2007 | Systemic Design applied to wood chain in the Alta Val Chisone
This project is part of my MSc thesis in Systemic Design. The overall project objective was to develop a new cultural and manufacturing model able to increase the economic and social impact of the wood chain, by applying the Systemic Desing and declining it to the specificities of the Alta Val Chisone (Italy).
The sustainable valorisation of the wood chain can improve economic and investment attractiveness of a territory, while also raises public awareness and community ownership of this fundamental resource.
A sustainable wood chain can become a driver of sustainable development in peripheral mountain areas and prevent their abandon from young people. A transition to a circular economy based model allows to enhance natural and cultural assets exploitation while also assuring their preservation and conservation in a dynamic and productive perspective.
The holistic diagnosis of the current situation has been the fundamental tool at the basis for collecting both quantitative and qualitative data of the territory. The research then moved to the investigation of the tradition that links the past to the present with a special focus on the socio-economical situation after the recent Winter Olympic Games (2006).
People who lived in the Alps over the last centuries were forced to develop a unique relationship with the surrounding natural environment and were pushed to find clever solutions for optimize local resources and recycling them many times. They developed a deep knowledge on forestry, plant growth, medicinal herbs properties that can be really helpful in the design of a sustainable wood chain that is really connected to the environment.
So, I took great inspiration from studying ancient technique of forestry management and wood treatment that allow me to design a system that can really resonate with the natural rhythm .
A careful forest management greatly increases the amount of biomass available for wood construction and handicrafts and as an alternative energy source. On the other hand it helps to keep woods clean by encouraging tourism and preventing dangerous fires.
Moreover, a great attention was made on the valorisation of the outputs generated along the wood chain as input for new activities. The result is a new system where the productive activities, linked together, generate other new activities improving the overall quality of the system.
PUBLICATIONS
\\Toso Dario (2017), Systemic Design applied to wood chain in the Alta Val Chisone. MSc Thesis in Ecodesign, Politecnico di Torino.