Lightweight flexible architecture for the adaptive reuse of a former railway yard

This thesis explores the adaptive reuse of the former railway yard in Bologna (DumBO district) and its existing industrial buildings through the strategic implementation of lightweight flexible architecture. Operating within the theoretical paradigm of an "Environment of Environments," the project redefines the historic warehouse into an active, living social infrastructure. The intervention is characterized by a stark material and spatial dialectic. Internally, the heavy mass of the preserved shed functions as a macro-container, integrating new spaces for a material library and study zones above an expansive public exhibition ground. Externally, the adjacent vacant yard is activated by inserting a suspended network of lightweight, cubic timber pavilions arranged around a rectangular central courtyard. These elevated creative ateliers are interconnected by continuous glazed walkways to form an active cultural loop. To reconcile industrial memory with contemporary environmental challenges, the project integrates advanced tectonic solutions. The historic shed is upgraded with a "Smart Barcode Envelope"—a ventilated facade system combining high-density fiber cement panels with continuous glazing—aiming to improve acoustic buffering, natural ventilation, and visual permeability. Concurrently, the new flexible pavilions employ dry-assembly timber construction for minimal site impact, crowned with adaptive bioclimatic roofs that are designed to contribute to regulating the microclimate. Ultimately, the juxtaposition of the grounded industrial heaviness against the suspended lightness of the modern insertions establishes a resilient, highly permeable, and climate-responsive cultural center.