Rehabilitation of derelict landscapes

1991- Environmental Reclamation of the San Carlo Quarry

The Municipal Administration of Castelnuovo Berardenga (Siena) in view of the establishment of the Chianti Mountains Park had announced in 1990 a National Idea Competition for the environmental reclamation of an abandoned limestone quarry, San Carlo, located near the town, the Brolio Castle and the historic centres of Villa a Sesta and S.Gumè, along the SS 484 Chiantigiana in an area characterized by historic wine-growing landscapes of the highest quality, those of the so-called “Gallo Nero”. It was a “wound” in the landscape with very high landscape visibility and affected by significant instability phenomena. The objectives of the Call were:

  • the interruption of the hydro-geological instability phenomena in the very steep quarry front
  • the disappearance of the quarry front in the surrounding landscape through new vegetation
  • the proposal of recreational, cultural, sports activities in the residual flat areas
  • the restoration and redevelopment of existing buildings

WHERE

Municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga, Province of Siena, Tuscany Region, Italy

WHEN

1991. Submission of the Competition Papers

1992. Announcement of the Competition Results – Second Place

WHO

Client/ Municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga

Designers/ arch. Lorenzo Vallerini (group leader), arch. Antonio Anichini, arch. Franco Micaelli, dott. Antonio Maria Baldi geologist; Consultant: dott. Bruno Foggi naturalist; Collaborators: arch. Renata Del Medico, dott. Paolo Travaglini, L Sc. Geologiche

WHAT

The project proposal concerned two areas: the quarry front on a surface of 100,000 m2, the flatter quarry areas downstream on two levels including the existing buildings and the access road on approximately 40,000 m2.

The negative “quarry” event becomes an opportunity to create a new landscape, to go beyond the “green make-up”.

The proposal was based on some key principles:

  • interventions on the landscape cannot be configured only with a simple physical sign, with an architecture, however innovative it may be;
  • it is the new landscape as a whole that takes on, in relation to the environment and the surrounding context, the value of an innovative sign;
  • the explosion of earth from the quarry constitutes an opportunity for a new, positive element towards a rediscovered natural framework;
  • the real attractiveness of the site undergoing transformation will be represented by the sensations that the reconstructed landscape will be able to arouse in users of the area.

The design of the Project aimed to configure the new landscape:

  • with pedestrian, equestrian and cycling connections, to the emerging elements of the landscape, both natural (cornerstones, views, etc.) and historical, and new of paths and rest points;
  • with the reclamation of the quarry front by remodelling the slopes according to inclined planes of greater stability, the visual enhancement of the existing bare rock outcrops, bioengineering and re-greening interventions in connection with the plant communities of the surroundings;
  • with the recovery of the valley area, as a new micro-landscape, as a “different place” to be enjoyed, even just visually, composed of symbolic elements of the natural environment: the rock, the water (under ground level there is a water table that was once brought to light by quarry activities), the vegetation;
  • with the service areas located:
    – in the upper part, in the former quarry square where the materials were processed, completely remodelled and as a meeting place (a square-belvedere and a bar-services) from which you can visually enjoy the Chianti landscape towards Siena- Villa a Sesta and S. Gusmé;
    – in the lower part, along the road, with the main entrance in the centre, in line with the existing buildings recovered with the functions of guesthouse-refreshment, management and information centre, sale of agricultural company products, residence of the manager, in addition to the parking lots, the riding school and the stables.

All the planned interventions exploit, where possible, the existing morphological situations not only as a design choice, but also for economic opportunities to avoid massive earth movements and/or expensive architectural structures.

At the end of the recovery, the sense of the places will not be dissimilar from what is perceived today when visiting the quarry, which will maintain its character by explicitly declaring its ancient function.