X-Change | CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati

The masterplan is the result of a collaborative effort involving CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati (urban planning and architecture), The Blossom Avenue Partners (logistics planning and land development), LAND (landscape architecture), GET Consulting (sustainability), and Mobiliter (transport and mobility). X-Change will be developed by Gruppo VLD/Fabrizio Bertola in partnership with Prelios S.p.A. and CLF-Costruzioni Linee Ferroviarie S.p. A. The project rethinks Italy’s logistics infrastructure, doubling as a renewable energy plant and featuring green public spaces, cultural, and civic hubs for connectivity while accommodating all modes of transport.

Once a vast and zoned-off railyard, the site is now being reimagined as a connected, innovative, and intermodal logistics hub, supporting Alessandria’s chances to become Genova’s backport thanks to new, upcoming, fast rail freight connections. Alongside infrastructural development, the project envisions an integral public space, transforming a site built for rail distribution into an innovative one, designed for all freight connections, accessibility, and urban life. At the center of the design project is a two-km-long (1.25 miles) walkable and bikeable photovoltaic solar canopy that covers the area, generating clean energy and providing shade. It will form one of the largest photovoltaic-powered parks in Europe, powering the logistics hub.

But there is more. By merging the industrial dispatch center with its natural surroundings, X-Change acts as a connective corridor between the rail yard and its nearby urban centers. A new park for residents complements the agricultural landscape along the Tanaro River, with over five kilometers of cycling and pedestrian paths, revitalizing peripheral areas and improving urban mobility. Additionally, the former Trenitalia Officine shed site will become an extension of the university campus, featuring offices and incubators.

The project stands as the most recent example of CRA’s commitment to rethinking urban infrastructure, particularly in terms of the future of energy. In Trieste, Water Batteries transforms an old refinery into a renewable energy park. Helsinki’s decarbonization project, Hot Heart, is based on an archipelago of thermal batteries that serve dual functions: storing thermal energy to deliver clean energy to the city and acting as a hub for recreational activities.

CREDITS 

CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati

Carlo Ratti, Monika Loeve (partner-in-charge), Chiara Borghi, Günes Idil Altun, Iratxe De Dios, Luca Antonio Liddonici, Gabriele Sacchi, Sonia Simone, Gary Di Silvio, Pasquale Milieri, Gianluca Zimbardi 

TBAP-The Blossom Avenue Partners
Marco Facchinetti with Marco Dellavalle and Alessandra Balletta, Lorenzo Gorrasi, Francesca Manzoni 

LAND Italia
Andreas Kipar, Matteo Pedaso, Martina Erba, Eleonora Boffano, Arianna Finatti 

GET Consulting
Daniele Guglielmino, Elia Lupo, Elisa Sirombo

Mobiliter
Ivan Genovese, Veronica Indelicato 

Tea Consulting

Dils

Nicola Bassi

Livio Dezzani

Alessandro Gentile

Sebastiano Grasso