Architectural Design

Castelfranco Veneto is a town and commune of Veneto, located in Northern Italy. It has been a commercial city since its emergence and is tightly woven into the history of the Veneto region. Castelfranco Veneto throughout its historic times always been known for its local markets, trading, and manufacturing. But over the period of time, it started facing issues related to the management of landscape, the need for community spaces, and the lack of interaction between the walled city and the contemporary city. The project aims to achieve a circular economy by addressing the needs of the town and community. It was discovered through research that mushrooms generate a threat-like structure known as mycelium- a vegetative part that has been extensively utilised as a renewable and biodegradable alternative to traditional material.

Mycelium has been discovered to be capable of producing a wide range of sustainable items such as construction materials, packaging materials, furniture, and leather. Because the goal was to propose an intervention through a circular economy, the most straightforward approach was to utilise local mushroom waste and upcycle it into products. The primary goal was to educate people about the circular economy and how they could potentially adapt to it on their own. The production process was made accessible to people so that they could understand how items are manufactured from mushroom waste, and workshop areas were designed in the plan with the objective to increase awareness about mushroom upcycling and promote more sustainable food waste behaviour.

Furthermore, the manufactured products can be recycled and further processed, resulting in a circular economy. In conclusion, the idea proposes a new research and educating hub. It seeks to provide huge social, cultural, and innovative value while also creating jobs in the local community. The concept creates a new community gathering space in the midst of the Veneto region's historically rich walled city.

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