Students: Lorenz Mörikofer, Rosanna May

This research topic concerns the forms of industrial production that relate, in a specific way, to the landscape topography along the Adriatic coast. Taking Tronto Valley as an example, the work will investigate the organization of production in the form of clusters or sectors, and how the topography of the river valley, with its confined space and narrow tracts of available land, generates these dense production spaces. An interesting aspect of the cluster-production-model is their strict specialisation in different ‘mono-productions’; for example, the case of production clusters for luxury goods. This type of production in the Adriatic city is relatively new, but it links to handcraft and artisan tradition in the valleys, especially in the domains of textile, leather, and furniture manufacturing. The fact that
Marche Region now ranks among the top three economic ‘engines’ in Italy can probably be seen as a consequence of its growing industrial development.
As a complementary model to the production clusters, occupying the flat sections of the valleys, one can also observe the presence of small, family-based production enterprises and workshops. This model is distinguished via its specific building typology, with slightly elevated open ground floor for workshops and with apartments for extended family at the top; all strictly oriented towards the street.