Uffizi Loggia by Isozaki: Referendum Proposed After 18 Years of Stalemate

The long-stalled project for a new loggia at the Uffizi exit, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, has been reignited by Uffizi director Eike Schmidt, who proposed a public referendum to decide its fate. The project has been in limbo since 1998, when Isozaki won the international design competition. Former Florence museums superintendent Cristina Acidini argued in 2013 that the loggia was far from a priority. Florence mayor Dario Nardella recently killed a separate Norman Foster train station project. Schmidt stated the issue is now political, not aesthetic, and suggested a citizen consultation. Andrea Maffei, Isozaki's right-hand man in Italy, reported no progress in seven years and invited Culture Minister Dario Franceschini to a meeting. Roberto Masini, president of the Florence Order of Architects, criticized the referendum idea as populist, urging a final decision. Architect Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi mocked the two-decade debate over a 'canopy,' comparing it to the Louvre Pyramid.