​​Conservative Restoration

As part of the research process, we are going to restore two state-owned properties, arranged on two floor, in the historic center of the city of Matera, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. The architectural complex is in a concealed position from the main tourist routes. This allows building a structure equipped with a guesthouse and a workshop: a space open to the city and visitors as part of a social sculpture project. A group of local professionals, directed by the architect Sergio Lamacchia, was commissioned with the restoration. The building presents signature elements of Matera architectural structures, with rooms dug directly into the tuffaceous rock. The project aims to reactivate—in an urban perspective of conservative restoration of public heritage—the relationship between the community and the land, giving back to the new generations a neglected area within the prestigious context of the Sassi.