Fabbrica Alta: Redevelopement of a vacant factory
Università IUAV di Venezia
Laboratorio Regeneration and Conservation of Historic Buildings and Environments
Professor Emanuela Sorbo, Professor Javier Corvalan, Professor Salvatore Russo
To connect Schio’s residential quarter in the west with the historical center in the east, entrances to the Lanerossi area as well as to Fabbrica Alta are opened and highlighted with gates. A promenade along industrial archeology guides pedestrian through the site next to the reopened, former industrial water channel as a substitute for the neglected river further south. Fabbrica Alta serves as a hub for social innovation and communication, a catalyzer to strengthen the community and provide persepctive in an area, where population is decreasing and young people are leaving for bigger cities.
The building’s original appearance is defined by the rythmical design of the structural system and the facade as well as the vertical stacking of uses. The design enhances this character. To create more interaction with the northern urban environment and the park in the south, groundfloor facades are partly opened to create an inviting, attracting impression. A new, central staircase with voids connects the levels and three destination spaces with different characters and enables a continuous circutlation that promotes communication. Inspired by the stacking of the original factory’s processing steps, different new uses are hosted on different levels that build up on each other in a social process with special uses on top and bottom floor.
In cooperation with Fergus Birrel and Jöran Schöning
