virtual tour takes the viewer inside Spazio Ponte to share the progress being made every day in building the bridge across the Polcevera riverbed and reveal the secrets of the project.

The contents of the Spazio Ponte, which has been closed during this period of social distancing, has become part of public heritage through a dynamic digital tour with an immersive and informative visit of discovery of the project.