Il Giardino Attivo
The Spiral Revolution: Why "Il Giardino Attivo" Is Not Your Usual City Park
1. From Urban Ash to a Living Ecosystem
Picture an old roller-skating rink: an inert, silent slab of concrete. "Il Giardino Attivo" exists to solve a real paradox of our cities: public spaces that are pleasant to look at but unable to speak to the community's body.
2. The Spiral: the beating heart wrapping the space
The generative concept is the spiral, a fluid movement organising the whole space. This geometry takes shape in the pump track, a permeable-asphalt circuit that, when not in active use, becomes a raised edge, an informal seat.
3. Calisthenics: the ethics of the democratic gym
At the exact centre of the spiral lies the calisthenics area, free-body training accessible at any age. The surface is natural rubber from recycled tyres.
4. Beyond "Primary Colour Boredom": the value of risky play
In the north-west corner, the playground is built from raw robinia wood and hemp rope, following the philosophy of risky play: suspended bridges and unconventional climbing walls stimulate children's motor development.
5. The Community Garden: growing knowledge in chestnut wood
In the north-east corner, the community garden is an intergenerational workshop with raised chestnut-wood beds, a light polycarbonate greenhouse and drip irrigation fed by rainwater harvesting.
6. Corten Screens and Sandstone: invisible architecture
Green walls reduce heat islands, corten steel screens mark the entrances, and the amphitheatre in Modena sandstone in the south-west corner embodies the concept of flexibility.
7. The Language of Numbers
Soil permeability above 75%, 350 sqm of new planting, an integrated rainwater harvesting system, smart LED lighting with presence sensors, for an estimated cost of between €140,000 and €200,000.
8. Conclusion: A Memorial Axis Looking to the Future
The existing commemorative monument is physically connected to the amphitheatre through light stone paving, creating a memorial axis, a symbolic bridge between what we have been and what we want to become.
► Watch the presentation video: Il Giardino Attivo
Presentation video: Il Giardino Attivo