An Urban Complex Revitalized from a Former Brewery
The former Dormisch brewery site in Udine, northeastern Italy, has been transformed into Spazio Villalta, a mixed-use complex with educational, cultural, and commercial facilities. Once abandoned, the site is now home to an ITS Academy campus, commercial spaces, and a public square. The new public space, rooted in the site’s industrial heritage, connects the historic district with the university district.
The Dormisch brewery was established in the late 19th century near Villalta Gate in Udine. Its location offered access to hydropower from the Ledra Canal, which powered the brewery’s operations. As production expanded, the factory underwent several phases of expansion. Production ceased in 1988, and the site remained derelict for decades. The redevelopment preserved Villa Dormisch, the former residence of the brewery’s owner, along with the existing chimney and monumental entrance. Some of the other buildings were demolished and replaced with new structures, while the overall layout was designed to respect the surviving historic elements and the surrounding urban fabric.
The complex comprises an ITS Academy campus to the north, commercial and dining facilities to the south, and a large indoor plaza connecting the two. Multi-level arcades and balconies surround the plaza, linking the various facilities. The educational facilities include classrooms, workshops, and shared study areas, while the restaurant and event spaces are open to the public. The plaza serves as a central gathering space between the educational and commercial areas and hosts cultural events and public gatherings. It reflects the project’s aim to return a former industrial site to the community.
The layout reinterprets the repetitive modular arrangement of the original production buildings. The regularly spaced building volumes and pitched roofs reinterpret the brewery’s industrial character in a contemporary architectural language. The site plan also incorporates the ship’s prow-like form of an existing building designed by architect Emilio Mattioni. The area where this building once stood has since been converted into a park. The layout considers the visual relationship between historic and new buildings while maintaining continuity with the surrounding urban fabric.
The façades feature a brick louver system. Drawing on the use of brick in industrial buildings, the system employs different patterns on the east- and west-facing façades to control sunlight. The repeating brick pattern lends rhythm to the exterior while improving indoor thermal comfort. The structure combines steel and concrete within an 8 × 8 m grid, while glulam timber is used for the roof. The project carries the modular principles and materials of industrial architecture into contemporary construction.
Hydropower, once used in the brewery’s production process, remains part of the site’s energy system. The former hydroelectric facility along the Ledra Canal has been restored, and a photovoltaic system installed on the roof. The adaptation of the site’s original hydropower infrastructure for renewable energy use brings its industrial past into dialogue with its new purpose.
Spazio Villalta now serves as an ITS Academy campus, with a restaurant, event spaces, and a public square. Education, culture, and civic life have returned to a site once devoted to industrial production. A part of the city that had long been disconnected from its surroundings is once again part of everyday urban life.
Project: SPAZIO VILLALTA / Location: UDINE, ITALY / Architects: MARCO ZITO + ARTICO FRACASSI / Project team: SILVIA FRACASSI, MATTEO ARTICO, MARCO ZITO / Site area: 8,500m2 / Completion: 2025 / Photograph: ©Marco Cappelletti e Giuseppe Miotto, Marco Cappelletti Studio (courtesy of the architect)
