Context Office worked for artist and curator Robert Violette to explore the regeneration of an ex-industrial site on the shores of Lake Iseo, Italy. Montecolino stands at the southern edge of the Alps. Large disused buildings once produced sea-planes, mini-submarines and textiles here, alongside elegant historic villas and groves. The masterplan for Montecolino involved converting this extraordinary location into a new cultural institution and destination, an inter-disciplinary platform centred on the human relationship with the natural world.
We helped develop an art-led strategy to regenerate the derelict structures, gardens and shoreline, with appropriate new uses and a unifying public spaces. We worked to distil analysis, concepts and spatial ideas into a bold visual masterplan to communicate the potential of the project. The proposals would open over 10,000 sqm of studios, galleries, and black-box spaces, activating them for the local, regional, and global arts community to bring new life and culture. With a lens on contemporary art and science, the masterplan would also establish a botanical sculpture garden, re-wild and rehabilitate more than 24,000 sqm of Montecolino’s peninsula.