PORTFOLIO | Lighthouse sea hotel

On the cliff of Murro di Porco, Italy - a few kilometres from the historic center of Syracuse, is situated a lighthouse of supreme charm and value.  The lighthouse of Murro di Porco was once occupied as an active lookout, but over time it was gradually abandoned with the arrival of modern technologies. As it became a simple lantern, a place no longer inhabited by humans, the lighthouse has progressively deteriorated as often happens to outdated coastal buildings. 

“Valore Paese FARI” (Value Country LIGHTHOUSES) was created precisely in order to protect such heritage. It is a project of the Italian government to transform lighthouses into tourism and accommodation facilities. It was inspired by the idea of making the most of their valuable location and proximity to the sea to create dream-like accommodations able to reinvent the ancient lighthouses and reverse their degradation process. Specifically, the design brief sought to address how can we transform a lighthouse into an incomparable luxury accommodation at the same time seeking to relate this project of contemporary architecture to such a majestic and frail ecosystem.  On the basis of this brief, M. Frederick was invited to develop a project program to address the functional and environmental issues of this Italian Heritage Site.