Dal comparto urbano all'housing sociale: storia e trasformazione del quartiere ex Zuccherificio a Cesena

Between the 20th and 21st centuries, Cesena experienced significant urban development, resulting in a new urban area featuring social housing, student housing, commercial buildings, and a new university campus for the University of Bologna. This initiative, begun in 1989, involved the former Zuccherificio industrial area, located northwest of Cesena’s historic center. The project by Associati International Gregotti was included in the “Census of Italian Architecture from 1945 to the present” by the Ministry of Culture’s Directorate General for Contemporary Creativity. It is recognized for its national architectural significance, the involvement of Vittorio Gregotti and his firm, and the quality of the complex within its urban context. The complex stands out for its urban and formal compositional research and the use of exposed brickwork for all buildings. This approach aimed to reconnect with the site’s industrial past but has faced conservation challenges like salt efflorescence and internal comfort issues. The owner, using the 110% Superbonus incentives, has decided to add thermal insulation to the social housing building, raising various issues. This reflection explores the history, materials, and transformations of this contemporary architecture, which has combined living quality with technological research since its inception and now faces significant conservation challenges