London and Milan-based A-Fact has won a competition for a large new social housing district in BolognaThe winning team working with Weber Architects and Parcnouveau was selected ahead of rival bids by Italian firms Laboratorio Permanente, Park Associati and Mario Cucinella Architects.A-Facts winning concept proposes a new social housing district for the Municipality of Bologna based on the sensory richness of the historic city which is famous for its iconic leaning Due torri towers.Bologna is Italys seventh largest city and capital of the countrys Emilia-Romagna region. The 12,000m Ecodistrict Bertalia-Lazzaretto project aims to provide a social accelerator and regeneration catalyst for the regeneration of Bolognas wider Navile district.Featuring improvements to the nearby Reno Park and Ghisiliera canal the project aims to deliver a more balanced and connected Bologna and includes several shared spaces for well-being and socialisation intended to strengthen identity and a sense of belonging.According to a statement by the practice: The heart of the project is the urban courtyard, a catalyst for the new Ecodistricts life, free from traffic and designed as a space for meeting and socialising, where the community can interact with residents from nearby areas in a collaborative and shared environment.The courtyard offers an immediate and multifaceted experience, with a series of open-air rooms immersed in an environment where nature and light take centre stage: an ideal setting for activities that support the creation of a new community identity.Through bioclimatic design and biophilic principles, new residents will enjoy spaces that promote physical and mental well-being and enhance their quality of life.Featuring rooftop terraces and community greenhouses, the residential blocks furthermore reflect a variety of heights and colours inspired by Bolognas historic city centre. A-Fact Founding Partner Giovanni Sanna said: For a-fact architecture factory, the Lazzaretto Ecodistrict represented an extraordinary opportunity to rethink urban regeneration in Bologna.The challenge was not only to respond to the growing housing demand but also to deeply root the new urban development in the existing landscape and architectural context, without sacrificing a forward-thinking vision oriented towards the future of collective and sustainable living.A distinctive intervention, conceived from an analysis of the regions climatic and social data, built around the idea of public space as the engine of the community, where every resident can identify with and develop a genuine sense of belonging.The latest appointment comes just six months after A-FACT won a major international contest for a new Museum of Contemporary Art complex in Podgorica, Montenegro,judged by Odile Decq of Paris Studio Odile Decq.