Palazzo del Duca

A regeneration project rooted in respect for materiality and in the desire to establish a dialogue with time.

Palazzo del Duca is a renovation and interior design intervention located in the heart of Matera, within a historic context of remarkable architectural and material value.

The project stems from the intention to enhance the building’s original identity, working through subtraction rather than addition, allowing stone, light and proportions to define the space.

The intervention unfolds as a continuous dialogue between carved architecture and contemporary insertions, maintaining strong formal and functional coherence.

Matter, light, silence

The design is grounded on three primary elements:

• Matter, understood as both narrative and structural component
• Light, natural and artificial, used to shape space
• Architectural silence, as a perceptual and experiential quality

The existing stone is deliberately left imperfect, telling the story of the place, while contemporary elements are defined by essentiality and precision.

Carved basins and sensory paths

Water represents the central theme of the project, reinterpreted in a contemporary way through:

• basins carved directly into the stone
• cascading flows
• integration with warm light and tactile surfaces

Water thus becomes an integral part of the architecture — not a decorative feature, but a sensory and spatial device.

Material choices follow a principle of coherence and restraint:

• exposed local stone
• continuous surfaces in neutral tones
• satin-finished metals
• natural wood used with moderation

Each material is selected to dialogue with the existing structure without overpowering it, maintaining a balance between past and present.

Lighting is conceived as an integral architectural element:

• recessed indirect lighting
• linear light cuts following the geometry of the vaults
• discreet accents enhancing textures and depth

Light accompanies the project without ever becoming the protagonist.