by: Team VIBE - UniTo | data 09/09/2026
Every place begins with an idea. But when that idea comes from listening to the people who will use it, it can become something truly special.
It all starts in Barriera di Milano, where Fondazione Mamre, which has been working in the neighbourhood for years to promote inclusion, dialogue and social participation, envisioned transforming a former carpentry workshop into a new point of reference for younger generations and the entire community. This is how the “Spazio Giovani” was born: a new hybrid sociocultural centre that is open, welcoming and inclusive, designed to host culture, education, creativity, relationships and participation.
One question has been with us from the very beginning: How can we design a space that makes the people who will use it feel truly welcome?
To answer this question, we have developed a process that brings community, architecture and scientific research together.
It takes an alliance between those who know the local community, those who know how to envision spaces, and those who put scientific research at the service of the community, turning emotions into a scientific tool for design.
Fondazione Mamre is at the heart of the project. It has been working in Barriera di Milano for years, building relationships, listening to the local community and supporting young people and families. The idea for the “Spazio Giovani” grew out of this daily presence.
International students from the Design for Living course at the Politecnico di Torino, together with the teaching staff, bring their expertise in design and participatory design, turning the needs, wishes and ideas gathered from the local community into concrete redevelopment proposals.
Thanks to our multidisciplinary research team at the University of Turin, these designs will become reality. Making all of this possible is the Human Science & Technologies (HST) Interdepartmental Research Centre at the University of Turin, a university research infrastructure involving 13 Departments. HST was created to integrate expertise and technologies from cognitive neuroscience, computer science, psychology and the social sciences to study human behaviour. It is a point of reference for research and innovation in the local area, providing state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment. HST has already carried out more than 30 applied research projects developed in collaboration with companies, institutions and local organisations, with significant scientific and social impact.
We have developed a process with a focus on the people.
Listening
As a first step, Fondazione Mamre involved students from schools in Barriera di Milano, asking them how they imagine a place dedicated to young people, culture and sharing.
Imagining
Starting from their ideas, students from the Design for Living course at the Politecnico di Torino developed several design proposals to transform the former carpentry workshop into the “Spazio Giovani”.
Reconstructing
Our research group will turn these proposals into immersive virtual environments, recreating the spaces, colours, lighting and atmosphere of the future “Spazio Giovani”.
Exploring
Even before it is built, future users will be able to enter the “Spazio Giovani”, walk around, move through its different environments and experience first-hand the layout, lighting, colours and atmosphere.
Understanding
During this experience, we will use non-invasive research tools to record people’s implicit emotional responses and understand which environments make them feel more welcome, at ease and engaged. This information will help us identify the most suitable solutions, turning emotions into a concrete design tool.
The technology, expertise and vision are already in place.
The HST team will provide the project with scientific expertise, laboratories, technologies and supervision. The funds raised will support the dedicated work of two young researchers involved in developing virtual environments and collecting and analysing psychophysiological data.
What is still missing, and what we want to build, is a process that can truly involve the community in transforming a space that will ultimately belong to the community itself.
We want everyone who enters the “Spazio Giovani” to be able to say: “this place is mine too”.
To turn this idea into reality, we need concrete support. The funds raised will be used for three key areas:
But we also have a great opportunity: if we reach our goal, the University of Turin will double the amount raised!
Once we reach our goal thanks to your valuable support, we will be able to extend both research fellowships from 1.5 to 3 months. Doubling this time will be essential to ensure that the research team can see the project through to completion, supporting every stage of development, experimentation and data analysis.
In addition, UniTo’s matching contribution will allow us to purchase additional materials for collecting psychophysiological data, involve more people in the study and build an even richer and more representative picture of the community’s needs.
With a single gesture, your contribution will be worth twice as much and will help us create a space truly designed together with the community!
Because a project with such a strong social impact requires time, care and people who can dedicate themselves to it fully. You will be able to support young researchers with specific expertise in virtual reality and cognitive neuroscience, giving them the opportunity to contribute actively to the project while growing professionally and academically.
Supporting this campaign means doing much more than funding research.
It means helping to create a public space designed together with the people who will use it every day.
By donating, you will become part of the co-design process for the “Spazio Giovani”, helping the community choose the environments that will make young people feel welcome, engaged and at home.
Your contribution will allow us to put technology at the service of people, turning research into a practical tool for listening to the community and creating a space that truly reflects its needs.
Perhaps one day, you will walk into the “Spazio Giovani” too.
And you will be able to say that you helped build it.
You can help us by donating whatever you can and, above all, by sharing this campaign with friends, family and on social media.
Every small contribution helps us build a piece of the future for the neighbourhood and the community!
To make this process a scientifically rigorous project, we can rely on HST’s laboratories. We will use advanced virtual reality technologies, psychophysiological sensors and eye-tracking systems to understand how people experience spaces and which elements foster well-being, a sense of welcome and belonging.
During the virtual experience, we will use non-invasive sensors to observe people’s emotional and physiological responses, such as changes in heart rate, perspiration levels, pupil dilation and gaze behaviour. Technology will allow us to listen to the community in a new way and turn research into a practical tool for designing a better space.
The goal is not simply to design a building that looks good, but to create a space that can genuinely support the well-being of the people who will use it every day.
Because a place can truly change a neighbourhood only when people feel that it belongs to them!
Eugenio Scaliti, Research Technician at Human Science & Technologies, Department of Management “Valter Cantino”
Carlotta Fossataro, Researcher in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology
Francesca Garbarini, Full Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, and Director of Human Science & Technologies
Vittorio Lauro, PhD Student in Technologies for Cultural Heritage, Department of Computer Science
Chiara Terzo, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology
Silvio Zara, Research Fellow in Virtual Reality and Immersive Technologies for Neuroscience, Department of Psychology
Carlotta Zampese, PhD Student in Medicine and Experimental Therapy, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences
Marcella Romeo, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology
Your contribution is valuable and will not be forgotten! For this reason, we will add your email address to a weekly newsletter about all the project updates.
A big thank you, a small keepsake! To thank you for your donation, you will be added to a weekly newsletter and will receive a personalised postcard based on the architectural renderings.
"Your donation makes our project possible, and we want to show it in a tangible way by placing your name in a special place in our virtual space. Your name will be also included in our newsletter, so you can stay up to date."
"With your donation, we can set our project in motion. Come and visit our research centre, where the data collection will take place, and get a preview of the Virtual Reality experience! Your name will be also included in our newsletter, so you can stay up to date."
"Experience an aperitif under the Mole at our research centre, together with the team!
Your name will be also included in our newsletter, so you can stay up to date."
"Now you are part of the team! Get hands-on and take part as a researcher in a data collection session. You will have the opportunity to experience research first-hand and see what we do. Your name will be also included in our newsletter, so you can stay up to date."
Thanks to your generous donation, we’ll be able to bring our research to completion! To show our appreciation, we’d like to acknowledge your support by including your name in our publication and in the materials we present at conferences in our field.
Thanks to your generous donation, we’ll be able to bring our research to completion! To show our appreciation, we’d like to acknowledge your support by including your name in our publication and in the materials we present at conferences in our field. In addition, we’ll organize a seminar, either online or in person, tailored to you, where we’ll present our research and the technology we are developing in depth.
Siamo un gruppo di ricercatori in Informatica e Neuroscienze cognitive del centro di ricerca Human Science and Technology (HST) dell’Università di Torino che sta contribuendo alla nascita dello “Spazio Giovani”, in collaborazione con la Fondazione MAMRE, partner del progetto e da anni impegnata nel quartiere con percorsi di inclusione e partecipazione sociale.
