The awakening of the ghost town
Basic information
Project Title
The awakening of the ghost town
Full project title
Regeneration of Celleno in Alta Tuscia defining a methodology adaptable in similar contexts
Category
Regaining a sense of belonging
Project Description
The project concerns the regeneration of the ghost town of Celleno to reuse the old core as a new cultural center that can become a dynamic meeting place where citizens will be the real protagonists. Existing buildings and new structures will intertwine to find a new balance in constant dialogue with the past. Following a sustainable and interdisciplinary approach, the project aims to achieve the 2030 and 2050 goals.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Celleno, Italy
Urban or rural issues
It addresses urban-rural linkages
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
Hidden in isolated corners of our country, small towns are caretakers of a priceless heritage. They are places where traditions and cultures were born among whose alleyways they continue to be handed down from generation to generation; nevertheless, social, economic, and cultural factors intertwine, making them particularly complex realities. Nowadays, seeing as the climate crisis is causing us to change our lifestyles, these forgotten places represent a new perspective on sustainable living. In particular, the project focuses on the abandoned village of Celleno, perched on a tuffaceous spur in the Alta Tuscia area. An intensive study of the context, supported by numerous meetings with stakeholders in the area, has led to drawing project strategies adapted to local needs. Social, economic, architectural, technological, and structural aspects intertwine synergistically to transform the village into a new cultural center that can become a dynamic meeting point for the entire territory. As a new role is not enough to regenerate the ghost town, the project aims to strengthen the existing infrastructure to reinsert it into a large-scale context. In addition, special attention was given to internal accessibility, as currently, the differences in height made it inaccessible to all. In addition, to mitigate the fragility of the site, the project provides for a geotechnical consolidation through the construction of a cultivable terracing system and a rainwater collection and reuse system. As far as the buildings are concerned, the project envisages the recovery of the existing ones and the implementation of spaces with new steel structures and bio-based materials. Passive strategies improve the building envelope, reducing energy consumption without sacrificing indoor comfort. Concerning the Celleno experience, the project aims to identify flexible guidelines for overhauling ghost towns that can be applied in similar contexts.
Key objectives for sustainability
From reuse to the management of comfort and quality of space, the entire process follows an interdisciplinary approach to achieve the 2030 and 2050 goals. In terms of sustainability, the choices made can be summarised as follows:
- At first, the choice to regenerate a forgotten territory offers the opportunity to make the most of existing resources, not only reducing land use but also preserving ecosystems and biodiversity. Moreover, their reactivation from an economic and social point of view could generate a demographic redistribution, representing a possible solution to the overcrowding of cities.
- The project promotes sustainable mobility by enhancing public transport and bicycle and pedestrian networks, introducing bike-sharing stations, and banning cars in the village.
- Attention has been given to the collection and reuse of water to reduce waste.
- Use of recyclable materials such as steel and bio-based materials such as hemp to reduce the project's carbon footprint. Furthermore, local materials, such as tuff and basaltine stone, have been chosen both to boost the local economy and to limit pollution from transportation.
- The use of passive strategies to reduce building energy consumption, such as thermal insulation of the envelope, control of natural light, control of ventilation, control of occupant numbers to reduce internal gains, and installation of photovoltaic panels.
- Ultimately, the functions included within the Celleno Cultural Center are designed to offset each other with a view to economic and social sustainability.
- At first, the choice to regenerate a forgotten territory offers the opportunity to make the most of existing resources, not only reducing land use but also preserving ecosystems and biodiversity. Moreover, their reactivation from an economic and social point of view could generate a demographic redistribution, representing a possible solution to the overcrowding of cities.
- The project promotes sustainable mobility by enhancing public transport and bicycle and pedestrian networks, introducing bike-sharing stations, and banning cars in the village.
- Attention has been given to the collection and reuse of water to reduce waste.
- Use of recyclable materials such as steel and bio-based materials such as hemp to reduce the project's carbon footprint. Furthermore, local materials, such as tuff and basaltine stone, have been chosen both to boost the local economy and to limit pollution from transportation.
- The use of passive strategies to reduce building energy consumption, such as thermal insulation of the envelope, control of natural light, control of ventilation, control of occupant numbers to reduce internal gains, and installation of photovoltaic panels.
- Ultimately, the functions included within the Celleno Cultural Center are designed to offset each other with a view to economic and social sustainability.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The existing building and new structure find a new balance to preserve the genius loci and to valorize the characteristics of the building. Also, the choice of materials is crucial because the intervention must fit harmoniously into a valuable landscape context. Plus tuff blocks, the new materials are:
- bronze painted metal sheets to recall the use of bronze in the Etruscan period.
- light-coloured plaster with added tuff waste in a circular economy perspective
- glass to create an outside-inside visual relation.
Concerning the new function, according to the Celleno roofs, the project suggests the establishment of a museum system, branching out into outdoor and indoor spaces (including the subterranean areas), without an obligatory itinerary, capable of handing down the history and the arts that have characterized it over the years. Etruscan and contemporary art will guide visitors in their voyage to discover the village. In addition, it suggests the implementation of space where the temporary inhabitant can learn artistic ceramics, a long tradition in this area. Visitors can buy typical products in shopping spots and taste the local cuisine due to the presence of a 0-km restaurant with a panoramic view. On special occasions, the kitchen turns into a culinary workshop where to learn the secrets of traditional cuisine. Also, there will be workspaces and coworking for the community. From a compositional point of view, the interventions on the north slope are hidden to preserve the elevations on the main square. In contrast, for the south slope, the new structures never exceed the height of the existing buildings.
- bronze painted metal sheets to recall the use of bronze in the Etruscan period.
- light-coloured plaster with added tuff waste in a circular economy perspective
- glass to create an outside-inside visual relation.
Concerning the new function, according to the Celleno roofs, the project suggests the establishment of a museum system, branching out into outdoor and indoor spaces (including the subterranean areas), without an obligatory itinerary, capable of handing down the history and the arts that have characterized it over the years. Etruscan and contemporary art will guide visitors in their voyage to discover the village. In addition, it suggests the implementation of space where the temporary inhabitant can learn artistic ceramics, a long tradition in this area. Visitors can buy typical products in shopping spots and taste the local cuisine due to the presence of a 0-km restaurant with a panoramic view. On special occasions, the kitchen turns into a culinary workshop where to learn the secrets of traditional cuisine. Also, there will be workspaces and coworking for the community. From a compositional point of view, the interventions on the north slope are hidden to preserve the elevations on the main square. In contrast, for the south slope, the new structures never exceed the height of the existing buildings.
Key objectives for inclusion
In terms of inclusiveness, the first goal of the project concerns universal accessibility. The settlement complexity arranged on several levels makes the village inaccessible except for the lowest level. Numerous height differences create accentuated slopes inside the area. For this reason, the project includes 3 lifts at strategic points to make all levels accessible. In addition, there are plans to improve the exterior paving and install sensory elements for orientation within the village. Moreover, due to the economically self-sufficient functional mix, public spaces, such as the coworking and lookout, can be costless and usable by all, and free community events can be organized.
How Citizens benefit
As a cultural center, possessing different functions within it, several figures are involved in the success of the project. The intention is to make the new hamlet capable of self-sustaining itself in terms of economic fulfillment, and the inclusion of a restaurant, ticketed exhibition spaces, areas dedicated to culinary workshops and artistic pottery production, and bike-sharing sites would make this goal feasible. Those involved include a number of small local artisan productions that will have the opportunity to sell their products within mobile stands that can be rented temporarily, in conjunction with a permanent space used to sell local culinary products. Affiliation contracts with growers in the surrounding area will make it possible to maintain the care of the green areas of the terraces provided by the project, on which the typical Celleno cherries will be grown. Several interviews were conducted to understand what the needs were of those who already use the spaces in the village today, especially outdoors, and the initiatives and events put on by the municipal societies need spaces that are flexible in time and space, with equipment and facilities in place to facilitate the implementation of the various activities. The users of the cultural center will not only be tourists attracted by the charm of the place, but also and especially citizens of the surrounding area who will be able to inhabit the shared spaces between educational and co-working classrooms.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Innovative character
The innovative character of the project is ensured by multiple factors, encompassing both architectural and engineering aspects. From the architectural point of view, in Italy, rehabilitation of abandoned or severely deteriorated hamlets is a type of design that, due to regulations, is difficult to be integrated on the existing, thus making the whole design more challenging. In fact, the whole project focuses on more consolidation interventions, in an attempt to preserve what is already there, and going to build new volumes only in case of stringent functional need. Therefore, an efficacious design is proposed, carrying out mimesis or otherwise unobtrusive interventions. From an engineering point of view, one of the key issues addressed is related to the use of innovative bio-based materials, sourced from the surrounding area if possible. These include the use of a plaster based on tuff aggregates coming directly from the rubble of the collapsed buildings in the hamlet, and the application of a hemp-based interior coat on the envelope of the existing buildings, which is also used as an insulating material for the newly constructed volumes. The innovative character also stems from the idea of building on the fragile elements of the hamlet to produce architectural strategies that are also effective from a structural point of view, including the terracing of the belvedere retaining walls, the insertion of rainwater reservoirs in the underground cavities already present on the site, and the insertion of suspended scenic walkways that allow the consolidation of the live rock walls of the destabilized cliff. What's more, it is proposed as an example project, for the establishment of a set of guidelines on the recovery and redevelopment of abandoned hamlets in similar contexts, focusing on reintegration into the territory and universal accessibility issues.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
The recovery of the hamlet of Celleno posed a major challenge on several issues: the fragility of the land on which it stands, respect for the existing structures, energy efficiency of the new spaces, and the economic sustainability of the entire project. The most sensitive issues mainly concern the securing of the tuff outcrop that forms the basis of the hamlet, and the structures built on it, which are also constructed with tuff elements. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)Several attentions were therefore paid to the design of structures that could actively act in the stability of the land, including a frame of terracing that acts as a retaining cage for the most landslide-prone area of the tuffaceous spur. Within this fragile slope are numerous underground cavities that will be used for stormwater recovery, as was done in the past. More punctually, consolidation strategies have been designed on the remains of the surviving buildings, with the aim of making the new construction interventions reversible, affecting the existing works as little as possible. New construction volumes are designed through strategies that comply with the guidelines set by Agenda 2030 and 2050 in terms of environmental sustainability, adopting materials and construction techniques that are adapted to the needs of the future. The new buildings possess lightweight structures made of recycled steel and insulating infills produced with hemp-based compounds, thus achieving a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions that would be achieved by constructing the same buildings but with traditional techniques. The different rooms are designed in such a way that they receive as much natural interior lighting as possible, thus avoiding the unnecessary use of artificial lighting equipment at certain times of the day.
Methodology used
Small towns are complex realities in which social, cultural, and economic aspects are interlinked and linked to the contexts. Thus, rehabilitation of ghost towns is economically demanding and risky.
Out of this reflection comes a need to define a clear and effective intervention methodology to support the various project phases. Given the number of villages in Italy, the hamlet choice is an important step. Then it's important to develop a knowledge phase: historical analysis, architectural survey, and context analysis. It is a crucial phase because it allows us to define all the characteristics on which intervention strategies can be based. The project strategies are developed both at the territorial and local scale starting from the functioning of the object to reinsert it in a broader context. This is followed by a design phase that is divided into different sub-phases: architectural concept, structural project, energetical analysis, and building site studies.
The project aims to draw critical conclusions from the Celleno case study to draw up useful guidelines for designing in similar contexts.
Out of this reflection comes a need to define a clear and effective intervention methodology to support the various project phases. Given the number of villages in Italy, the hamlet choice is an important step. Then it's important to develop a knowledge phase: historical analysis, architectural survey, and context analysis. It is a crucial phase because it allows us to define all the characteristics on which intervention strategies can be based. The project strategies are developed both at the territorial and local scale starting from the functioning of the object to reinsert it in a broader context. This is followed by a design phase that is divided into different sub-phases: architectural concept, structural project, energetical analysis, and building site studies.
The project aims to draw critical conclusions from the Celleno case study to draw up useful guidelines for designing in similar contexts.
How stakeholders are engaged
The first bearer of interest is the Municipality of Celleno, which takes charge of the interests of citizens and local associations, demonstrating over the years an interest in the recovery of this reality by allocating funds for the securing and consolidation of the cliff on which it rests, and organizing multiple days for the dissemination of knowledge about this place. The ProLoco of the municipality is also committed to the maintenance of the village by organizing various events throughout the year, in an effort not to lose this place in memory. The structures of the castle and the building intended for the Enrico Castellani Foundation have been recovered by the same Foundation, which in parallel with the Carivit Foundation is involved in promoting cultural activities, exercising an active role in the growth of the area by financing numerous social and cultural projects. The Cherry Consortium protects and enhances the Celleno Cherry known throughout Italy, supporting local farmers in the production and sale of the product. A particular influence in the recovery of the village could come from the presence of the FAI, which has recognized the site as a potential Place of the Heart, listing it as a candidate for 2022. Finally, the Lazio Region anticipates the arrival of a significant amount of investment for the territory thanks to the new programming of European funds, PNRR resources and national resources, with the aim of reducing inequalities among citizens, better connecting the territories of Lazio with each other and with the rest of the country, enhancing the natural, cultural and traditional heritage possessed by the Region
Global challenges
The thesis work addresses issues mainly related to the depopulation of inland areas and climate change, taking into account the European Union's Agenda 2030 and 2050 goals. Through the case study of Celleno, the project demonstrates that, by intervening on a local scale, we can propose solutions regarding the reactivation of supply chains, biodiversity conservation, and resource enhancement. In particular, the Celleno rehabilitation offers solutions for abandoned sites, circular economy, universal accessibility, hydrogeological disruption, building rehabilitation, energy efficiency, and materials life cycle.
Learning transferred to other parties
The thesis aims to identify flexible guidelines for the redevelopment of abandoned villages to decline in similar contexts to the case study of Celleno. The purpose is not to define rigid rules since we are dealing with very complex realities and, above all, characterized by phenomena that vary case by case. They are structured following a logic that goes from the general to the particular, proposing a series of steps to follow and, just in case, suggesting some intervention strategies.
Since rehabilitation of a ghost town requires multiple long-term investments, the guidelines begin with some indications regarding the choice of the hamlet. In particular, the project describes the multi-criteria analysis conducted to choose Celleno, but it may be replicable elsewhere.
Later, the guidelines continue with indications regarding the knowledge phase (focusing on a territorial and local scale and community dialogue), the definition of project strategies, functionalization, and relationship with the existing and quality of spaces.
Since rehabilitation of a ghost town requires multiple long-term investments, the guidelines begin with some indications regarding the choice of the hamlet. In particular, the project describes the multi-criteria analysis conducted to choose Celleno, but it may be replicable elsewhere.
Later, the guidelines continue with indications regarding the knowledge phase (focusing on a territorial and local scale and community dialogue), the definition of project strategies, functionalization, and relationship with the existing and quality of spaces.
Keywords
Regeneration
Renovation
Ghost towns
Agenda 2030/2050
Tuscia
