In San Giovanni a Teduccio, Naples, the remnants of former industry remain embedded within the urban fabric as traces of a once-productive economy now defined by abandonment, unemployment and social fragmentation. Across Campania, high levels of youth unemployment and “brain drain” continue to impact local communities, as younger generations leave in search of work and opportunity elsewhere. Former industrial sites such as Ex Corradini now exist as disconnected ruins, reinforcing a wider loss of identity, production and collective community infrastructure.

This proposal reimagines the Ex Corradini site as a new centre for craft, production and public life, positioning making as both an economic and social framework for regeneration. Through the adaptive reuse of the existing industrial ruins, the project introduces spaces for woodworking, furniture making, leather production, exhibition and community activity, creating long-term opportunities for local makers, craftspeople and emerging creative entrepreneurs. Rather than separating production from public life, the architecture makes making visible through elevated exhibition walkways, open courtyards and shared public spaces which encourage interaction between craftspeople, visitors and the surrounding community.

In response to the historical significance of the site, the proposal works within and around the retained tuff stone structures, allowing the industrial memory of Ex Corradini to remain legible while supporting a new cycle of occupation and use. New timber workshop volumes are inserted carefully within the ruins, establishing a dialogue between old and new construction while creating environmentally responsive spaces rooted in low-carbon materials, passive environmental strategies and long-term adaptability.

Ultimately, the project positions architecture not as a static object, but as a framework for ongoing transformation. By reconnecting production, learning and public engagement within a once-abandoned industrial landscape, the proposal seeks to create a resilient and socially connected environment where industry begins again through making, collaboration and collective occupation.