The Regeneration Project for the Ex-Manifattura Tabacchi

Turin, October 10th 2024 – Eutropia Architettura and Pininfarina Architecture, together with Weber Architects, Paisà Landscape and a large interdisciplinary group, have been awarded the international competition for the urban, architectural and functional redevelopment of the former Manifattura Tabacchi complex in Turin, announced by Agenzia del Demanio. The project, which is part of the urban regeneration of the former Regio Parco industrial district in the northeast area of the city, envisages the establishment of multiple functions that are open and usable by citizens: at the center of the intervention, the new Archival and Cultural Pole, with classrooms for document consultation and a study center, and the regeneration of pre-existing industrial buildings that will host a University Pole with residences, student services and classrooms.

PROJECT OVERVIEW The project reinterprets the dialogue between the regular fabric of the historic city and the fields and sinuous curves of the Po and Dora rivers. The austere form of the industrial buildings of the Ex-Manifattura breaks down, opening up the new Archival and Cultural Hub to the city and the dynamic flow of people along Via Regio Parco. “The design vision incorporates the intuition of establishing a dialogue between the environmental and landscape component, the new buildings and the legacy of historical artifacts. Without compromising the real and potential richness of the context, we wish to generate a new urban image that is highly recognizable, identifiable and attractive,” says Luca Barontini, co-founder of Eutropia Architettura.

“The spaces that the project carves out between the historic Manifattura and the new Architectures become the catalyst between past and future, between ancient uses and innovation, between private and public spaces. In that place suspended between the curves of the river and the straight lines of Corso Regio Parco, the city finds a new dimension to attract people, ideas, culture and economy. In short, to trigger urban regeneration dynamics with high social impact,” continues Giovanni De Niederhäusern, Senior Vice President of Pininfarina Architecture. The reclaimed tracks of the old railroad junction draw the directions along which the entire project unfolds and lead to the Central Square where the new archives are located: from here one can enjoy an open and flexible experience of fruition, delving into the track Square, the Water Court or the Student Residence Square, and then proceeding to the Garden on the recovered canal, the Educational Forest and various spaces equipped for outdoor activities, including the Sports Garden and the Children’s Tree Library.

THE CENTRAL SQUARE AND THE NEW ARCHIVES

The two new Archives complexes preserve the strong reference to the industrial character of the site. The structure serves as both a formal and architectural Ex-Manifattura Tabacchi. Masterplan element: in addition to its supporting function, it inspires the entire design, clearly evoking the pre-existing Manifattura buildings and the adjacent works of Pier Luigi Nervi. The building’s veining, developed along its entire length, is declined in two variations and repeated with different heights, defining the interior and exterior composition rhythm. The traditional double-pitched roofs are reinterpreted with openings that recall industrial sheds, creating a dialogue with the surrounding buildings. Inside, the structure takes on a more refined design, with chamfered and rounded joints, delineating an enveloping and inclusive style. The covered space between the two archives is designed as a place for gathering and events, serving as a stage for social and cultural development. This environment aims to restore a strong identity to the Manifattura Tabacchi and encourage the use of public space and the new urban square. The elements and structures, made off-site and dry-assembled, facilitate construction and reduce waste. This system, together with efficient equipment and robotic automation, maximizes sustainability and reduces technical space, encouraging cultural and social functions that connect the Ex-Manifattura with contemporary Turin.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN URBAN AND NATURAL LANDSCAPE

“Offering in addition to the urban system a second, immediate and close outlook that relates to natural resources is the main purpose of the project: a new, unified and recognizable identity landscape in which activities can be experienced in nature according to an innovative model,” comments Antonio Stignani of Paisà Landscape The project aims to create a landscape connection between the urban system and the surrounding natural areas, such as the Po River and nearby parks and nature reserves. This hinge revitalizes the urban context, creating a connected and resilient hub fit for all. The reconnection between the city and the park occurs by enhancing elements of historical memory and introducing a new network of paths immersed in the greenery of the widespread park. The main path along the river opens into an amphitheater on the water integrated into the morphology, a true natural plaza on the Po and an oasis extended from Parco della Confluenza to Parco Pietro Colletta. Linear canals branch off within the area, flanked by paths that start from the urban area and end with panoramic terraces on the river. The landscape is characterized by alternating mineral rooms, equipped plazas, ornamental gardens with shrubs and grasses, rain gardens and tree islands, re-establishing habitat continuity through ecological corridors between the project area and natural areas. Water management is central to the sustainability of the site, particularly the rediscovery of the riverside landscape. The use of sustainable urban drainage systems, such as treepits, water squares, permeable green surfaces, vegetated canals, and bioretention areas, integrates green and blue infrastructure with the built environment. This increases biodiversity and ecological resilience, improving environmental quality.

A POSITIVE IMPACT ON PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Tangible aspects involving energy retrofit are combined with the objective of redevelopment and fruitive enhancement of the heritage and urban context, both at the level of buildings and at the level of open spaces, underlying the intention to enhance elements belonging to historical memory and elements that fit into this context with a strong innovative architectural character. “The overall intention of the project is thus the articulation of an innovative and dynamic balance that emphasizes the uniqueness of the place and makes the intervention resilient and qualitative from an ecological, microclimatic and aesthetic point of view,” comments Filippo Weber of Weber Architects. The new Manifattura Tabacchi will embody the role of an experimental place. The extensive provision of open-air services to citizens, aggregative and recreational areas for sports, leisure and socialization constitutes an important service for the well-being and health of users: the new urban landscape becomes an opportunity for collective cohesion and inclusion and lends itself to be strongly experienced while also developing in users the perception of a high level of security. The aim is to make these places accessible not only physically, but also culturally, conveying the historical and social value of the complex to citizens.