Page 196 - Beyond Decommissioning

Experience and lessons learned 177

make bricks and accessories.” The production of the Volponi’s kiln lasted until 1971.
2
After 30 years of being in disrepair, the 1400-m large building appeared in serious
deterioration, with some collapses of the structures and cave-ins of lofts.
The kiln is key to the understanding of the landscape that extends from the city, a
birthplace of Renaissance, to rural areas nearby. The sight of Urbino is remarkably
marked by the kiln, which points its chimney toward the ancient city walls. The
eye-catching chimney and the sloping walls of the gallery that one can see from
the outside through a double grid of pillars, make this building both beautiful and
highly visible. The survey and characterization work described in Agostinelli et al.
(2007) highlights the possible recovery of history events that are well entrusted to
the memory of the local community.
The fate of the decaying building has been debated for many years. The Interna-
tional Lab of Architecture and City Planning (ILAUD) committee of 1977 suggested
that the reuse of the kiln site should be founded on the understanding that the city of
Urbino was mostly based on the University and tourism, and that its territory was
mainly agricultural. Hence they proposed a cooperative for advanced agricultural
research and environmental education. From a technical standpoint, the structure of
the building was complex, especially regarding the joint of spaces and the lack of outer
walls. A later (1993) ILAUD study, however, considered the site as part of a big hol-
low, an amphitheater where the imposing chimney of the kiln visually linked the
observer with both the city and the St. Bernardino church. The place was viewed
as a theatrical scene. In this approach, the kiln was not identified as an object per
se but as an element of the landscape, and part of a background larger than its borders.
The latest news available to the writer is that the abandoned Volponi kiln collapsed
under the weight of snow in 2012.
The Central Mill of Piracicaba, Sa ˜o Paulo, Brazil, was one of the first modernized
sugar production facilities in Brazil; today, it provides an interesting case of a former
industrial site under redevelopment. The sugar factory and refinery were active
between 1882 and 1974. The main reasons for the termination of sugar processing
at Piracicaba were the increasing urbanization and real estate development near the
plant, which created difficulties to the industrial activities. By the end of the sugar
production, the owners had sold its agricultural properties and almost all of the nearby
land was redeveloped through a project called Mill Lands. This undertaking resulted
in the formation of a city district known as New Piracicaba. The workers’ dwellings,
which had already been incorporated in the city of Piracicaba, were also sold. The
industrial site, which includes the factory buildings, warehouses, offices, a house
for the general director and a guesthouse, had been maintained through an agreement
with the city. The remaining assets were restricted to a group of brick-masonry build-
ings spanning over 1.78 ha arranged in an area of some 7.6 ha. In 1985, the first master
plan for Piracicaba was approved by municipal authorities. The whole area was
defined as institutional zone, which allowed only activities of public interest.
In August 1989, the former industrial complex (the factory buildings, warehouses,
offices, the general director’s house, and the guesthouse) received a municipal heri-
tage designation and statutory protection from the Board of Protection of Piracicaba
Cultural Heritage. A month later, the area was declared of public interest, and the long