The sicth edition of the Summer School took place from July 23rd to August 1st, 2026, and the core case study was the adaptive reuse of the former Campolmi factory: after an on-site inspection in the Isolotto neighbourhood, participants worked in teams to develop reuse proposals for an industrial ruin, iterating daily through reviews and “learning-by-doing” workshop sessions. The didactic framework was strengthened by lectures and critiques from international practices—including Carmody Goarke, HArquitectes, Bricolo Falsarella, ARCHEA (Laura Andreini), DVS Architetti (Prof. Maurizio De Vita)—alongside Italian university professors.
The initiative was anchored by local institutional partners, notably Fondazione Architetti Firenze and the Municipality of Firenze, who supported the event. The workshop concluded with a public final review and exhibition, involving AREA magazine, international partners such as HouseEurope! and academic guests from the University of Florence.
THE FORMER CAMPOLMI FACTORY
The case study was a fascinating forgotten factory on the outskirts of Florence, once called “Campolmi”. The factory and its surroundings have been abandoned since the 1980s, when a fire severely damaged the buildings. Since then, the site has remained a wound in the neighbourhood’s urban fabric, and local residents are still waiting for its rebirth. In partnership with the Municipality of Florence and the local community, participants developed a proposal for social housing and a mix of public functions for the former “Campolmi” factory.
THE FORMER CAMPOLMI FACTORY
The case study was a fascinating forgotten factory on the outskirts of Florence, once called “Campolmi”. The factory and its surroundings have been abandoned since the 1980s, when a fire severely damaged the buildings. Since then, the site has remained a wound in the neighbourhood’s urban fabric, and local residents are still waiting for its rebirth. In partnership with the Municipality of Florence and the local community, participants developed a proposal for social housing and a mix of public functions for the former “Campolmi” factory.
GUESTS
HARQUITECTES
CARMODY GROARKE
BRICOLO FALSARELLA
ARCHEA
MAURIZIO DE VITA
FOSBURY ARCHITECTURE
GALLERY
