Restoration of Macrolotto 0 in Prato, Italy. A sustainable project for architecture and communities by Alessandro Gaiani

Prato is a typical city that has to deal with the social integration and relaunch of degraded and abandoned neighborhood due to the coexistence problems of different ethnic groups (it is the largest Chinese communities in Europe) and the economic crisis which is affecting several industries like fashion. A sustainable integration of degraded environments becomes a canvas to integrate meditation and contribution of pre-existing heritage, identify and evolving new ways of fruition of present participating communities. The study focuses on: • Defining a systemic mutation of reconditioning and recapturing the value of “urban waste” in a cost-effective approach. • Define a strategic method for restoration of inherent value to abandoned urban heritage in the communities. Define specific adaptive design tools, with minimal interventions “by a strategic architectural influence” to transform the value of the communities into a technical and societal intervention.