21 March 2025
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Urban regeneration in San Cesario di Lecce: improving comfort and livability, with a focus on enhancing historical and cultural heritage. Interventions on drainage, pedestrian paths and sustainable furnishings for a more welcoming and functional urban center.
The urban center is chosen as an area of intervention to reduce physical and social degradation through urban rehabilitation and reuse of unused properties. The aim is to foster social integration, reduce housing deprivation and promote tourism, with special attention to monumental excellences. These areas require redevelopment interventions to increase the competitiveness of the urban core of San Cesario di Lecce and improve the living conditions of citizens and the tourism offer. The areas to be redeveloped include the former distillery “Casa De Giorgi” and an area designated for equipped green space.
The intervention is designed to eliminate the heat island phenomenon in the former “De Giorgi” distillery. It is planned to remove the asphalt pavement, replaced by an innovative and draining concrete pavement (such as i.idro DRAIN by Italcementi or similar). This new material, with draining and breathable characteristics, will actively contribute to heat dissipation in the area, improving environmental quality and comfort for citizens.
The intervention planned in the DPRU focuses on eliminating the heat island phenomenon, a problem that plagues the open spaces of the former “De Giorgi” distillery due to the lack of evaporating and breathable surfaces. The project involves removing the current bituminous asphalt pavement and replacing it with a high-performance drainage pavement made of cement mix such as Italcementi's i.idro DRAIN or equivalent material. This material is composed of hydraulic binders, selected grits and additives, with a compressive strength of more than 10 MPa, as well as a drainage and transpiring capacity of up to 1,000 mm/min. The pavement will be laid on a layer of limestone, adjusted and settled with crushed stone, which will allow heat dissipation and improve environmental quality. In addition, the project includes the extension of the pedestrian paths using local stone paving stones, in perfect continuity with the existing ones, to ensure a uniform appearance consistent with previous interventions. This intervention has the ultimate goal of completely redeveloping the urban space in front of the historic building, improving both the aesthetic appearance and functionality of the urban center.
The intervention aims to improve the comfort and livability of the area, with the following objectives:
The design proposal focuses on simple and functional solutions designed to ensure visual and structural harmony between the different areas, tying them together physically and architecturally in a coherent way. The design aims to maintain simplicity and compositional clarity, avoiding disruption. Minimal design elements, combined with familiar materials, will restore the character of the area as a public space. Paving and furnishings will clearly define and separate pedestrian and vehicular spaces, with the use of specific street furniture.
Planned interventions include the installation of functional and designer street furniture to demarcate the two main areas, one pedestrian and one vehicular. Wood and metal benches and planters will be placed in harmony with the context, along with wastebaskets and bike racks, to promote order and environmental care. To further enhance the usability and safety of the area, a series of light fixtures will be installed, including tall streetlights with an angular headlamp design and spotlights with painted aluminum LED lamps. These light fixtures will be strategically placed along the pathway to provide uniform illumination and optimize visibility, creating a welcoming and safe atmosphere for all users of the area, day and night.
