Caserma Scotti
Second prize winner project of "Concorso Caserma Scotti".
International competition about designing the urban spaces on the site of the abandoned Caserma Scotti.
Chieri, Turin.
The topic of the competition was the urban regeneration of an area of 60.000 square meters in the suburb, near the train and bus station of Chieri. In this area there are some buildings and industrial sheds for most abandoned or used for meeting of associations. They are, however, in a state of decay.
The competition included as first step the choice of functions for the new buildings. To urbanize the area, residential buildings were located because of the constant population increase of the city in the last years. The first floor of the new residential buildings offers commercial spaces, to fit the need of old and new residents. The other functions included in the area are: an auditorium, because in the city there aren’t space for public performances and concerts, a botanical garden, to underline the relationship with the fields around the city and with the nearby agricultural consortium and co-working spaces to encourage local young companies. Moreover spaces for associations are maintained in the area.
The project area is open on two fronts, in the nord front, near train and bus station, we find residential buildings and associations spaces, to promote the relationship with the city center.
These buildings represent the access of the area with their shape and collocation. They are organized in two similar blocks separated by a central building taller than the others.
In the south-east side, in front of the external part of the city ( an agricultural area ), there are co-working spaces, inside the existing sheds and the auditorium. This is a monumental block, composed by simple and pure shapes, which are connected with a portico, typical of Piedmontese tradition. This building are near a big parking area.
The botanical garden is located in the center of the project area, separated from residential building with a public reserved square where are distributed constructed wetland to treat and reuse different water streams.
All the buildings are created on the basis of the standard to obtain a passive house, both in shell and in window fixtures and also with “air handling unit”. All the buildings are covered with red bricks to level out the aspect of the complex.