Regenerative Urban Space: A Box
for Public Space Use
Elisabetta Ginelli, Gianluca Pozzi, Giuditta Lazzati, Davide Pirillo
and Giulia Vignati
Abstract The essay addresses the issues of centrality and reactivation of urban public spaces, illustrating the project ‘multiplyCITY: container TOOLS.’ The project is
composed of a system of ‘devices’ that can be placed in urban or natural contexts and
is capable of hosting multiple functions for citizens, even in total energy autonomy.
The project was presented and mentioned in the competition ‘Volumezero design
competition: Unbox 2017: ReThinking Containers,’ completed in 2018. It consists
of a system of sheltered spaces, modular, and flexible for temporary use. The system is defined by the adoption of principles assumed as design criteria: sustainability, multifunctionality, flexibility, temporariness, and customizable use. Through the
combination of guiding principles, the reuse of dismissed shipping containers and
the industrialized installation method, it has been possible to propose a TOOL that
could be used in policies and actions aimed at urban regeneration. The design proposal has a multifunctional nature and is able to enhance the open space, assuring fast
execution times and costs containment during construction, management, and maintenance. This is achievable through the use of dismissed shipping containers, which
are reusable and convertible over time through minimal and low-cost interventions,
offering more lives to a highly durable object.
Keywords Multifunctional tools · Shipping container · Urban regeneration ·
OFFGRID · Re-appropriation of public space · Circular economy
1 Cultural Background
The quality of urban spaces is expressed and marked by the environmental/ecological,
human/social, structural, and symbolic functions that such spaces may adopt (Stiles
2009).
E. Ginelli (B) · G. Pozzi · G. Lazzati · D. Pirillo · G. Vignati
Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering—ABC Department, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy
e-mail: elisabetta.ginelli@polimi.it
© The Author(s) 2020
S. Della Torre et al. (eds.), Regeneration of the Built Environment
from a Circular Economy Perspective, Research for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33256-3_14
137
for Public Space Use
Elisabetta Ginelli, Gianluca Pozzi, Giuditta Lazzati, Davide Pirillo
and Giulia Vignati
Abstract The essay addresses the issues of centrality and reactivation of urban public spaces, illustrating the project ‘multiplyCITY: container TOOLS.’ The project is
composed of a system of ‘devices’ that can be placed in urban or natural contexts and
is capable of hosting multiple functions for citizens, even in total energy autonomy.
The project was presented and mentioned in the competition ‘Volumezero design
competition: Unbox 2017: ReThinking Containers,’ completed in 2018. It consists
of a system of sheltered spaces, modular, and flexible for temporary use. The system is defined by the adoption of principles assumed as design criteria: sustainability, multifunctionality, flexibility, temporariness, and customizable use. Through the
combination of guiding principles, the reuse of dismissed shipping containers and
the industrialized installation method, it has been possible to propose a TOOL that
could be used in policies and actions aimed at urban regeneration. The design proposal has a multifunctional nature and is able to enhance the open space, assuring fast
execution times and costs containment during construction, management, and maintenance. This is achievable through the use of dismissed shipping containers, which
are reusable and convertible over time through minimal and low-cost interventions,
offering more lives to a highly durable object.
Keywords Multifunctional tools · Shipping container · Urban regeneration ·
OFFGRID · Re-appropriation of public space · Circular economy
1 Cultural Background
The quality of urban spaces is expressed and marked by the environmental/ecological,
human/social, structural, and symbolic functions that such spaces may adopt (Stiles
2009).
E. Ginelli (B) · G. Pozzi · G. Lazzati · D. Pirillo · G. Vignati
Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering—ABC Department, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy
e-mail: elisabetta.ginelli@polimi.it
© The Author(s) 2020
S. Della Torre et al. (eds.), Regeneration of the Built Environment
from a Circular Economy Perspective, Research for Development,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33256-3_14
137