Ruralités
After a year and a half of research, the publication RURALITÉS: Transformations of Existing Buildings and the Reintroduction of Community Services presents the first analyses carried out by the COBASI research team at the TRANSFORM Institute.
Developped within the framework of the National Research Programme NRP 81 “Baukultur”, this publication examines how Baukultur and spatial transformation can contribute to maintaining and developing basic services in rural municipalities.
A total of 31 projects implemented in Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria and Italy were analysed. The selection was based on four criteria: (1) a recent transformation of an existing building, (2) recognition for its high-quality Baukultur, (3) a location within a village, and (4) the integration of community services (care and healthcare facilities, educational services, administrative services, grocery shops, restaurants, cafés, cultural facilities or multipurpose spaces). These projects thus contribute to sustaining the social, cultural and economic life of villages.
The analysis of these projects revealed several common trends, including recurring patterns of spatial organisation, the important role given to shared spaces, and the diversity of stakeholders involved, whose roles often extend beyond their usual responsibilities.
Publication authors: Séréna Vanbutsele, Julie Riondel, Clara Copiglia and Stefano Locatelli
Project partners: Dirk Engelke (OST), Thomas Egger (SAB), Marco Pütz, Stephanie Schwab Cammarano (WSL)
