Casa della memoria

The House of Memory is a house, a collective house in which Milanese citizens hope to find protection for the memories they want to preserve. Nobody inhabits this house, and in this case the word house is understood as an envelope, a protected space, or a shelter that crystallizes memory within the flow of the metropolis. So the house becomes an object to be both protected and exhibited, a treasury to be surrounded with an envelope that both defends and exposes its content. Stefano Graziani’s photographs depict the construction of the building, while the texts by Howard Burns, Jean-Louis Cohen and Kersten Geers try to interpret its significance in the context of contemporary architecture. The book includes a complete set of drawings of the building. AUTHORS Howard Burns is a 1961 graduate of Ancient and Modern History from Cambridge University where he was a King’s College Fellow. He later taught art and architectural history at the Courtauld Institute in London and held the titles of Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cambridge and Fellow at King’s College. He was the Robert C. and Marian K. Weinberg Professor of Architecture at Harvard University, Professor at the University IUAV in Venice, Visiting Professor at MIT and Senior Lecturer in the History of Architecture at Harvard University. Jean-Louis Cohen is Sheldon H. Solow Professor in the History of Architecture at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. From 1997 to 2003 he directed the Institut Français d’Architecture and the Musée des Monuments Français. He has been a curator for numerous exhibitions including The Lost Vanguard at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (2007) and Scenes of the World to Come and Architecture in Uniform at the Canadian Center for Architecture (1995 and 2011). In 2014, he was the curator of the French pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture. Since 2014 he is a professor at the Collège de France. Kersten Geers is a founding partner of OFFICE KGDVS. He was professor at the University of Ghent, and visiting professor at Columbia University, NYC, and the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio (CH), and is currently teaching at the EPFL, Lausanne (CH) and at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Stefano Graziani is a photographer. He has worked and published di erent portfolios for Domus, A+U, Numero Press, Camera Austria, Log, Repubblica, Cross, FlashArt Italia, Abitare, Monopol Magazine, Marsilio. His work has been exhibited at Fondazione Ragghianti (2006), GC.AC Monfalcone (2006/2009), Festival della Filoso a, Modena (2006), Villa Manin Centro d’arte Contemporanea (2007), Manifesta 7, and at the XIII, XIV and XV Venice Biennale (2012, 2014, 2016)

Design or Extinction

L’ultimo capitolo di Vers une architecture s’intitola Architecture ou Révolution. Per Le Corbusier, nel 1923, le cose sono chiare: c’è una possibile rivoluzione e una architettura che potrebbe evitarla. La narrazione è una, il processo è uno, e i suoi possibili sviluppi sono due: una ottusa resistenza che provocherà una catastrofe, oppure una consapevole adesione. È lo stesso paradigma che definisce la storia europea dal 1789 al 1989: la reazione allo spirito del tempo distingue progressisti e conservatori, chi abbraccia le trasformazioni della modernità contro chi tenta di resistervi. L’urgenza delle scelte è tutta basata sul tempo: qualcosa di nuovo s’a accia sulla scena, e a questa novità bisogna reagire. La soluzione corretta si riduce a una sola mossa, un solo progetto, sempre nettamente opposto a un’alternativa in tut- to contraria.The last chapter of “Vers une architecture” is titled “Architecture ou Révolution”. For Le Corbusier, in 1923, matters were clear : there was a possible revolution and an architecture that could avert it. There was one narration, one process, with two possible developments: an obtuse resist- ance that would cause a catastrophe, or a conscious acceptance. It was the same paradigm that defines European history from 1789 to 1989: the reaction to the spirit of the times distinguished progressives from conservatives, those who embraced the trans- formations of modernity, and those who attempted to resist them. The urgency of these choices was all based on time: something new that would appear on the scene, a novelty calling for a reaction. The correct solution boiled down to one move and one design only, always sharply opposed to a totally contrary alternative

Public Ambitions

Italy Under Construction Buildings, Landscapes, Positions in Contemporary Italian Architecture In a globalized yet fragmented world, how can architecture reevaluate its cultural and political role and enable practises of identification and belonging? What role does architecture occupy in shaping the relationship between regional cultures and international forces? Between the global hunger for the architectural icon and claims for the authenticity of regional craftsmanship, what is the architect’s agency within and against contemporary modes of architectural production? Italy Under Construction is a new programme of exhibitions and lectures on contemporary architecture in Italy. Presented by the Italian Cultural Institute in Toronto, the series investigates contemporary architectural practice and its interaction with culture, cities, and landscapes. The programme will bring together emerging and established voices from the architectural community, both from Italy and North America. With Toronto serving as a venue for transatlantic exchange, we hope to open a conversation on the relevance of new architecture in Italy within a broader discussion on architectural design challenges in a globalized world. Italy Under Construction will run for three years and host two exhibitions per year- the first will open in the fall of 2015 and the second in spring 2016. The fall series of exhibitions will focus on a pair of established architects, initiating a dialogue between different approaches to research, local context, and national processes. The spring exhibition is thematic in nature and will present new buildings from a selected group of architects organized around pressing contemporary issues such as the ambitions and opportunities of building public architecture, housing and urbanism, and the domestic landscapes of the private house

The Story of an Egyptian Cat Mummy Through CT Examination

Much of the fascination surrounding Egyptian civilization is linked to the practice of mummification. In fact, to ensure the preservation of the body, the ancient Egyptians mummified both human and animal subjects. However, mummified animal remains are less well studied, although they represent a significant part of the material culture and history of ancient Egypt. The introduction of non-invasive imaging methods has allowed researchers to study the material hidden within the wrappings of mummies. In this article, the cat mummy currently exhibited at the Museo Etnologico Missionario di San Francesco di Fiesole (Florence, Italy), originating from Luxor and legally acquired during an expedition in the 20th century, was analyzed using computed tomography (CT). The CT enabled the identification of the casing content, showing the presence of an entire cat skeleton. The cat had several fractures, some of which were identified in the cervical region, possibly related to the cause of death. Furthermore, the zooarcheological analysis allowed the identification of the age at death of the cat, providing further information about the story of the mummy. This research provides a further contribution to the analysis of mummies, with a case study of a cat mummy that emphasizes the importance of CT scans in humanistic studies and museum environments

RIQUALIFICAZIONE DELLE AREE DEL QUADRANTE NORD E NORD EST DI TORINO: AMBITO "SCALO VANCHIGLIA"

La costruzione di un’ipotesi di lavoro convincente per le aree di concorso deve misurarsi con tutto il territorio cittadino e deve conseguentemente affrontare il problema nella sua interezza, inserendo i tre ambiti all’interno di un discorso unitario. Per questo motivo abbiamo scelto di lavorare su tutte le tre aree di concorso, suggerendo una strategia unitaria, pur riconoscendo i tre temi come distinti e proponendo soluzioni rigorosamente indipendenti e contenute all’interno degli ambiti di concorso. Occuparsi di una sola area rischia infatti di restringere eccessivamente il campo della ricerca, limitando gli scopi del progetto ed incoraggiando a trascurare le conseguenze che si producono sulle altre parti della città. Al contrario, lavorare a tutte le tre aree contemporaneamente significa dotarsi, per ogni progetto, di ulteriori strumenti di verifica interna. L’identità delle singole aree di concorso emerge con maggiore nettezza dal confronto con le altre. La chiarezza del discorso globale si traduce in precisione delle proposte specifiche.La nostra proposta accetta alcuni suggerimenti dalla Torino storica: riconosce i tempi lunghi della crescita della città e prescrive un'umiltà di fondo per tutti gli edifici che propone di realizzare (propone di realizzare case che sanno di non essere le uniche al mondo). Dalla città storica, accettiamo anche di pensare lo spazio pubblico come qualcosa di prezioso, e quindi relativamente raro, non esteso uniformemente in base a fraintesi criteri di equità. Per avere qualità, lo spazio pubblico deve infatti essere distribuito con precisione. Questa precisione è possibile solo riducendo la quantità di spazio pubblico ed aumentandone la qualità e l’intensità. In sostituzione di sconfinate estensioni di (presunto) spazio pubblico senza alcun tratto distintivo è possibile introdurre ampie porzioni di verde privato o servizi, che possono contribuire alla figura della città senza essere immediatamente accessibili a tutti. Il verde privato consente inoltre alla città di produrre almeno una parte dei prodotti agricoli che consuma e di ridurre i costi di gestione di un verde pubblico comunque inefficiente, consentendo di concentrare le risorse su alcuni luoghi ben definiti. Si può così costruire una città intensa e verde allo stesso tempo, capace di nutrire i suoi abitanti e capace di produrre la pressione urbana sufficiente ad attivarne gli spazi pubblici

Evaluación conjunta de la población de la anchoa del Mar Adriático septentrional y central: comparación entre dos métodos de dinámica poblacional

Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus, L.) is one of the most important commercial species of the northern and central Adriatic Sea, as well as one of the most productive fisheries in the whole Mediterranean. In the Adriatic Sea the stock of anchovy is shared between Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. A joint stock assessment was carried out using catch data from all the fleets for the time interval 1975-2009. Analyses were performed using estimates of natural mortality at age obtained by means of two different methods and two population dynamics methods based on the analysis of catch-at-age data: Laurec-Sheperd virtual population analysis (VPA) and integrated catch-at-age (ICA), both tuned to acoustic estimates of abundance. Gislason’s estimates for natural mortality appeared to be more realistic and were thus preferred for short-lived species. The general trend of biomass and fishing mortality is similar for the two models, highlighting the major collapse of the stock in 1987. Nevertheless, ICA has enough flexibility to combine all the data available without adding too much complexity in comparison with a VPA approach and seems to perform better in terms of the spawning stock biomass/recruitment relationship and diagnostics (i.e. the retrospective pattern). For the stock status, the exploitation rate from ICA is higher than the suggested threshold of 0.4 proposed by Patterson for small pelagic species.La anchoa (Engraulis encrasicolus, L.) es una de las especies comerciales más importantes del mar Adriático central y septentrional, a la vez que es una de las actividades pesqueras más productivas en todo el Mediterráneo. La población de anchoa en el mar Adriático es compartida por Croacia, Italia y Eslovenia: una evaluación conjunta de la población fue realizada usando los datos de captura de todas las flotas para el periodo 1975-2009. Se efectuaron análisis usando estimaciones de la mortalidad natural por edad obtenidos mediante dos métodos diferentes y dos métodos de dinámica poblacional basados en el análisis de datos de captura por edad: Análisis de Población Virtual (VPA) de Laurec-Sheperd y Análisis de Captura Integrada por Edad (ICA), ambos acordados en las estimaciones acústicas de la abundancia. Las estimaciones de mortalidad natural de Gislason aparentaban ser más realísticas y por lo tanto daba preferencia a especies de vida corta. La tendencia general de la biomasa y de la mortalidad por pesca es similar en los dos modelos, destacando la fuerte disminución de la población en 1987. Sin embargo, ICA permite una flexibilidad suficiente para combinar todos los datos disponibles sin agregar excesivas complejidades con respecto al enfoque VPA y aparenta un mejor desempeño en términos de relación de SSB-R y en términos of diagnósticos (por ejemplo: el patrón retrospectivo). En relación al estado de la población, la tasa de explotación del ICA es más alta que el umbral sugerido de 0.4 propuesto por Patterson para las especies de pequeños pelágicos

House of Memory

Of all building materials in the world, brick is one of the most enduring and ubiquitous. Traces of brickmaking date back to 7500 BC and fired brick first made its appearance in about 3500 BC. Since then, the trusty brick has shown amazing resilience and remains one of the mainstays of contemporary architecture. Rooted in tradition in countries as different as China and the Netherlands, it is inexpensive, flexible in use, and can also be ecologically fabricated. This comprehensive two-volume set tours the world to cover the most exciting and innovative brick buildings of the past 15 years, from Argentina to New Zealand. True to all TASCHEN architecture tomes, it includes new talents like Argentina’s Diego Arraigada and Vietnam’s Nguyen Hai Long as well as established starchitects such as Tadao Ando and Peter Zumthor. Featured buildings showcase the variety of brick applications across cultural, domestic, infrastructure, and leisure spaces, including Tate Modern Switch House by Herzog & De Meuron, Tidy Architects’ Amorio Restaurant in Santiago, and Mass Design Group’s Maternity Waiting Village in Kasungu, Malawi

Die Architektur der Stadt. Das nicht gehaltene Versprechen

1966 veröffentlichte Aldo Rossi Die Architektur der Stadt. Das mindeste, was sich dazu sagen lässt, ist, dass es ein Buch voller Mängel ist: konfus, voller Redundanzen, ohne klare Aussage. Und dennoch setzte sich Rossis Buch mit der Zeit durch – ohne dass jemand genau wüsste warum – als Grundlagentext, ja sogar als Klassiker. Die französische Architekturhistorikerin Françoise Choay hat Die Architektur der Stadt 1988 als eine „Blütenlese der Absurditäten“ bezeichnet. Was hier wahrscheinlich als reiner Affront gemeint war, enthält jedoch ein zutreffendes Urteil, das eine wesentliche Eigenschaft von Rossis Buch erfasst: Es ist tatsächlich eine Blütenlese, eine Sammlung disparater Elemente, die zusammen ein Bild ergeben, das schemenhaft erscheint, ohne sich zur Gänze zu enthüllen. In dem Buch wird tatsächlich keine präzise Theorie formuliert, keine Methode dargelegt, vielmehr entdeckt Rossi irgendetwas. Hier und da tauchen Fragmente auf (oft lapidare, zusammenhanglose Sätze), die scheinbar einen völlig neuen Horizont für die moderne Architektur eröffnen. Allerdings bleibt der neue Sinnzusammenhang, ganz gleich wie kategorisch er dargelegt wird, ziemlich unklar. Die Architektur der Stadt ist ein seltsames Buch: Einerseits kann man es nicht beliebig interpretieren, anderseits ist es nicht einfach, alle Teile zusammenzufügen. Das Buch bildet eine Landschaft, in der sich Unschärfe und Klarheit abwechseln. Man ist versucht, Die Architektur der Stadt wie eine Stadt zu lesen, die aus diffusen, ja sogar ziemlich mittelmäßigen Vierteln und regelrechten Monumenten besteht. Wenn man derselben These folgt, die Rossi zu formulieren vergessen hat, ist Die Architektur der Stadt ein aus Einzelteilen zusammengefügtes Buch. Diese fragile theoretische Konstruktion, die im Buch nur angedeutet bleibt, wird von Rossi – der bald darauf (mit dem Friedhof von Modena) eine neue und weniger interessante Schaffensperiode beginnt – nicht weiterentwickelt. Rossis spätere Karriere ist, aus der Perspektive dessen, was sie 1966 versprach, ziemlich enttäuschend. Gelegentlich taucht in seinem Werk noch eine merkwürdige Größe auf (wie beim Hotel in Fukuoka oder beim Theater Carlo Felice in Genua), aber insgesamt ist es nicht das, was man sich von Rossis weiterem Weg hatte versprechen können. Alles gleitet ins Autobiographische ab. Kollektive Gespenster werden zu privaten Gespenstern. Die Figuren der Erinnerung werden nicht mehr geteilt, sie sind der Abnutzung durch die Sprache, dem Verrat an der Bedeutung unterworfen. Dieser Text unternimmt den Versuch, den verworrenen Aufbau und die mögliche Weiterentwicklung von Rossis theoretischem Hauptwerk zu verstehen, auch unter Berücksichtigung der Fehler, die letztendlich dazu führten, dass das Buch sein Potential nicht voll entfalten konnte. Das Buch enthält nämlich etwas, das verloren gegangen ist. Wir haben das Recht, es wieder aufzuspüren.