Re-making Poggioreale

Following the 1968 Belice earthquake in Sicily, the effects and damage of the initial event were only exaggerated with the approach to rebuilding that was taken. Presently two ghost towns stand: the old and the new. Over the last ten years a local voluntary group have sought to maintain and save the dilapidated old town.

The project proposes a phased return to inhabiting the old town over the next century in the form of retention and self-supported structures built from the debris left behind, with a view to supporting a forest garden landscape and principles of agroforestry. 3D scanning was used to conduct an archaeological assessment for restoration. This created a ‘digital twin’ which mirrors the site’s dilapidated character, and allows for a specific masterplan to be drawn.

This masterplan is achieved with three main structural and environmental elements: dome dwellings, retention structures and environmental netting which support the inhabitation and restoration of the town. The first phase of activating the site takes place with the insertion of a courtyard farm and dwelling typology that centres around the site's main square. Over time, workshops, houses, recreational spaces and agroforestry will occupy the site, adapting it whilst retaining it at street level.

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