UALab - Urban & Architectural Laboratory

• Carlo Quintelli (PO Architectural and Urban Composition CEAR-09/A) Scientific Director
• Carlo Benedetto Gandolfi (PA Architectural and Urban Composition CEAR-09/A)
• Marco Maretto (PA Architectural and Urban Composition CEAR-09/A)
• Enrico Prandi (PA Architectural and Urban Composition CEAR-09/A)
• Riccardo Rapparini (Assegnista Architectural and Urban Composition CEAR-09/A)
• Giuseppe Verterame (Assegnista Architectural and Urban Composition CEAR-09/A)
• Giulia Furlotti ((Dottoranda Architectural and Urban Composition CEAR-09/A)
• Alessia Simbari (Dottoranda Architectural and Urban Composition CEAR-09/A)
• Sahar Taheri (Dottoranda Architectural and Urban Composition CEAR-09/A)

UAL is a laboratory of design, experimental and applied research on the themes of architecture and the city that is based at the Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Parma. In about twenty years, UAL has collected an articulated thematic framework of experiences concerning urban regeneration according to a cross-neighbourhood-block-building methodology, the role of public space in the structure of the city, the relationship between infrastructure and the built fabric, the community expressions of architecture starting from the typology of the university or production campus, the relationship between environmental resilience devices and the livability of urban space,  the functional repurposing of the pre-existing historical and environmental buildings, the cultural dissemination of architectural and urban values. In this case, he has conducted research on: 

a) Territorial and environmental regeneration; 

b) Architecture and urban places for energy and self-consumption communities with integrated photovoltaic technology; 

c) Integrated design – type of university, productive, research campus settlement; 

d) Urban regeneration at the neighborhood and block scales with mitigation and widespread sustainability interventions; 

e) Museum, exhibition and archival design through the recovery of historical structures and abandoned buildings.

He is also engaged in the dissemination and organization of cultural events related to research activities (Third Mission and Public engagement) developing over time differentiated and complementary tools by target but always based on open access in order to actively contribute to the construction of the European Knowledge Area (ERA). The first, founded in 2010, is the international scientific journal FAM, Festival dell'Architettura Magazine (ISSN 2039-0491, www.famagazine.it), indexed in Scopus and WoS and in Class A ANVUR for the CEAR-09 sector; the second, active from 2025 thanks to a PNRR contribution, is the multimedia platform LIA, Lezioni Italiane di Architettura (www.liaplatform.it) a place to explore themes of architecture, city, design and the arts, through experimental digital languages. 

UAL is a preferential interlocutor for public administrations and bodies as well as private entities (companies, municipalities, consortia, cooperatives) that are looking for a competent, multidisciplinary, flexible structure and above all able to give integrated design responses with respect to the complexity of architectural, urban and environmental issues. 

In addition to the components of the architectural and urban design sector directly pertaining to it, UAL also makes use of all those skills found within the Departments of the Science and Technology Campus of the University of Parma, of a civil, hydraulic, management and ICT engineering nature instead of the geotechnical, chemical, biological, environmental sectors that may be involved from time to time.

Contact: ual@unipr.it 

1) Dalla casa della Salute a quella di Comunità, sino ai Luoghi e Centri di Salute Comunitaria: una strategia di indirizzo per la progettazione architettonica e urbana.

Years: 2023-2025
Research Managers: Carlo Quintelli, Enrico Prandi
Project type: research funded by a public body as part of the PNRR project “Ecosystem for Sustainable Transition in Emilia-Romagna” azione M4C2 Investimento 1.5; Avviso: Ecosistemi dell’innovazione - Investimento 1.5 Creazione e rafforzamento di Ecosistemi dell’innovazione, costruzione di leader territoriali di Ricerca e Sviluppo.
Client: European Union – NextGenerationEU.

2) ARCHEA - ARCHitectural European medium-sized city Arrangement

Years: 2019-2021
Research Manager: Enrico Prandi
Project type: Strategic partnership funded by a public body 
Client: European Union 

3) Spinner 2013: Progettare il costruito: nuovi modelli a qualità integrata per la città compatta

Years: 2018-2019
Research Manager: Carlo Quintelli
Project type: research funded with a PhD scholarship by a public body

Client: Regione Emilia Romagna

 

4) Mastercampus: Una strategia progettuale per il Campus Scienze e Tecnologie come quartiere urbano modello 

Years: 2014-2017
Research Manager: Carlo Quintelli
Project type: research funded by a public body
Client: Università di Parma, Regione Emilia Romagna

 

5) Reggio Emilia Rigenerazione insediativa fascia nord di Reggio Emilia, Progetto Rete - Reggio Emilia Territorio Esteso

Year: 2013

Research Manager: Carlo Quintelli (con Andrea Oliva)
Project type: Funded research
Client: Comune di Reggio Emilia

6) KAEBUP - Knowledge Alliance for Evidence-Based Urban Practices

Years: 2021-2023
Research Manager: Marco Maretto
Project type: Publicly-funded Knowledge Alliances

Client: Unione Europea

 

7) Archers for Parma. Urban and sustainable regeneration for the medium size city

Years: 2021-2023
Research Manager: Chiara Vernizzi (PI), responsabile UAL Enrico Prandi
Project Type: announcement “Ateneo 2020 per la ricerca. Linea A1”
Funding body: Università di Parma

8) Progettazione museale, espositiva, archivistica e ampliamento dello CSAC a Valserena

Years: 2015-2018
Research Manager: Carlo Quintelli
Project Type: Research project POR-FESR Emilia-Romagna 2014-2020
Funding body: Regione Emilia-Romagna, Università di Parma

9) Gardella, Menghi, Vietti. Lezioni Italiane

Years: 2016-2022
Research Manager: Enrico Prandi (PI), Carlo Quintelli, Carlo Gandolfi
Project type: Research funded by the Foundation

Client: ACRI - Associazione di Fondazioni e di Casse di Risparmio SpA

10) LIA - Una piattaforma multimediale per la cultura del progetto

Years: 2023-2025
Research Manager: Carlo Quintelli, Enrico Prandi, Riccardo Rapparini
Project type: research funded by public call
Client: PNRR - Transizione digitale organismi culturali e creativi (TOCC)

1. QUINTELLI, C., PRANDI E., VERTERAME G., FURLOTTI, G., SIMBARI A., TAHERI S., (a cura di/edited by UAL)(2025), Dalla Casa della Comunità al Centro di Salute Comunitaria. Il progetto architettonico e urbano / From Community House to Community Health Center. The architectural and urban design, Quaderni di FAM n. 4, FAEdizioni, Parma. [italian-english text] ISBN 978-88-89739-27-3 
2. QUINTELLI, C. (a cura di / edited by)(2024). Architettura e città della salute: Luoghi e Centri di Salute Comunitaria / Architecture and cities of health: Places and Community Health Centers - In: FAM. Research and projects on architecture and the city - ISSN 2039-0491. - 65, pp. 15-43. DOI: 10.12838/fam/issn2039-0491/n65-2023. With essays by QUINTELLI C., PRANDI E., VERTERAME G., SIMBARI A., TAHERI S. [Class A Anvur]
3. PRANDI, E. (a cura di)(2023). Ignazio Gardella, Roberto Menghi, Luigi Vietti. Architetture per il Mediterraneo. – Collana CSAC. Electa, Milano, pp. 1-256. (Conference proceedings Italian Lessons for Mediterranean Architecture. Ignazio Gardella, Roberto Menghi, Luigi Vietti, Parma, Abbazia di Valserena 24-25 November 2022). With essays by QUINTELLI C., PRANDI E., GANDOLFI C. [Curatorship of conference proceedings] 
4. STRINA P. (a cura di)(2023), La città accorpata. Una ricerca sul progetto urbano, Il Poligrafo, Padova. With essays by QUINTELLI C., PRANDI E., VERTERAME G., STRINA P. [italian-english text] ISBN 978-88-9387-251-5
5. RAPPARINI R. (a cura di/edited by) (2021). Sei laboratori per Venezia-Six design studios for Venice, FAEdizioni. With essays by QUINTELLI C., PRANDI E., MARETTO M., GANDOLFI C. [italian-english text] ISBN 978-88-89739-25-9
6. QUINTELLI C., PRANDI E., MARETTO M., GANDOLFI C. (a cura di/edited by) (2020). Coronavirus Città Architettura. Prospettive del progetto architettonico e urbano / Coronavirus City Architecture. Prospects of the architectural and urban design In: FAM.  Research and projects on architecture and the city - ISSN 2039-0491. – 52-53, pp. 1-43. DOI: 10.12838/fam/issn2039-0491/n52-53-2020. With essays by QUINTELLI C., PRANDI E., VERTERAME G. [Class A Anvur]
7. QUINTELLI C., Lorenzi A., (a cura di/edited by)(2018). Ignazio Gardella. Altre Architetture. L’abitare, l’esporre, il trasmettere / Ignazio Gardella, Other Architectures. Interios, Images, Teaching. - In: FAM. Research and projects on architecture and the city - ISSN 2039-0491. - 44, pp. 1-43. DOI: 10.12838/fam/issn2039-0491/n44-2018. With essays by QUINTELLI C., PRANDI E., VERTERAME G. [Class A Anvur]
8. QUINTELLI C., Lorenzi A., (a cura di/edited by)(2018). Ignazio Gardella. Altre Architetture. L’abitare, l’esporre, il trasmettere / Ignazio Gardella, Other Architectures. Interios, Images, Teaching. Il Poligrafo, Padua. ISBN 978-88-9387-133-4
9. QUINTELLI C. (2018) – L’Abbazia archivio/museo/laboratorio. Un progetto architettonico per lo CSAC. Il Poligrafo, Padua. ISBN 978-88-9387-053-5
10. QUINTELLI C. (2012) – “Cittaemilia: unico e molteplice in forma urbana lineare”. In: AA.VV., The Kent State Forum on the City CittaEmilia. Alinea, Florence. ISBN 978-8860557070
11. PRANDI E., (a cura di/edited by)(2018). Luigi Vietti e il professionismo italiano 1928-1998. Prime indagini / Luigi Vietti and the italian professionism 1928-1998. First research. - In: FAM. Research and projects on architecture and the city - ISSN 2039-0491. – 48-49, pp. 1-43. DOI: 10.12838/fam/issn2039-0491/n48/49-2019. [Class A Anvur]
12. PRANDI E., Dell’Aira P.V. (2022), Luigi Vietti. Scritti di architettura e di urbanistica 1932-1935,  Altralinea, Firenze. ISBN ‎979-1280178657.
13. PRANDI E., Amistadi L., Balducci V., Bradecki T., Schröder  U. (edit by) (2022) – Mapping Urban Spaces. Designing the European City. Routledge, New York-London. ISBN 978-1032041247 (Open Access ISBN 9781003190660, DOI 10.4324/9781003190660)
14. PRANDI E., Amistadi L., Balducci V., Bradecki T., Schröder  U. (edit by) (2022) – Archéa. Mapping the city on urban spaces. An atlas of Bologna and Aachen, Aion Firenze. ISBN 979-1280723017
15. MARETTO, M.; Gherri, B.; Chiovitti, A.; Pitanti, G.; Scattino, F.; Boggio, N. (2020). Morphology and sustainability in the project of public spaces. The case of the historic centre of Viterbo (Italy), in THE JOURNAL OF PUBLIC SPACE (5), pp.23-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.32891/jps.v5i2.1280
16. MARETTO M. (2022) – Il progetto urbano sostenibile. Architettura, Morfologia e Information Technology. Franco Angeli, Milan.
17. MARETTO, M., Gherri, B.; Maiullari, D.; Vernizzi, C.; Pitanti, G.; Finizza, C.; Monacelli, A. (2023), Environmental Urban Morphology: A Multidisciplinary Methodology for the Analysis of Public Spaces in Dense Urban Fabrics. In: SUSTAINABILITY. - ISSN 2071-1050. - 15:23(2023). [10.3390/su152316493]
18. GANDOLFI, C., (2022), Paulo Mendes da Rocha, infraestructural, with preface by Helio Piñón, Asimétricas, Madrid.
19. GANDOLFI, C., DEL BO, A., (edited by)(2022), Otto lezioni su Aldo Rossi, FAedizioni, Parma. ISBN 9788889739266
20. GANDOLFI, C., PASSAMONTI S., (2024), Poetica, forma politica / Poetics, political form in «Stoà» n° 11, 2024, pp. 30-43.