Reconstruction of the Barco District, Ferrara

The urban reorganization of the Barco district in Ferrara is an exceptional occurrence for Italy. The municipality of Ferrara and the IACP (Autonomous Public Housing Institute), now ACER, had the workers’ district that dated back to the 1940’s demolished and in its place built a new one with a rich assortment of public services.
Two courtyards were created lined by three-storey buildings enclosing the landscaped space. The buildings contain 72 apartments of various sizes. The budget allowed for a simple architectural design, featuring coloured volumes that highlight the stairway sections and the volumes looking out onto the courtyard.
Four block-shaped buildings are set at the end of the district’s main road. Each one is characterised by a specific colour on the recessed walls. They contain 80 apartments.
The master plan of 2002 amends the one designed by Melograni and Lambertucci of 1995. With respect to the previous plan, the layout into residential courts and the open neighbourhood units remain, but the overall number of dwelling units has been reduced from 530 to 400 and a larger number of public and private services has been added. The green landscaped area predominates, thereby significantly changing the appearance of the main road too.
The projects for the Barco district have been exhibited in Rome, Parma and Ferrara and have been published in books and magazines, such as Edilizia Popolare, pp. 277-278 and L’industria delle costruzioni, p. 372, among others.