A restoration and renovation project in the walled town of Castelfranco Veneto

Castelfranco Veneto is a historically and culturally rich walled town. The walls, the bailey and the internal urban fabric are part of its heritage. Its collective memory lies on two main concepts: Liberal and Mechanical Arts. My aim is to create a public centre that will regenerate the value of the wall infrastructure by focusing on its scientific and astronomical aspect. Combining this with concepts such as the renovation and restoration of an existing historic building and the public use and increase of accessibility of the wall infrastructure and green spaces, helped me envisioning the town's future.

The reason behind my design purposes was the exigency that emerged to build a collective historical memory, unifying the town's identity after all these years of growth and constant destruction.

By shaping an astronomic and science centre, I tried to attempt "capturing" and "linking" the connection between the past and the future of the town. This was achieved based on in-depth historical and cultural research and analysis, as well as, problem definition, mapping exploration and problem solving. One of the most important goal was the refurbishment of an existing building in a conservation area. The conduction of surveys, the research of the old structure and the exploration of new ways to reconstruct significant parts of the building without letting it lose its historical identity were only a few methods that helped me achieve my proposal.

My reflections from this heritage project is that progress needs constant process and research. From defining urban problems to creating an urban historical regeneration project, reminded me of Frank Gehry's quote that “Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness”. Being able to experience and work on a project like this made me realise that by rethinking the past and handling it as a connecting backbone to bring together the old and new, can add more value to a place. Being playful by adding something unique to it, let me express myself as an upcoming architect.