Floor fountain
Canadian heroes square, Ortona, Chieti

In this project we are in Ortona, where part of the redevelopment project of the historic center has been completed in that area that until a year ago bore the name of Piazza del Plebiscito, now Piazza degli Eroi Canadesi (Canadian heroes square), to commemorate the place of the most bloody urban battle fought during the Second World War on the western front, where the sacrifice of the Canadians who fought against the Germans to free Ortona was distinguished. From a war scenery to a symbol of friendship and brotherhood for future generations, where a big stylized maple leaf with eleven points (emblem of Canada), a dry deck fountain and the overall urban redevelopment of the area led to the relaunch of that area, through the improvement of the urban planning, housing, environmental, but above all cultural conditions. The intervention had the contribution of the Canadian Ministry of Veteran Affairs, arranged in favor of the Municipality of Ortona and managed by the Lions Club Ortona association. This contribution led to the creation of the artistic floor fountain, designed to symbolically blend the two cultures through the play of lights and colors depicting the flags of the two countries and that of the city of Ortona, through the use of water seen as a resource, symbol of life and union between the two nations. The floor fountain, designed and built by Forme d’Acqua Venice Fountains, is a work with a strong symbolic value. Located in the center of the square, overlooking the base of the maple leaf, it consists of six water features that come out of the pavement reaching 180 cm in height, but which in case of need, if turned off, bring the area back to the zone driveway or pedestrian, without compromising the safety of people or vehicles, neither the integrity of the fountain. The six OASE Comet 5-8 Silver nozzles are housed in a 50 cm deep concrete tank with 35 cm of water, the end of which is placed near a hole made in the stone coating a few millimeters from the walkable surface. Next to it there is another larger hole, each intended for the lighting of the water feature, given by six Teclumen LED Mini Sub Fontana RGB+W DMX IP68 lights. The nozzles are powered by an Astralpool by Fluidra Victoria Plus Silent 3/4 HP II pump, which is connected to an Astralpool by Fluidra Aster sand Filter 9000l/hour, for water filtration and recirculation, in order to manage water resources in a sustainable way and ensure the crystallinity. Furthermore, thanks to an EMEC panel with double dosing pump for acidification and automatic chlorination of the water, with pH and Rx control probe, automatic refilling in line and with remote control of the parameters, the durability of the fountain is ensured over time. The constant and controlled water level is given by the automatic filling with the OASE Level 04 level sensor with dry motor protection and by the bronze overflow OASE Concrete Part 70T. The bottom drain is composed of a drain valve and Overflow/Drain armature 70/1000T. A control panel allows the automatic management of the fountain with dynamic RGB-W light scenarios, the control of filtration, the automatic load with the stop for dry motors and the OASE K anemometer, necessary for the automatic adjustment of the height of the water features. The programming of the light games, depicting the flags’ colors of Canada, Italy and Ortona, were implemented by Forme d'Acqua through a DMXpen control box that can also be managed remotely: the white and red of the Canadian flag alternate with the blue of the city of Ortona, then moving on to the red, white and green of Italy, up to returning to the initial colors, where a circular chromatic play entertains passers-by in the evening hours. The contractor for the entire redevelopment project is Angelo De Cesaris s.r.l .: a historic company founded in 1952 and specialized in the construction of civil and industrial infrastructural works, which in the last twenty years has extended also to the ecology sector. Urban redevelopment and commemoration of the sacrifice: in Ortona it is possible to see a brilliant example of how architecture manages to give decorum, but above all rebalance alliances of the past, to pave the way for a peaceful future in full communion of values.