Ex Manifattura Tabacchi, a virtuous example of public-private collaboration

In the Regio Parco district, in the north-east of Turin, where agricultural fields once stretched, transformed into an industrial complex for tobacco processing, the start of a process that will lead to the regeneration of an asset and an area inaccessible for years is imminent. The retrofit project of the former Manifattura Tabacchi, a future cultural and training centre, is a concrete example of how it is possible to mend the relationship between the city, water and agricultural landscape through proper design thinking, responding to the central challenges that every urban context must face: adapting to new social needs and preparing for the impacts of climate change. It is no coincidence that at the beginning of April, the winning project of the international competition organised by the Agenzia del Demanio and signed by Eutropia Architettura + Pinifarina Architecture with Weber Architects and an interdisciplinary group, including Paisà Landscape, was recognised as the best case of Green Urban Planning and Landascape Architecture by the Green Good Design Sustainability Award.

Innovation also concerned the method by which the public bodies involved in the area collaborated, thanks to the signing of a memorandum of understanding promoted by the Agenzia del Demanio, owner of the property, with the municipality, the Piedmont Region, Edisu, the University, the Polytechnic and the Ministries of Culture and Justice. A protocol that in launching the competition opened the process to the request for a redesign not only of the individual asset, but of the entire context surrounding it, including the adjacent former Fimit area. A collaborative approach that has set a school of thought at national level, anticipating the principles and methodologies of the 'City Plan for Public Properties', the institutional pact signed on 26 March by the Agenzia del Demanio also with Turin. "The Manifattura Tabacchi is an example of how to collaborate effectively between different institutions," emphasises Paolo Mazzoleni, Councillor for Urban Planning of the City of Turin. "Even if at the moment the financed development concerns only a portion of the whole, thanks to the development of an overall planning vision it will be possible to start a path of investment research that will lead, under the guidance of a public director, to the reconversion of the whole large area.

The project - presented in its latest version during an event organised in March by the Piedmont chapter of the Green Building Council Italia in the Toolbox spaces - will house a new archival and cultural centre serving the Ministries of Justice and Culture, with consultation rooms and a study centre, as well as a university centre complete with residences, student services and classrooms for higher education. The intuition of the project was to turn the orientation of the buildings around, opening up to the river and green views what will become a meeting place, with a covered gallery for social and cultural activities. Efficient equipment and robotic automation will maximise the capacity of the archives. "The valorisation of public property must contribute to the development of the city according to its historical, industrial, university and scientific vocation," emphasises Alessandra dal Verme, director of the Agenzia del Demanio.

The expected impact can be understood by reading the numbers: we are talking about a regeneration of 4.5 hectares of land, 6,200 square metres of public space, 2,000 square metres converted into cultural spaces, 41,000 square metres of buildings, 280 km of archives.

A distinctive feature of the project is the reclaimed tracks of the old railway junction, which trace the main lines along which the entire project runs and lead towards the Central Square, where the new archives will be built, creating a strong link between history, culture and innovation. The space between the two new buildings, destined for the archives of the Ministries of Justice and Culture, is designed as a meeting place, with a covered gallery for social and cultural activities. "The aesthetic roots of the project lie in the tradition of industrial architecture in the area. A distinctive element is the 'Y' structure that recalls Nervi's exhibition in Turin, creating continuity with the regional architectural heritage," explains Jacopo Carli of Eutropia Architettura. Filippo Weber of Weber Architects adds: "We have adopted an approach that we call 'sustainable by design', in which sustainability is not an added element, but integrated into the project from the very beginning. Our intervention strongly benefited from the certification protocols required by the Agenzia del Demanio. Among the results achieved, we have reduced the impermeable surfaces by 50 per cent in favour of permeable and green surfaces". Once the design and bureaucratic process has been completed, the first demolitions are expected by 2025.