The former Campolmi textile mill is a fine example of how a disused industrial area can be recovered in order to create a cultural centre of great relevance to the local area. Implemented by the Municipality of Prato according to a project by Marco Mattei, the restoration of the Campolmi textile mill aimed to recover an area of the degraded urban centre of the city of Prato which was nevertheless rich in historic, cultural and social significance, thus enabling a building which was once merely an industrial container to become a symbol of the civic history of the city.

One of the most important urban conversion projects to be undertaken in the area as a result of both the central position and huge size of the complex concerned, the recovery project commenced with a preliminary analysis of the original features of the building and later extensions. The restoration focused on consolidating as much of the original building as possible without modifying its architecture or the materials used for its construction. As a result, the facades were restored using the same traditional finishing techniques used to complete the original facings, while the choice of colour was made with a view to distinguishing the older part of the factory from the more modern area. The restoration project took great care to preserve the vaulted ceiling and flagstone flooring of the area in which the historic collection of Prato Textile Museum is housed (built in 1863), while the roofing of the first room on the first floor has also been entirely saved. Unfortunately, the old wooden beams of the false ceiling in the second room have had to be replaced with futuristic wooden and steel trusses.

Cost of restoration: