With this high social impact project, Cobar won the competition for the redevelopment of the area of the Stanic district of Bari, that was occupied until 2013 by the Enel thermoelectric power plant. A former area of transit will become the operational centre of the district, the hub of all social, administrative and commercial activities. Here, all necessary infrastructures for the development of neighbourhood life will be available: residential buildings, offices, public services, sports facilities, accommodation facilities, healthcare facilities, mobility and security infrastructure  and more. The project also keeps sustainability as its compass, ensuring a reduction of waste in land use and energy.

In this spirit, the intervention will prove useful for the testing of new eco-sustainable technologies and smart strategies applied to urban life (power-generating pavements, waste management, connectivity and data sharing, etc.).

This creates a new frontier in the use of public space introduced in the city of Bari: greenery, shared open spaces, connection and mobility networks, are the foundation of an open neighbourhood, one that does not close and separate itself from the city. Among the first interventions, the one focusing on traffic movement includes the expansion of the Albero della Battaglia private road, in order to relocate of the former plant area’s main access to a dedicated road, therefore shifting away from the intense vehicular traffic on Via Bruno Buozzi.

Underground parking spaces will be built to accommodate approximately 800 cars, and the access/exit ramps will be located along the Albero della Battaglia road. The project also includes the reopening of the Tarine private road as a connection to the metro and the hotel, alongside the reuse of via Calace to link new residential buildings. Among the objectives of the project, raising awareness on the use of sustainable transportation is key: the constructed bicycle paths and pedestrian routes will form an interlacing pathway system that will invite visitors to stay and enjoy green islands of the park or participate in the various activities available in the district.

The core of this intervention of transformation of the industrial district is the simultaneous presence of four functional hubs with different but complementary identities, united by their social and community outreach project (Co-): Co-living: the presence of new housing facilities, like social housing, co-housing, a hotel and independent residences are only some of its practical expressions. Households in the area will be served by a sports, fitness and wellness centre, equipped with gyms, swimming pools and indoor courts, which will serve as a hub for many other sporting activities that can be practiced outdoors in the charming industrial setting of the park.

The ground floor of the turbine facility will host a food court with restaurants, kiosks selling local products, cafeterias, bistros and an info-point providing useful information and hospitality;

“Co-working”, areas in which it will be possible to share work spaces, while limiting expenses and encouraging professional exchanges;

“Co-learning”, shared learning spaces that will be located in the “Aria Terra Mare” facility, replacing the former storage tank area and fitted with a media library containing web laboratories;

“Co-creating”, intended as dedicated spaces of shared creativity, set up in place of two former circular buildings, which will feature spaces dedicated to theatre and workshops.

Activities of this kind will allow for total use of all redeveloped areas throughout the day, reclaiming the industrial hub spaces and creating a network of relationships and transversal links between functional and social aspects.