Living Lab // step 2

(CALL OPEN)

Seminars, co-design workshops, meetings.

GOLAS

The Living Lab is aimed at the comparison, exploration, experimentation and evaluation of innovative ideas.

The Living Lab, launched in 2017 – 18 from preparatory phases, is in 2019 the laboratory of comparison and co-design development of the approaches and proposals.

It is aimed at investigating, with experts, administrators, selected citizens and students, the scenarios for the city of creativity, sustainability and inclusion, regarding new functions and ways of use, involving different components of the urban scene and developing solutions for the reuse of commercial ground floors, for the usability and quality of public spaces and for communication, with multimedia equipment and applications.

PARTICIPANTS

During the Living Lab 2019, the selected students from the Degree and Master's Degree Courses of Colleges of Architecture and Design will participate in the laboratory activities, in September, through meetings with the city stakeholders (citizens, city users, associations, companies, public administrations ...) and seminars with qualified professionals and scholars.

The Living Lab provides for the participation of undergraduates, recent graduates, post-graduates, graduate students and professors from the Polytechnic of Turin and the University of Bologna, partner of the initiative.

The partnership of the University of Bologna is in relation to the comparability of the porticoed context, currently subject to application to Word Heritage UNESCO, and to research and urban regeneration initiatives, such as the European project ROCKBologna - Regeneration and Optimization of Cultural heritage in creative and Knowledge cities (May 2017 - May 2020) which also involves the City of Turin.

The activities of LivingLab are open to citizens, city users, associations and local businesses.

PREPARATORY STEPS

The preparatory phase included a first seminar (October, 10th 2017), structured as a participatory design debate, with the participation of experts, local administration’s officials, journalists as well as students and citizens (about 80 participants).
The complexity of the context (urban landscape, mobility and transport, trade, culture, architecture, urban history, memories ...) and the number of the involved people is aimed at moving the design to an inclusive community team.
The result of discussions proposed early ideas of urban space and reuse to be offered to students and designers as a ground to grow a new mix of functionality and visual layout.
The "Service design" for regeneration is the highlighted possible approach, understood as a mediator of knowledge, skills and as a facilitator of communication.
As part of the "Torino city of design", the results were presented to citizens in the # SACCHI56 info-point coordinated by the Fondazione Contrada Torino (20-30 October 2017) and presented at the International Seminar “Design of the City: Design for Citizens”, (October, 12th 2017, Aula Magna Cavallerizza Reale, Turin, Citizens design their city, Report on Via Sacchi Living-Lab).
Contributions to the Committee “Rilanciamo Via Sacchi” and the public assembly (16 April 2018).

The press conference in "Torino Design for the City" (12 October 2018) presented the state of the art and the winners of the "Call of Concept".

The topic is the subject of the awarding of the “Borsa Bando Talenti della Società Cvile” 2018, Goria Foundation for the project: "Urban regeneration: the public space and the arcade system of via Sacchi in Turin, in a state of commercial decrease. Analysis of international case studies and methodological approaches to image reconstruction, design, cultural and functional recovery processes in social innovation "(Raffaele Falabella, February 2019).

The Teaching Atelier "Via Sacchi regeneration" in Building in the Building, Degree in Architecture, Politecnico di Torino (professors Carlo Deregibus and Rossella Maspoli), outlined scenarios of urban regeneration of the east side of via Sacchi, in collaboration with FS Sistemi Urbani, Ferservizi SpA - Turin office, Committee Rilanciamo Via Sacchi, Fondazione Contrada Torino (March - June 2019).

TOPICS

Today the via Sacchi is characterized by different architectures and three paths: the west porticoed side which features the middle, with a continuous architecture of high value, but which is subject to degradation in the portico and commercial desertification to the floor ground; a road traveled by public and private transportation and the east side barrier to the railway, where there is a pedestrian and cycle path, with low environmental quality and use of public space and discontinuous buildings, with degraded industrial service of varying value from the late 19th and early 20th centuries to the south of the monumental railway station and inhomogeneous multi-storey buildings from the second half of the 1900s. The northern edge consists of the facing towards the station central square (p.za Carlo Felice). The south edge (on its east side) has a narrow band in conditions of abandonment (below the c.so Sommeiller overpass).

Since some years, both these areas are the object of social attention and redevelopment interventions by different players (city administration, neighborhood and sector associations, architectural heritage superintendents, citizens), which have tried to promote actions for the redevelopment of the built environment, in favour of the relocation of commerce and of a social nature. Today these attentions begin to bear fruit, through the formula of the Living Lab (Participated Laboratory). The needs of the single public spaces will be faced, sharing ideas for punctual and even small-scale actions, so-called acupuncture, integrated and achievable with resources limited, requiring great creativity.

The first phase of comparison highlighted different thematic approaches, included in a wider and systemic view, then converging on 10 themes: from the possible connections between the two districts through the Station to the physical accessibility of structures and infrastructures; from the reuse of railway walls to the testing of bus stops with the offer of new functions; from attention to historic and current urban furnishings (tents, shop windows, signs) to the recovery of residual areas.

10 themes, 100 ideas for via Sacchi:

ABANDONED GREEN: what future?

BY BIKE: but on a safe and signposted track

WELCOME: the discomfort with a stimulating environment

SHOWCASES: they are attractive, if they expose and communicate

THE WALLS of the railway are spaces open to creativity, awaiting transformation

WAITING FOR THE BUS: socializing, reading, inquiring, playing

URBAN FURNITURE: enhancing the historical one, coordinating the added one

ATTENTION STEP: make shops accessible to everyone

CROSS: easy and safe

IN THE STATION: re-open the covered passage/walk

The Living Lab intends to stimulate visions and perspectives to respond to commercial degrowth and to reconstruct an identity brand of the street: from functional re-generation to new district vocations, new furnishings and solutions respecting the historic values of the arcades (ground, columns, walls and soffit of the portico; devantures, signs, shop curtains, furniture and kiosks). Furthermore, the expectations for the regeneration of the eastern side, mainly railway and under-utilized, and the prospects for the future revision of the Urban Regulatory Plan are considered.

The contextual themes open to different fields of study for the Living Lab:

Co-design & design thinking

A participatory approach, involving citizens, operators, experts, students to bring about solutions or opportunities for change. Observe, develop points of view, explore different solutions, test the feasibility with stakeholders ...

Arcades & Turin experiences

The arcades of Turin compared to those of Bologna, UNESCO World Heritage candidates, the prospect is to enhance the heritage and innovation of public space and activities. Recent experiences are the "Portici di Torino" project of the Contrada Foundation, the activities of the "Rilanciamo via Sacchi" association and the "Turin public space" for green with volunteers.

Furthermore, the results of the “Via Sacchi Regeneration” Didactic Atelier, Degree in Architecture, Polytechnic University of Turin (AA 2018-9), open to scenarios of change, which bring into play the potential railway disposal and the opening of the east side of via Sacchi, beyond the northern area of the station.

Communication & smart street

Physical factors (vertical and horizontal signage, design on shop windows) and digital factors (web platforms and social networks, Internet of Things, digital equipment, light applications, sound and multimedia tools, flow and safety control systems) for communication and fruition are essential to implement for the relaunch of the route.

The new technologies are in the direction of the "smile city", a word that refers to the association between "smart" and "social", in favour of accessibility and inclusiveness.

Creative district & temporary reuse

The retail and neighbourhood trade crisis opens up to outline the prospect of a district dedicated to the creative industry, to new functions and use modes such as: temporary stores, temporary showrooms and galleries, innovative commercial activities and e-commerce, offices of associations, services for social inclusion, co-working and smart-working activities, start-ups, production and exhibition centres of artisans and digital makers.

Retail policies & common ground

Against shrinkage, urban contraction and commercial desertification and for the redevelopment of public space, intervention strategies based on the support to the establishment of new enterprises (in synergy between public, private, associations), on the animation of the portico as space are required widespread exhibition, on the assignment to the care of citizens and associations of parts of the public space, favoring the initiative of different subjects that contribute, with their skills and competences, to the resolution of problems that concern the community.

Accessibility and furniture design & spatial and environmental design

The deepening on the redesign of public space concerns the redefinition of its elements, the guarantee of accessibility of the ground floor to users with different abilities and also the rethinking of crossings, public transport stops, equipped pedestrian and cycle paths, the endowment of green spaces and equipment for relaxation - play - fitness in the public space, the enhancement interventions of the curtains built on the east side. The reference is to the 10 themes, 100 ideas for via Sacchi.

Furthermore, environmental aspects must be addressed: day and night lighting, sunshine control and heat island effect, acoustic disturbance.

STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION

The LivingLab includes seminars, site visits, workshops, communications, debates.

The workshop activity is outlined in:

- Round 1 > Introduction, the participants express their ideas, comments, construction of a first Mind Map of problems and possibilities.

- Round 2 > Deepening in thematic work groups, design-panel elaboration

- Round 3 > Presentation of the design panels, common discussion, evaluation, elaborations and final presentation.

Seminars

The Living Lab provides an initial series of thematic seminars with multidisciplinary in-depth analysis and presentation of repertoires of case studies.

Workshop

The project work is aimed at building project scenarios for groups, the materials of the preparatory phases and of the seminars are an incentive to make the design visions grow in a multidisciplinary sense.

Debates

The topics are the object of communication and extended debate with experts, citizens, stakeholders, administrators, who are invited to dialogue during the activities, in particular in the initial public meetings - on the problems of the street and on the topics of the seminars - and in the finals - of comparison and evaluation of project results.

GENERAL PROGRAM

July 2019 Launch of the LivingLab call for students, promotion

Monday 9 September 2019 Deadline for the Call for Students to participate in the "Living Lab" via Sacchi

Friday 13 September 2019 Communication of selected participating students

23 - 28 September 2019 Living Lab - via Sacchi

23-24 Seminars, debates, surveys, outreach

25-27 Workshop: design thinking approach, design work with tutors and stakeholders

Pre-presentation of project scenarios and final debate

Video exhibition of design scenarios in via Sacchi

Open to the opinions of citizens through website and social media

October 2019 Preparation of results "living lab" - report preparation and final exhibition

Presentation and final presentation of the results in via Sacchi, in the Torino Design of the City 2018 events.

DETAILED PROGRAMME

Download the detailed programme (223.24 kB)

ATTACHMENTS

Documentation