Scampia, a Neapolitan neighbourhood known for its environmental and socio-economic degradation, of which the mammoth concrete ‘Vele’ are a sadly representative image, is about to rise to new life. To raise hope there is Piloda Building/Operazione Srl, a division of Piloda Group, a leading company in the redevelopment and conservation of historical and cultural heritage, committed to transforming the district-symbol of neglect into an inclusive and sustainable urban ecosystem.

The project is part of the broader "ReStart Scampia" regeneration programme, financed with 159 million euro from PNRR, PON METRO and Periferie funds, which includes the demolition of the "Vela Gialla" (whose demolition has already been completed) and "Vela Rossa", the redevelopment of the "Vela Celeste" and the construction of 433 new energy self-sufficient dwellings, as well as spaces for urban agriculture, a public park, an educational farm, a neighbourhood market, a kindergarten and a civic centre for social and cultural activities.

"Re Start is not just an urban regeneration project, but a bridge between memory and the future", says Emanuele di Palo, CEO of Piloda Group's Building Division. "The transformation of Scampia does not mean erasing, but giving new life, restoring dignity to a district that has always had a strong identity for our city".

Piloda Building's €50 million operation concerns the construction in the former Lot M (divided into two lots: Lot A, Buildings A1, A2, A3 and Lot L) of an eco-neighbourhood with maximum energy efficiency standards that will be completed within two years. The project, by the international architecture studio Settanta7, is intended not as a restyling operation but as an action of deep social attention, capable of restoring dignity and identity to the place. "We believe that this redevelopment project is a virtuous example of how architecture can dialogue with the historical heritage of Naples, giving the city a new and contemporary neighbourhood that enriches the urban context at the same time", said architect Daniele Rangone, co-founder and chief vision officer of Settanta7.

And dialogue with the context is the hallmark of the initiative: new social housing blocks, chromatically and volumetrically diversified, combine aesthetic research and efficiency thanks to plant solutions that are easy to manage and maintain and durable materials, dialoguing with the existing building whose tormented past is laconically testified to by graffiti: among them, the (preserved) inscription ‘we are not the problem’, which invites public administrations, among other entities, to do some reflecting on the blatantly unresolved knots of their territory.