A modular and sustainable furniture system dedicated primarily to young people and families in the context of the Vignole (Venice, Italy). A civic space that offers accommodation, educational paths, games, playful and adventurous activities, through which education in sustainability, movement and contact with nature are provided. The project, moreover, provide for the lack of green areas in Venice, thus becoming a meeting place for young Venetians.
Local
Italy
Vignole Island, Venezia, Italy.
Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
First name: Carlotta Last name: Mazzon Gender: Female Age: 23 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Italy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Marco Polo 3/A Town: San Michele Al Tagliamento Postal code: 30028 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 327 383 2898 E-mail:carlotta.mazzon99@gmail.com
First name: Luca Last name: Lovisa Gender: Male Age: 23 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Italy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via San Giovanni Bosco 14 Town: Meduna di Livenza Postal code: 31040 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 340 875 9659 E-mail:lucalovisa99@gmail.com
First name: Carlotta Last name: Bianchi Gender: Female Age: 23 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Italy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Contrada Nesente 2 Town: Verona Postal code: 37142 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 346 573 2210 E-mail:carlottabianchi.cb17@gmail.com
First name: Anna Last name: Bego Gender: Female Age: 23 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Italy Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via Pillon 50 Town: Abano Terme Postal code: 35031 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 345 015 6350 E-mail:anna.bego99@gmail.com
A civic space dedicated primarily to youth and families in the context of the Vignole. A modular and sustainable furniture system that offers accommodation, educational paths, games, and playful and adventurous activities, through which education in sustainability is provided, including through movement and contact with nature. The space is self-supporting through renewable energy resources and is sustained through payment for accommodation, access to activities, and the sale of local products. It provides jobs for local residents, with the goal also of redeveloping an area, today, with no identity. Through the project, moreover, the lack of green areas in Venice is made up for, thus becoming a meeting place for young Venetians. Finally, the system is designed in such a way as to make this service replicable in any natural area to be redeveloped.
Evasion
Education
Ecology
Versatility
Inclusion
Re-Nature was designed with the intention of being a sustainable system, this is due to the modular feature of the components. Indeed, the structures are recyclable, reusable, reconfigurable and redesignable. The recyclability is given by the adoption of easily recyclable and environmentally sustainable materials for the structures in question, this choice was made in order to turn a special attention towards the respect of the planet. As for the reuse of the modules, they can be relocated to other places to fulfill other functions, for example, in the mountains as a shelter or in a playground as a playful game. Reconfiguration is provided by the composition of the modules, which consists of elements with versatile shapes that can be easily configured into multiple different compositions. Finally, redesign, which is one of the strengths of this project comes from the simplicity of the modules; their shape and material which grant the possibility, once disassembled, to be redesigned to compose new structures with different uses.
Re-Nature offers a whole new experience that alienates from the urban world, the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Through the use of services and facilities, which have been meticulously designed, and aesthetically conforming in their immersion in and respect for nature, the project makes it possible to solve the local problem of young Venetians who have always grown up in a reality devoid of greenery, which has alienated them from nature, causing them to lose the value it offers. The redevelopment of an uncultivated and abandoned land into a civic place where relationships happen through playful activities can be a cultural benefit of a land that is the region's heritage.
Re-Nature is a space open to all, with a special focus on young people, offering a unique experience in contact with nature. Users can arrive independently, accompanied by their families or with school groups. Throughout their stay, they will be supervised by tutors and teachers to carry out the activities in total safety. This ensures the birth of a new social model, namely a civic space that aims to establish bonds between people through contact with nature, educational and recreational activities within natural environments to be redeveloped. Placing design-for-all at the center, Re-Nature was designed thinking about accessibility. Economically, for example, the design and materials of the components were designed to make the system as cheap as possible. In addition, admission is free for Venetians, while outside users are charged a small fee necessary to sustain the space.
Through Re-Nature, citizens will have the opportunity to be able to enjoy a new space designed primarily for them, in this way the problem of the lack of green areas in Venice will be solved, thus upgrading an abandoned area rich in natural resources. Users will be able to choose to stay overnight in the planned facilities or spend a day in the company of other young people, practicing organized activities in contact with nature. In collaboration with Veritas, a wholly publicly owned corporation that provides environmental services, the project addresses the need to create a place that does not increase mass tourism but generates a sense of community and repopulates an island that in this period is depopulated. Indeed, the system in addition to providing activities generates new jobs.
The parts of interest, taken into consideration, are mainly local. The inhabitants of Venice, especially those living in the Vignole, always demand green areas and places not dedicated to mass tourism. For this reason, Re-Nature is proposed as a project aimed at young people who develop a sense of community through movement and contact with nature, going, in this way, to repopulate a place, neglected and uninhabited so far. In addition, in the concept phase of the project, the requests of the Veritas association were considered, which required the creation of architecture or structures that would not be invasive or ruin the natural environment. Re-Nature, precisely because of its modularity, can be reconfigured and redesigned multiple times, thus respecting the land and its needs.
The project was born from the interweaving of several disciplines, which have “Design for All” as a common point. After a long analysis on the concept of civic space and a thorough survey done on site, the working team wondered how interior design could best communicate with the world of services, with the aim of adding value to the project and bringing real improvement to the population. During the development phase, knowledge in the field of product design was helpful, enabling the project to be sustainable and low-cost. In addition, many aspects related to the economic sphere were taken into consideration so that the park could be self-sustaining, yet still remain inclusive. Representatives of the various disciplines interacted efficiently and effectively. The common goal is to generate a system that is modular, accessible, and dialogues sustainably with the ecosystem.
The innovative character of the Re-Nature project is to offer a civic space that reconnects humans with nature. It does this through structures that respect the environment, both for their modularity and versatility and for their propensity to create a physical and spiritual contact with nature, without any kind of comfort. In addition, the energy and water resources are derived from renewable sources, designed according to the conformation of the land, and thus produced on site. Also, the decomposability of the modular structures allows them to be reconfigured in any other place in the world, thus recreating different situations but having the same main goal: to get closer to nature, to love and respect it.
Re-Nature is designed to be a complete system that can be reproduced in any other public place in the world that attempts to connect humans with nature, should this relationship be lost. Standardized production makes it possible to assemble, disassemble and transport the structures easily and quickly. The coupling that joins the components of the structure is designed in the way that the composition and the assembly are immediate to understand and quick to assemble. Each individual part and component of the structures can be disassembled and used for another function, should the need arise. But not only that, the empty space within the structures also allows the interiors to be used as one sees fit, thus leaving the user free to adapt in the space.
The global challenges facing the Re-Nature project are challenges concerning the environment and the preservation of it. Protecting and respecting nature is the focus around which the project revolves. In fact, Bringing people closer to nature is a way to raise their awareness more and more and amplify what is their attachment to the environment, to love it and consequently to protect and safeguard it. The project pays attention to sustainability as it takes into consideration a circular economy model and its durability. At the local level, therefore, the system aims to fill the lack of green spaces in the city of Venice by focusing on citizens, their needs and the redevelopment of the Vignole island through a series of activities and services for the community.
