Miniera
Giulio Galasso is an architect and researcher based in Zurich. He graduated from Politecnico di Milano, IUAV and TU Munich, and he is currently a researcher at the Chair of Christ and Gantenbein at ETH Zurich. His field of research is XX century Italian middle-class housing, and he has lectured at Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, TU Delft, FAUP Porto, Biennale svizzera del territorio, ENSA Paris Val-de-Seine, Politecnico di Torino, Politecnico di Milano and University of Antwerp.
He has collaborated with several Swiss architecture firms and from 2023 he runs continentale, an architecture practice based in Zurich focused on architecture for daily life. With continentale he works on the climate adaptation of post-war housing neighbourhoods across Europe, as well as on the reuse of vacant buildings in Italy.
There are millions of abandoned houses in Italy. According to the National Institute of Statistics, approximately 7 million buildings are spread across the country. Driven by a declining population and internal migrations, this phenomenon especially affects the so-called "Inner Areas" of Southern and Central Italy. Legambiente, a national landscape association, states there are already 5,300 abandoned towns in Italy, and this number is projected to increase in the coming years.
This enormous stock of buildings often comprises family houses, built through the efforts of our grandparents. Now, these properties are a financial burden for the heirs, who frequently prefer living in larger urban areas. The future of these houses is uncertain, as public institutions lack the budget to convert them into social housing or public facilities, and finding a buyer is almost impossible – even if they are sold for the price of one euro – due to significant fiscal and maintenance costs.
My project starts from the assumption that this housing stock as a mine of building materials and furniture. Doors, wardrobes, tiles, marble finishings, and tables are slowly decaying when they could instead be artfully reused to furnish local public institutions, schools, and public facilities. With minimal effort, these items could be given another century of life, bringing at the same time new vitality and appeal to these "Inner Areas". Many owners would likely welcome this opportunity, as their houses have lost all financial value and are merely a fiscal burden.
Once stripped of their reusable materials, the existing houses could be sustainably dismantled, and their concrete and masonry could be recycled using modern techniques. This approach would allow for the restoration of the landscape in these towns, which were excessively overbuilt during the economic boom years, paving the way for new gardens and public spaces for the community.
