Type of Laboratory

Light Laboratory

Lab Manager

Sara Favargiotti

Team members

Edoardo Altarocca
Francesco Baldo
Chiara Chioni
Anna Codemo
Giacomo Gozzi
Linda Lugli
Angelica Pianegonda
Luca Rossignoli
Giulia Zantedeschi

Past collaborators

Andrea Biotti
Ginevra Casellato
Marco Ferrari
Chiara Frungillo

Activities

ELaDe - Ecological Landscape Design Lab is an educational and research laboratory focused on landscape design as an agent of transformation through regenerative, adaptive, and collaborative principles. With an interdisciplinary methodological approach based on design experimentation (Research by Design), the laboratory develops research, training, and dissemination activities on landscape design in dialogue with other disciplines to respond to social, climatic, and ecological challenges. Research and design experimentation activities actively involve communities to support innovative and effective territorial strategies.

Research and teaching activities explore innovative and effective tools and methods capable of ensuring high-quality redevelopment and regeneration (urban, architectural, landscape) with a perspective on circularity and sustainability that enables transformation processes that care for the environmental and social contexts, and generate a new aesthetic and performance enhancement for communities.

ELaDe is an interdisciplinary research-action platform that produces knowledge on ecological and sustainable landscape design and addresses the environmental, climatic, and social challenges that impact and transform urban and natural habitats. To do this, ELaDe offers experience and knowledge on applied scientific research activities across different project scales. The main research topics are: design and planning of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for urban regeneration; enhancement of landscape and urban heritage resources, cultural, architectural, and environmental heritage; enhancement and design of water landscapes; planning of actions and interventions of urban, landscape, architectural, and strategic relevance for the economic and social development of urban agglomerations; comparative assessment of future scenarios; cost-benefit analysis of cultural, architectural, and environmental policies; definition of a new strategic vision for local stakeholders in the field of tourism development.

In ELaDe collaborate/have collaborated and are trained/have trained: 11 PhD students (4 currently enrolled, 7 graduated), 2 postdoctoral research fellows, 2 postgraduate research fellows, 2 research collaborators, 73 undergraduates (26 currently enrolled, 73 graduated - including 7 who have received national awards, 1 selected as a PhD candidate at the University of Kent-Carlo Ratti Associati, 1 selected as a PhD candidate at the University of Trieste), and 9 international visiting students. Over the years, the laboratory has hosted 3 visiting professors.

Selection of research projects:

  •  “Esplorare e misurare la desigillazione. Azioni per rigenerare il suolo”, Camera di Commercio di Bolzano, 2025. https://www.handelskammer.bz.it/it/novit%C3%A0/eventi/nature-based-solut...
  • “iCOSHELLs - Innovative co-creation soil health living labs”, Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Project, 2024-2028. www.icoshells.eu
  • “INTUF - European Network for the Integrative Approach of Urban Forestry”, COST ACTION 23148, 2024-2028. urbanforestrynetwork.eu
  • “S-COOL. Spazi verdi, creativi ed educativi per le scuole primarie”, Fondazione Cariverona Bando Capitale Naturale, 2024-2027.
  • “R.E.C. Dentro la sfida del clima”, Programma Unicittà, 2024-2025.
  • “Seeds4Future”, EIT Food, PoC, 2024.
  • “RESALIO. Esplorazione di scenari di valorizzazione del Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio Trentino attraverso l’impianto su cavo esistente”, Atto di indirizzo PAT-UniTrento, 2023-2025. www.parcostelviotrentino.it/it/cosa-facciamo/resalio/154-147192.html
  • “Il Sistema dei Forti Trentini come patrimonio UNESCO: una piattaforma per la risignificazione e promozione del paesaggio fortificato trentino”, Fondazione Caritro - Bando per progetti di ricerca su tematiche umanistiche e sociali, 2022-2024
  • “HelpFood4.0 - Food Ecosystem Scalability. Assessing digital and cultural potential of Food Hubs towards sustainable local food systems“, EIT Food, PoC30 phase 2, RIS Program, 2022. www.eitfood.eu/projects/helpfood4-0
  • “B4R - BRANDING4RESILIENCE Tourist infrastructure as a tool to enhance small villages by drawing resilient communities and new open habitats”, MUR PRIN 2017 Young Line, 2020-2024. www.branding4resilience.it
  • “Rural Commons Festival - Da Ovest a Est”, Fondazione Caritro - Bando eventi culturali, 2020-2021. www.ruralcommonsfestival.com

Selection of publications:

  • Sara Favargiotti, Chiara Chioni (2025), RESALIO: esplorazione di scenari di valorizzazione del Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio Trentino attraverso l’impianto su cavo esistente. Trento: University of Trento. ISBN: 978-88-5541-1x21-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.15168/11572_457670.
  • Margherita Pasquali, Chiara Chioni, Sara Favargiotti (2022), “Soaking in the Thermal Landscapes: A Slow Tour Across the Italian Inner Territories” in RI-VISTA. RICERCHE PER LA PROGETTAZIONE DEL PAESAGGIO, v. 2022, 20, n. 1, p. 222-237. URL: https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ri-vista/article/view/12550/11044 . DOI: 10.36253/rv-12550
  • Marco Ferrari, Sara Favargiotti (2024), “Fort Ecologies and the Planetary Terrarium” in Silvia Mundula, Kevin Santus, Sara Anna Sapone (a cura di), Terrarium. Earth Design: Ecology, Architecture and Landscape, Milano: Mimesis Edizioni, p. 224-239. - ISBN: 9791222311593. URL: https://mimesisbooks.com/index.php/mim/catalog/view/75/1259/3364-1 . DOI: 10.7413/1234-1234032
  • Tesi di dottorato Alternative Food Landscapes. Designing Food-Sensitive Landscapes beyond Urban-Rural Boundaries di Angelica Pianegonda, 2025.
  • Tesi di dottorato READY-MADE MODEL. Digital tools for reality-based virtual landscapes di Chiara Chioni, 2024.
  • Tesi di dottorato Extreme Terres of Anthropocene, di Margherita Pasquali, 2023.

Contacts and socials

Email: eladelab.dicam@unitn.it 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELaDeLab
Instagram: elade_lab

Location

Mesiano - DICAM