01
Governance
Who decides, who answers, who carries the place once it is built.
Designer · Operator · Advisor
FrancescoCingolani
I work on hybrid spaces, cultural infrastructure and regenerative real estate.
I founded and ran, for over a decade, one of Paris's first hybrid third places. I led EU research programmes on creative and productive hubs across Europe. I directed the opening and launch of a €25M cultural centre in Madrid. I have lived inside these projects and their challenges — governance, economic model, operations. Today I put that experience at the service of organizations that want to create unique, vibrant places.
Track record
Madrid, 2023–2026. Director of a €25M cultural centre funded by the Daniel & Nina Carasso Foundation. Holcim Awards, First Prize Europe.
Paris, 2013–2025. Founder and director of a self-financed tiers-lieu — coworking, makerspace, food lab — for over a decade.
EU · Horizon 2020, 2020–2024. Led the work on cultural and productive hubs as urban infrastructure; authored the Fab City Hubs toolkit.
Potenza Picena, Italy 2020–2024. President of the association behind a heritage villa's return to public use.
Hamar, Norway, 2010–2012. Network design of a city-wide participatory process, with Ecosistema Urbano.
