CODE-M: Living Spaces with a New Urban and Social Dimension

Fabrizio Chella and Erica Scalcione’s studio ZEDAPLUS envisioned CODE-M as both a new urban ecosystem intended to stimulate community life and a hybrid development able to evolve with changing needs.

Located in Montesilvano, a town in the Italian province of Pescara, the project occupies the site of a former residential building owned by ATER, the local housing authority. It comprises six social housing units of various types, but also functions as a public space and dynamic meeting place for people of all ages by virtue of the integration of street-level green areas and a multifunctional rooftop plaza.

With an enticing color palette that spans red to yellow, the new volume reinterprets the social housing theme while reimagining community living with architecture that fosters human connection.

CODE-M: A neighborhood space permeated by local dynamics

CODE-M is part of a broader urban and social regeneration initiative launched a few years ago across several public housing districts in Pescara. In turn, it forms part of the Codici Urbani research project, conducted in collaboration with ATER. The guiding principle behind all these projects is “disorder” – an approach that challenges the imposed order and social control often found in public housing districts, which tend to be single-purpose, inflexible, and closed to various forms of human and social experience.

Instead, the initiative aims to create open, flexible, and permeable systems where residents can meet and interact freely.

The surrounding architecture is predominantly residential, interspersed with a few tourism facilities typical of coastal areas. Over the years, this approach to urban planning has gradually led to a lack of public spaces for local communities. To counteract this imbalance, CODE-M aims to establish new social and urban environments – community spaces accessible to all that embrace diverse cultures, ethnicities, and social conditions – thereby promoting the development of more cohesive and supportive communities.

Architecture for community

The project integrates harmoniously with its context, establishing a linear chromatic code that parallels the adjacent buildings. An intriguing interplay of light and shade breathes life and character into the spaces, creating a welcoming, stimulating community place, while endowing the neighborhood and urban landscape with a vibrant new identity.

The main volume of the building is a compact organism with a hollowed-out space that hosts a rooftop plaza. Urban and intimate, the space was designed for both social interaction and hosting a range of activities. Its open, multifunctional layout includes areas dedicated to play, relaxation, music, and entertainment, all intended to foster interaction among users.

CODE-M is an important example of how architecture can create spaces for sharing, integrating the human dimension into urban life, and nurturing a rich and dynamic social fabric.

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