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The Parco Lineare Marazzi has been inaugurated, an urban renaturation initiative that transforms about one kilometer of the plant’s perimeter into a green barrier capable of strengthening the connection between the industrial area and the city of Sassuolo.
With over 5,300 plants including trees, shrubs, and various species, what for years had been a boundary wall now becomes a constantly evolving landscape. The project, created by Studio MC2AA Dario Costi and Simona Melli Architects together with the landscape designers of B Scape, includes a sound barrier integrated into the greenery along the plant’s perimeter, designed to improve the area’s comfort with respect both to the noise from production activities and to vehicle traffic on Via Ancora. In September 2026, the final section of Via Henry Dunant will also be completed, giving continuity to the entire initiative.
Environmental measurements carried out along the Linear Park highlight differences in the concentrations of certain air pollutants between areas characterized by the presence of a vegetated buffer and areas without screening. In particular, at the monitored points, reductions in fine particulate matter concentrations of up to 33% were recorded, as well as variable reductions in sulfur oxides (SOx) of up to 33% and carbon monoxide (CO) of up to 67%. These results suggest a positive contribution of the vegetated buffer to the local mitigation of these pollutants, highlighting the value of vegetation as an active element in improving urban air quality.
At the heart of the initiative is the dialogue between industrial product, nature, and art. The park develops through different layers of vegetation that gradually transform the plant’s boundary into a landscape that is both natural and urban. Along the path, some installations with large ceramic slabs create architectural features designed to engage with the neighborhood and enhance the expressive potential of ceramics. The first, at the southern edge of the site near the railway embankment, is a tribute to the vision of Luigi Ghirri, who in the 1970s and 1980s depicted this area and ceramics with a sensitivity far from advertising clichés: an invitation to rediscover beauty in the everyday landscape.
