SAN BARBAZIANO

The contemporary revival of a historic identity

Corten steel frames, glass portals, and burnished brass staircases: an essential design in warm, shifting tones embraces the past while celebrating the present of Bologna’s former church.

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

FRAMES: OS2 PROFILES IN CORTEN STEEL

DOORS: EBE 85 PROFILES IN BURNISHED BRASS

STAIRCASE: BURNISHED BRASS

DESIGNERS: ARCH. CATERINA POGGIOLI AND FEDERICO POGGIOLI – STUDIO POGGIOLI

CLIENT: EMILIA-ROMAGNA REGIONAL DIRECTORATE OF MUSEUMS

LOCATION: BOLOGNA, ITALY

PROJECT YEAR: 2025

After decades of complete abandonment, the former Church of San Barbaziano in Bologna was recently the subject of a high-value conservation restoration carried out by Studio Poggioli for the Emilia-Romagna Regional Directorate of Museums. The project successfully preserved the building’s historical memory and its character as an urban ruin, highlighting the essence of its ancient details through contemporary and innovative elements. This approach contributes to shaping its new identity as a space for events and cultural projects.
In this dialogue between past and present, Steel Group played a decisive role, creating the new frames, a large glass portal, and the burnished brass steps for the side entrance on Via Barberia, which had long been neglected and left in the shadows.

The Project

The new Corten steel frames, characterized by a minimalist design, reimagine the building’s historical life across the centuries, recalling both the austerity of the former place of worship and its more recent uses as a storage space, workshop, and finally a garage. The warm tones of the Corten blend harmoniously with the brick walls, while the burnished brass evokes the hues of the sandstone typical of Bolognese architecture. The irregular shades of the burnished surfaces highlight and celebrate the marks of wear and abandonment still visible today, especially in the side chapels.
For the Via Barberia entrance, a monolithic burnished brass portal was created, with steps that seem to rise from the ground and a full-height handle integrated with lighting. When illuminated, it produces a striking contrast between the glowing detail and the time-worn walls.

THE RESULT

A contemporary and functional intervention that successfully blends historical authenticity with modern elements, leading Bologna’s former church into a new phase of renewed beauty and identity.