Wood-furniture and restoration, synergies to enhance Italian historic buildings

The world of wood-furnishing and design and that of restoration join forces to enhance Italy's historical building heritage, a fundamental piece of the country's cultural identity as well as a lever for economic, tourism and territorial development.

FederlegnoArredo and Assorestauro have in fact signed a Memorandum of Understanding linking the wood-furniture supply chain and the architectural and artistic restoration sector to develop shared models for the redevelopment and regeneration of Italy's built heritage.

In detail, the collaboration will be articulated in several strategic areas: from the development of training courses dedicated to the restoration of wooden elements and the qualification of skills, to the promotion of research on innovative materials and technologies; from joint participation in European programmes to the dissemination of good practices of sustainable intervention. Special attention will also be devoted to territorial projects, with initiatives for the regeneration of historic centres and villages.

"The restoration and maintenance of historic buildings represent one of the main challenges of the coming years, also in view of the fact that the context of Italy's historic centres is unique in Europe and worldwide," said Andrea Bazzichetto, president of EdilegnoArredo of FederlegnoArredo. "Highly specialised skills and materials consistent with the principles of sustainability and quality are required. In this scenario, the use of renewable materials such as wood for flooring, windows, doors and stairs can make a concrete contribution, both in terms of technical performance and in terms of its ability to be integrated into redevelopment and conservation processes".

As emphasised by Carlo Piemonte, FederlegnoArredo's general director, the initiative stems from the desire to interpret the Federation's representative role by activating synergies and concrete projects, in line with the main European strategies of the New European Bauhaus and the urban enhancement programmes for historical centres.