Maidan Tent: A Piazza-Tent for Refugees in Ritsona

The first prototype of Maidan Tent, a 200-square-meter circular tensile structure designed as a communal piazza for refugees, has been installed at the Ritsona camp in Greece. Conceived by architect Bonaventura Visconti di Modrone with Leo Bettini Oberkalmsteiner and a multidisciplinary team, the project emerged from two years of collaboration with NGOs and crowdfunding. The tent, nicknamed "nuvola gonfiabile" (inflatable cloud) by children, is designed to foster sociality, dignity, and democratic decision-making among residents. Psychiatrist Giuliano Limonta emphasized the importance of organized public spaces for psychological stability. The LEAP research center at Bocconi University in Milan, sponsored by Fondazione Invernizzi, will monitor the tent's impact on refugees' camp experience. The structure is intentionally temporary and relocatable, reflecting the transient nature of camp life.