The urban redevelopment of Barco in Ferrara is an exceptional case in the Italian landscape. Here, the Municipality and the IACP, now ACER, initiated the process of demolishing the 1940s workers’ neighborhood and creating a new settlement with a rich array of public services.
Two courtyards have been built, consisting of three-story buildings that enclose a green space. They contain 72 apartments of various sizes. The construction economy led to a simple architecture, characterized by colored volumes that distinguish the stairwells and the projecting volumes on the courtyard.
Four block buildings mark the ends of the neighborhood’s main road axis. Each is distinguished by a color on the recessed parts. In total, they contain 80 apartments.
The 2002 master plan modifies the one by Melograni and Lambertucci from 1995. The articulation into residential courtyards and open neighborhood units is maintained, but the total number of apartments is reduced from 530 to 400, and the provision of public and private services is increased. The area designated for green spaces becomes predominant, profoundly altering the character of the main road axis.
The Barco projects have been exhibited in shows in Rome, Parma, Ferrara, and published in books and magazines; among others, in Edilizia Popolare 277-278 and L’industria delle costruzioni 372.