Polcevera Park: regeneration and the creation of memory

A place of respect and rest, of memory and testimony, but also an example to initiate discussion on the contribution of architects, engineers, and designers in planning the ecological transition. On the eve of Milano Design Week, Inside Outside, the landscape and interior design practice founded by Petra Blaisse that handled the landscape design of this project, and its partners will officially present the Polcevera Park project. This 22 ha botanical garden is in the highly industrialized area of Polcevera Valley, under the Genova San Giorgio Viaduct, designed by Renzo Piano. The viaduct replaced the former Morandi Bridge, which collapsed in August 2018 causing 43 deaths. The contributors to this ambitious scheme include Stefano Boeri’s studio for cycle/pedestrian infrastructure and a bioclimatic greenhouse; Metrogramma for the industrial buildings, Museum of Memory, and House of Families; Laura Gatti’s studio oversaw the agronomic and environmental redevelopment aspects while MIC-HUB for mobility and infrastructures.

The project as a whole is intended to fully redevelop and regenerate all the areas crossed by the viaduct. But remembrance of what happened in 2018, along with its potential to trigger a broader discussion of the future of the planet, are core elements.

 

Polcevera Park

Green, community, and amenitized spaces form the heart of Polcevera Park, which was conceived as an immense botanical garden connected to the surrounding areas by the Cerchio Rosso (Red loop), a one-mile cycling and pedestrian path that has already established itself as a new urban landmark. Besides being a project to regenerate the area, the park is intended to keep alive the memory of the Polcevera Valley’s industrial and port history.

This was clear even from the initial concept drawings, which envisaged the botanical garden as a place dotted with an infinite variety of trees in orderly rows of willows, cypresses, and flowers, that leave room for playgrounds, sports fields, and orchards.

 

The August 14, 2018, Memorial

One of the most significant areas of this extensive redevelopment is the August 14, 2018, Memorial. A place both of mourning and hope, it comprises private and public spaces, including Casa dell Famiglie, dedicated to the families of the victims of the bridge collapse; Museo della Memoria, a place of remembrance, documentation, and collective outcry; and Serra Bioclimatica, a greenhouse for regeneration. The greenhouse will have 43 species of tree ferns and palms as a silent homage to the memory of the victims of an inexcusable tragedy. The building itself is light and bright, with zero emissions, containing a landscape of paths and living nature so that visitors can immerse themselves in the complexity of the Ligurian territory and its history.

 

>>> Read an extract from the article dedicated to Stefano Boeri published in THE PLAN 135, “From Urban Sprawl to Vertical Forest”