riqualificazione area ex-cerusa

The regeneration of the former Cerusa cotton mill site in Masone (Genoa, Italy), in the Stura valley, is the winning entry of a 2024 ideas competition. The mill was demolished in 2010, leaving a large empty site in the middle of the town.

The site lies between the Turchino road and the Stura river and separated the "old town" to the north from the "new town" to the south. The project turns it into Masone's new centre: a square, green areas, a riverside walk and a public building that stitch the two halves together and connect to a network of cycle and hiking routes for sustainable tourism.

The long, narrow building follows the road and completes the street front. The first block, on two floors, holds a café, a tourist info point, a coworking space with meeting rooms facing a "secret" garden and, upstairs, the town library, a room for exhibitions and talks and a terrace overlooking the church of Cristo Re. The second block is a large flexible canopy for the weekly market, festivals and shows, which becomes covered parking when there are no events. A small tower bearing the building's name makes it recognisable.

The trapezoidal New Square is paved in permeable washed concrete with stone kerbs. Lawns with trees and a playground reduce urban heat, and the riverbank becomes a linear park with a cycle path, fitness stations and three viewing platforms over the stream. The building has a prefabricated timber structure, light and earthquake-resistant, with natural insulation and finishes such as wood fibre, cork, lime plaster and plant-based paints.