Residenze per la ricettività turistica e l'emergenza a Lampedusa

In June 2014, the Architect's Feast was held in Lampedusa, an event organized by the Architects' Order of the Province of Agrigento, in collaboration with the administration of the island. On that occasion, the international Workshop of Architecture and Urban Design Emergency and Hospitality in Architecture and Landscape was organized and the architecture schools of Palermo, Syracusa and Tunis were invited to partecipate. The aim of the workshop was to identify possible design strategies to improve the coexistence between the island tourist enjoyment and the reception of migrants. It had been a few months since the terrible shipwreck that occurred a few miles from the island port, causing the death of many people. Many migrants were also missing, but fortunately lots of them maneged to save their lives thanks to the help Lampedusa's people. Following that tragedy, the local community, awaiting concrete political solution from the Italian State and the European Community, asked the National Architects Council to propose design solutions to improve the island response to the migratory phenomenon. This has proven to be an experience that has led to the theme of residency on one side with a project proposal in an urban context, through a system of residences organized according to a principle of flexibility and adaptability of the interior space; on the other hand, through the project of lightweight, removable Xlam wooden prefab houses, easily placeable in rural areas of the island. In that occasion, the design team directly observed the difficult reality of the island, contributing with a concrete strategy of intervention, through a design proposal that could be used also in different contexts and circumstances.