Let us begin, Paolo, with the origins of the project. Why did the Fondazione Comunitaria del Lecchese decide to undertake the restoration and repurposing of the historic building that has now become Officina Badoni?
“The decision goes back some years. The building in Corso Matteotti 7 in Lecco was once an industrial landmark, originally part of the metallurgical enterprise of the Badoni family in the mid nineteenth century. Over time, however, it had fallen into disuse and neglect.
In 2018 the Foundation acquired the property after several auctions had failed. This followed a long internal discussion on the role of our endowment and the type of return we intended to pursue. We decided to bid five and a half million euros, which represented a quarter of our total endowment, and we built consensus around the idea that this commitment would not seek a financial return.
From the outset, we saw an opportunity not simply to secure a headquarter for the Foundation, but to invest in something far broader. We wanted to create a place the community could inhabit, particularly younger people, and to turn a symbol of the industrial past into a vibrant place maker for the future.”
Could you elaborate on the value you believed this project would bring to the Foundation and to the wider territory?
“For us, the value was multi layered. First, its symbolic value. We wished to reclaim a piece of Lecco’s industrial heritage and return it to its citizens. The building’s architecture, with its pointed arch windows dating from the 1840s, resembled a cathedral of labour rather than a simple factory.
Second, the value in terms of function and process. We were determined not to treat the project as a conventional real estate initiative, based on purchase, refurbishment and rental, but as a social investment. As aforementioned, we made a deliberate choice not to rent the spaces for profit but to ensure free and open access for the community.
Third, the value for the Foundation’s identity and role. The project has helped us move from being seen as a mere funder towards becoming a platform, a connector, a place that welcomes people and fosters relationships.”
You mention this shift in role. In your view, what role does a community foundation play in a project of this kind?
“The very notion of a community foundation is central here. Our role is rooted in place, in relationships and in the capacity to facilitate collective action. Officina Badoni is a concrete embodiment of that role.
Although we own the building, we wanted the community to imagine its future together. We therefore launched a call for ideas, which received twenty three applications. The most straightforward option would have been to select the best proposal, but we wished to move beyond a culture of competition and towards cooperation.
We therefore initiated a co-design process, bringing all applicants together and enabling them to work on a shared vision for the space, integrating all their contributions. As a result, most of the building is now governed and coordinated by an association of purpose, bringing together the various actors involved in the call.
Through this process, we expanded the idea of a community foundation from a distributor of resources, a role that has often felt limiting, towards an enabler and initiator of community led processes that nurture new forms of collaboration and collective imagination.”
And what sort of impact have you observed already? What changes are occurring as a result of Officina Badoni?
“Although we are still in the early stages, since the building opened in September 2024 we have already seen tangible signs of impact.
On the ground floor there is Offi Coffee, a bar operated by a social cooperative. It employs young people with disabilities, uses locally roasted coffee and offers a study and co working space with free Wi Fi. Within the first few months we recorded about one hundred and fifty daily users.
The first floor hosts our offices and meeting rooms, while the top floor, once the factory canteen, is now an auditorium for events, workshops and cultural gatherings, and already has a rich programming.
On the relational side there has been a clear shift in how local civil society organisations interact with the Foundation. Whereas in the past most conversations focused on funding applications, now the majority concern partnerships, ideas and networks. The fact that we chose not to commercialise the space but to keep it freely accessible signals a deeper commitment to social rather than economic return.”
What do you consider the major opportunities and the challenges for Officina Badoni and the Foundation?
“The major opportunity is to make Officina Badoni a living part of the social fabric of Lecco. We want it to be a space that adapts, evolves and is co created. A place where young people feel a sense of belonging, and where associations, enterprises, public bodies and citizens can come together around social, environmental and cultural innovation.
We deliberately sought to leave spaces unfilled, to avoid over programming, so that newcomers and unexpected actors could find room to enter. As one partner remarked, ‘If you fill everything, how does anyone ring the bell?’
I believe that investing in spaces and processes of this nature is a first step towards the central role that community foundations and philanthropic organisations more broadly will need to play in the future. As spaces become increasingly privatised and property ownership becomes more concentrated, communities are left without accessible places to meet, build relationships, experience shared moments and imagine their collective future. In this context, community foundations have a responsibility to invest directly in such spaces or to encourage donors and residents to do so.
As for the challenges, maintaining financial sustainability while preserving openness is certainly one. Others include keeping the governance coherent and accessible yet robust, ensuring that the open ended ambition does not become vague or diluted, and making sure the building does not become a trophy project but remains embedded in the daily life of the city and its territory.”
Lastly, if you had to sum up in a sentence why Officina Badoni matters, what would it be?
I would say: Because it transforms the “asset question” into a “community question” — shifting from “what building do we own?” to “what community do we enable?”. The real investment is in people, connections and civic life.
