Centro S. Chiara installation and signage: an upcycling public project

The Centro Servizi Culturali S. Chiara, property of Trento Municipality, is located near an urban park in the city center, hosts several events and attracts people of all ages and cultures. Part of the complex is in a severe state of disrepair and there are xenophobic writings on the walls.

This urban design focuses on the social responsibility of an urban furniture project in order to promote social and environmental sustainability. Both designers and client believe that culture can solve decay and this has inspired the upcycling's concept idea.

The project of exterior and interior design consists of several elements of urban furniture, including totems for advertising, information, direction and door signs, wall claddings with shelves for displaying flyers and a new LED outdoor lighting.

The installation re-uses the advertising billboards of the past shows. With the upcycling, more than 200 panels, made of an aluminium sandwich, versatile but hard to recycle, have been recovered, cut into stripes of 16 cm width, divided between different colours and put back together, in an apparently random way, on a wood batten support frame. This is the first ever large scale upcycling with reused aluminium sandwich panels.

This installation aims to touch people’s feelings. At night the lighting enhances security and emphasizes the historical architecture. The waste material teaches us that no one is perfect and society is enriched by diversity.

For a writer it is not right to overwrite a graffiti. The multicolour surfaces are not fitted for writings and there has not been any new sign of vandalism since this installation was built. Re-use brings a new aesthetic: the waste material, used repeatedly, has a strong visual impact.

Over time, new elements will be added to this open permanent installation, carrying on the work of educating at the importance of removing disparities and giving a second chance.