New dimensions

Whoever talks with Andrea Rinaldi about urban development soon discovers that, for him, it is not about building something new but about reconstructing, upgrading, maintaining and caring for existing structures: “A doctor looks after a person’s well-being, an architect looks after the space a person lives in,” he says. In other words, urban renewal instead of urban construction. The architect and urbanist thinks his projects on several levels and also takes sociological, economical and historical aspects into account, among other things. According to his ideas, the renewal of living space should achieve one thing in particular: that the inhabitants’ well-being is increased.

Andrea Rinaldi and his wife run a studio (Engl. “atelier”), as architectural offices are called in Italy. Together with five other architects, they focus on sustainable building methods and circular economy. The latter, according to them, is also important for other social aspects. In circular ecological building, demolition measures are largely dispensed with. Individual components are repaired or replaced in a targeted manner once they have become worn down. The building materials used for this purpose consist of renewable raw materials or are recyclable.

Rinaldi also passes on the innovative insights he gains through his work at the University of Ferrara, where he teaches “Architectural and Urban Composition”. He says that he finds it important to already sensitise students for the concept of urban renewal and inspire them to become interested in this area. As an editor of a regional magazine for applied architecture and building culture, he is also a pioneering part of a growing architecture scene that aims to treat existing resources and building materials with care. But despite his own initiative, Rinaldi knows: “In Italy, people are building as they always have. Not much has changed. The building industry is always a step behind compared with other areas of society when it comes to sustainability.”