Italcementi: trAILs - Alpine Industrial Landscapes Transformation

The city of Borgo San Dalmazzo lies at the foot of the Mediterranean Alps, in the transition zone of the steep mountain topography and the vast plains of Torino, the capital of the Piedmont region. Its relicts from historic times date back to the year 300 BC, when the city was founded by the Romans on top of the descending slopes. The landscape just south of the city’s foothills is not only characterized by the Alpine panorama and the Gesso and Vermenagna torrents, but particularly defined by the immense industrial colossus of the cement factory. Protected from the river by a solid bank reinforcement and surrounded by high walls, fuel tanks, chimneys, towers and huge halls with rotating ovens lie like artificial rocks in the valley of the Gesso. The Alps delivered limestone and hydropower, two important resources for construction and production as well as energy generation. These natural resources alongside an existing railway connection provided for an ideal location for a cement plant that was eventually built in 1945 after a construction delay due to the second world war. The plant never really recovered from the economic break-ins during the last world economic crisis and was facing an imminent closedown in 2009. The takeover by Heidelberg Cement in 2019 brought about an easing of tension, however, the future of the location remains uncertain. Therefore, the city is looking for a sustainable perspective for this potential industrial wasteland which could contribute to a successful urban development.