RECLAIMING THE RUINS

In collaboration with professors: Alberto Cervesato (UniUD), Oscar Gamez Bohorquez (LTU), Giacomo Calandra di Roccolino (FH;P), Gregorio Carboni Maestri (ULB), Giovanni La Varra (UniUD), Andrea Luciani (LTU), Silvia Malcovati (FH;P), Vivien Nowak (FH;P), Alberto Sdegno (UniUD), Bertrand Terlinden (ULB), Luca Zecchin (UniUD).

Student group: Ingrid Maria Louise Ellinor Bjersbo (LTU), Sophie Burger (FH;P), Ayoub Idriss (ULB), Laalou Nour (ULB), Arad Nuri (LTU), Giorgio Valentini (UniUD)

"Since the city is becoming less filled with people, let's fill it with rubble."

As urban populations decline, our focus should shift from attracting new inhabitants to enhancing the lives of those who remain. This project embraces the opportunity to create a space that reflects what the city lacks: wilderness. Within the UNESCO World Heritage fortress city of Palmanova, we propose a dynamic wilderness spot: a living, evolving landscape that offers orientation and an absent element whithin the city.

Located on an abandoned military and storage site inside Palmanova’s walls, the project reimagines the space without imposing static buildings or services that may result useless or obsolete over time. Instead, the design introduces hills formed from rubble and excess construction material, addressing the constant local issue of material disposal while creating a constantly shifting terrain. Over time, the addition and removal of materials will ensure the area dynamic and ever-changing place.

At the heart of the site lies a square, carved in the hills as a deliberate subtraction of material. This form references Palmanova’s original urban plan, which envisioned six squares: one of which was meant for this location but never realized. The square anchors the wilderness, echoing the city’s historic geometry while introducing an element of spontaneity and natural growth.

Inside the fortress walls, Palmanova currently lacks a definitive green space, with most of its natural areas located outside the city boundaries. By integrating nature into the urban fabric, this project acknowledges that the fortress no longer serves its defensive purpose and instead invites the outside world in. The resulting wilderness space offers not only a visual and functional contrast to the city’s structured design but also a new orientation point: a "north" for navigating Palmanova’s uniform, nine-sided configuration.

This project redefines how we approach urban renewal, balancing heritage with adaptability and addressing contemporary challenges through a lens of ecological integration and creative reuse.