Reuse the Ruin: A Summer Architecture Workshop in Florence Focusing on Restoration

The fourth edition of “Reuse The Ruin,” a summer workshop in Florence organized by Reuse Italy, is set to take place from July 19-28, 2024. This intensive course invites architecture students and young architects from around the world to learn about architectural restoration from some of the best European architects specializing in this field.

The workshop offers a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the challenges of restoration projects through various activities, including lectures and critiques by international architects, a hands-on design studio focusing on the reconstruction of the study case, Rocca di Sala (Pietrasanta, Lucca), a site visit, a final public exhibition of the projects, and the publishing of a book. For the first time, an on-demand introductory online course about the history and theory of restoration is also available.

Participants will have the opportunity to engage with the reuse of an abandoned ruin from the perspective of architectural design. Following a site visit to this year’s case study, the “Rocca di Sala” in Pietrasanta, a city renowned for its art and artists, participants will develop a reuse proposal for the ruin. New insights gained from the lectures will be applied in the workshop sessions through a learning-by-doing approach, under the guidance of the academic and international firms’ teaching staff.

The international teaching team includes H Arquitectes, Carles Enrich, Markus Scherer, Zamboni Associati, Assemble Studio, Studio Wok, and Prof. Maurizio De Vita from the Università di Firenze.

Early registration for the workshop is open until April 30th, and regular registration is from May 1st to May 31st. Please check the official website.

This summer workshop promises to be an enriching experience for aspiring architects and those interested in architectural restoration, providing them with the opportunity to learn from experts in the field and apply their knowledge to a real-world case study. The public final exhibition and publication of the projects will showcase the participants’ work and contribute to the ongoing conversation about the importance of preserving and repurposing historical structures.