Overview
A popular village decorated by street art
The Melara Quadrilateral is a popular Brutalist-style complex four kilometres from the centre of Trieste, in the Rozzol Melara district. It was born as a collaborative work of 29 professionals selected by the Order of Architects and Engineers, who, under the guidance of Carlo Celli, built it between 1969 and 1982. Inspired by Le Corbusier’s socio-architectural theories, it consists of two interconnected L-shaped buildings that rise up between seven and fifteen storeys and cover an area of 89,000 square metres, with a total of 648 flats.
The original aim of its design was to create an “independent village” that would be equipped with all basic needs, including shops and schools. However, this self-sufficient satellite town failed to materialise due to the progressive construction of various other buildings in the vicinity, which undermined the original ideas of the designers. The surrounding green space, in particular, was progressively taken over.
Today, the structure has become a popular site for street art in Trieste, thanks mainly to the intervention of the Melart association, which redeveloped this “concrete monster”, giving it a new lease of life and creating the first Urban Art works there.
