ContinentalePerformative Dune. An idea on vacant houses

location:  Polesine, Italyyear:   2024program:Reuse of an abandoned single-family housesstatus:research projectorganizers:Haus der Architektur Graz
LINA community 
University of Stuttgart
with: Aala Abdolaziz 
Sonya Georgieva
Dorian Zinder



Po Delta region is facing unprecedented droughts and at the same time rising sea water levels, leading to soil salinization. We worked with our team at the HDA Research Lab in Stuttgart on the transformation of one of the hundreds of abandoned houses in the area into a self-sufficient oasis that will help mitigating this phenomenon. The oasis integrates open-air constructed wetlands that filter water and enhance soil water retention with technical installations located on the ground floor of the house. The first floor has been converted into a communal space for neighborhood use—a valuable addition in a region dominated by single-family homes which in case of flooding could be also used as a shelter. Increasing climate resilience and extending social infrastructure, our proposal turns ruins into resources for the region.