Turin became an important industrial center in the 19th century, and industrial zones there arose mainly along the banks of the Dora Riparia, as its course was used to power machines. After most of these businesses closed by the 1980s, huge spaces were created in the city center, requiring renovation. Since 1998, a large-scale program of regeneration of the "necklace" of these territories, collectively called the "spine" - spina, was launched.
Parco Dora is entering the Spina 3 phase - the largest phase of this plan, covering 45 hectares. Previously, this site housed the steel and steel mill Fiat Ferriere Piemontesi and the production of Michelin tires.
The park itself, located next to the 2006 Olympic Village, occupies 37 hectares and consists of 5 zones with a different nature of the terrain. The authors of the project, the German bureau Latz + Partner, paid special attention to the preservation of the industrial heritage, the connections between the parts of the park and the surrounding areas and the theme of water: until recently, the dirty Dora Riparia taken into the tunnels now plays a major role in the Parko Dora space. and is also included in the rainwater management system. Also included in this chain are preserved industrial pools and cooling towers.
The greenery is used as a buffer between the park and the surrounding residential areas, as well as a fringe for industrial buildings.
The Ingest, Vitali and Michelin zones bear the names of former factories. In the Ingest part, the concrete substructures of the industrial halls and their steel supports have been preserved, which became the basis for a variety of bridges and crossings. A "secret garden" - hortus conclusus has been created inside the thick walls. Nearby is the Church of Santo Volto Mario Botta, which also "assimilates" the industrial heritage: its bell tower is a former factory chimney.
In the Vitali and Corso Mortaro zones, the main thing is the remains of a huge steel mill. Its 30-meter red pillars form a "futuristic jungle", and in the section, where the ceilings are preserved, concerts and parties can be held.
The Michelin territory has been transformed into a flowering meadow on which the cooling towers rise: their now accessible "interior" is occupied by light and music installations.
In Valdocco, where the Fiat factory was located, tree-lined terraces are reminiscent of vanished workshops, while Dora Riparia has retained its "industrial" concrete bed.
Anna Adasinskaya
MOX architectural and landscape bureau: “Professor Peter Latz, head of Latz + Partner bureau is a living legend of modern landscape architecture. With the creation of Duisburg-Nord 20 years ago, which, like Parko Dora, is an ingenious example of industrial landscape reclamation, Lutz changed the concept of a park both among colleagues and in society as a whole. He was the first to propose to take the time during the construction of the park and allow nature itself to reclaim what man once took from her. And its integration of industrial "relics" and ruins into the park space has become a world classic.
In addition to preserving the existing industrial facilities, which received new functions typical for the park, the main idea of the Parco Dora in Turin was to create links between its territory and the surrounding neighborhoods and the river. This task, in fact, determined the design of the park. And it is in this that the author's genius is manifested: the project is based not on an attempt to embellish reality, but on the history of the place and the idea of what task the park should solve in these specific conditions. Only when the design does not exist by itself, but has a specific function, while remaining completely unique, the project can be called really successful."
