archintorno

About

Archintorno is an Italian not-for-profit organization established in Naples in 2005 by young, Neapolitan architects who wanted to realize DesignBuild Studios inspired by the Praktikumseminar Mexico of the TU-Berlin, focusing on development cooperation through architecture. In the last ten years, three projects were realized in Mexico, which involved indigenous communities of the Oaxaca state and european and mexican students, working together to design and build community facilities. The focus is on low-tech, sustainable buildings (that for us means appropriate to local cultural, economic and environmental resources), inspired by the vernacular tradition and based on a participatory design approch. Archintorno also experiments with the reuse of waste materials, that is a local resourse widely available in Naples. Furthermore, the engagement is also on projects that support the promotion and enhancement of public spaces. We are active in Montesanto (a popular neighborhood  in the historical center of Naples) where we take part to the "Le scalze" community, a network of associations that promotes active citizenship practices, such as  the reuse of the forgotten architectural heritage through integrated projects that try to overcome social exclusion and marginalization. Archintorno is the italian member of the EDBKN.