Introverted and knotted spaces within modern and contemporary urban fabrics: passages, gallerias and covered squares

The scenic plaza mayor shares with the theater organisms some formative characters, since they both derive from a transformation, by knotting, of pre-existing buildings and fabrics. This architectural transformation is generated, at the beginning, by a change in the modalities of using public space. As for the corral de comedias, the process is due to the sedentarization of the theatrical practice, which abandons the itinerant dimension of the street to move inside the buildings (such as private homes and palaces). The original corral de comedias was in fact set up inside an open place that could be covered, and this feature became permanent  over time, creating a new building type. Similarly, since the sixteenth century,  squares became the fundamental location of Spanish civic life as well as they hosted all sorts of political, religious and festive representations, but also the venue of executions. For this purpose, namely to allow people to watch such events, the squares were transformed, by raising temporary walls and walkways. In some cases, like Tembleque and San Carlos del Valle, they began to realize permanent continuous balconies, with solutions that seem to have followed the same morphological evolution of corrales de comedias. In both cases it was necessary to unify different elements (buildings or rooms) and connect them to each other, through a process of “knotting”, in order to create a new organism. Over time the physiognomy of the spaces, originally open,  assumed the permanent characters of a new type, closed and similar to the courtyard of a “palazzo”.Falsetti, M.; Ciotoli, P. (2018). Introverted and knotted spaces within modern and contemporary urban fabrics: passages, gallerias and covered squares. En 24th ISUF International Conference. Book of Papers. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/ISUF2017.2017.5913OC

Le Corbusier Roof-Spaces

[EN] From technical solution, the roof-garden became a key spatial theme within Le Corbusier’s work and creativity, evolving to become a fundamental component of his vision for the contemporary city. The roof garden is an open space in which to cultivate both the mind and body, and to experience a direct relationship with nature; through plants, the sky, and the sun, the urban and the natural world are combined together in the surroundings. This article follows the principal steps of Le Corbusier’s research, starting with his initial experimentation in his own apartment studio in rue Nungesser-et-Coli, through to the complex development at the Unité. It follows how the roof garden becomes an optical device toward the horizon and a strong evocative instrument. The relationship with the nature and the horizon are the key of readings of several selected design projects which demonstrate at the same time the continuity of the research and the richness of the variations on the theme itself. The roof garden is one of the most fertile topics of Le Corbusier’s legacy, evident in contemporary architectural developments.[ES] A partir de una solución técnica, el roof-garden se convierte en el tema central del trabajo y de la poética de Le Corbusier, evolucionando para convertirse en un componente fundamental de su visión de la ciudad contemporánea. El roofgarden es un espacio abierto en el que el hombre puede cultivar la mente y el cuerpo, donde se puede experimentar una relación directa con la naturaleza -la vegetación, a través de las plantas, el cielo, el sol, el urbano -y el mundo natural se combinan juntos en los alrededores. Este texto sigue los pasos principales de la investigación de Le Corbusier , partiendo de las experimentaciones iniciales -en su apartamento-estudio en la rue Nungesser-et-Coli- hasta el complejo desarrollado en la Unité. El texto sigue como el roof garden se convierte en un dispositivo óptico hacia el horizonte y en un gran instrumento evocativo. La relación con la naturaleza y el horizonte son las claves de lectura de varios proyectos seleccionados que muestran a la vez la continuidad de la investigación y la riqueza de las variaciones sobre el tema. El roof garden es uno de los temas más vivos del legado de Le Corbusier, también de gran importancia hoy en la arquitectura contemporánea.Como, A.; Smeragliuolo Perrotta, L.; Forni, I. (2016). Le Corbusier Roof-Spaces. En LE CORBUSIER. 50 AÑOS DESPUÉS. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 441-460. https://doi.org/10.4995/LC2015.2015.960OCS44146

Evaluation & Criticism: Transversal Comparative Approach to Middle-Class Mass Housing

The COST-Action (CA 18137) on Middle Class Mass Housing in Europe (MCMH-EU) has established a transnational scientific network to document the productions of middle-class mass housing built in Europe since the 1950s in order to investigate this specific topic and share knowledge. Considering that middle-class mass housing dominates most of our cities, the research translates into the study of the extensive development of cities in Europe after World War II. The breadth of the theme and the differences between the countries make it difficult to construct a systematic and unified criticism of middle-class mass housing, albeit concentrating on the post-war period. The COST-Action has the goal to build a network to gather research representing the pooled knowledge and experiences from the network of multidisciplinary researchers. So, transversally throughout the Working Groups, an inventory of case studies, a collection of articles, and studies on the policies were produced. This paper elaborates on the collected and produced material and data in order to trigger comparisons and reflections on the approaches and methodologies to face the complexity of middle-class mass housing topic. The comparison was built by using different methods intersecting multiple points of view and following specific thematic tracks that seek to deconstruct the complexity of the middle-class mass housing topic into singular aspects. This paper presents the results of data analyses, visualisation techniques and comparative studies to identify massification processes, morphological structures, demographic and policy developments. It shows a combination of several methods to build a cross-sectional and systematic approach to the diverse knowledge envisioned to develop a methodology for future research. This can be especially useful for future developments and insights towards joint or individual European guidelines, laws and policies to improve the dilapidated housing stock, current housing situation and to compete the housing crisis in general

Evaluation & Criticism

The COST-Action (CA 18137) on Middle Class Mass Housing in Europe (MCMH-EU) has established a transnational scientific network to document the productions of middle-class mass housing built in Europe since the 1950s in order to investigate this specific topic and share knowledge. Considering that middle-class mass housing dominates most of our cities, the research translates into the study of the extensive development of cities in Europe after World War II. The breadth of the theme and the differences between the countries make it difficult to construct a systematic and unified criticism of middle-class mass housing, albeit concentrating on the post-war period. The COST-Action has the goal to build a network to gather research representing the pooled knowledge and experiences from the network of multidisciplinary researchers. So, transversally throughout the Working Groups, an inventory of case studies, a collection of articles, and studies on the policies were produced. This paper elaborates on the collected and produced material and data in order to trigger comparisons and reflections on the approaches and methodologies to face the complexity of middle-class mass housing topic. The comparison was built by using different methods intersecting multiple points of view and following specific thematic tracks that seek to deconstruct the complexity of the middle-class mass housing topic into singular aspects. This paper presents the results of data analyses, visualisation techniques and comparative studies to identify massification processes, morphological structures, demographic and policy developments. It shows a combination of several methods to build a cross-sectional and systematic approach to the diverse knowledge envisioned to develop a methodology for future research. This can be especially useful for future developments and insights towards joint or individual European guidelines, laws and policies to improve the dilapidated housing stock, current housing situation and to compete the housing crisis in general

Fibre reinforced mortar application for out-of-plane strengthening of schist walls

The aim of the present work is to assess the effectiveness of an innovative strengthening technique for the rehabilitation of masonry buildings deficiently prepared to resist to loading conditions typical of seismic events. This technique is based on the application of outer layers of fibre reinforced mortar (FRM) by spray technology and it is used for increasing the load carrying capacity and deformation ability of masonry elements. For this purpose three almost real scale schist walls prototypes were strengthened and tested. The experimental program is described and the relevant results are presented and discussed. For estimating the properties of the schist walls and FRM taking into account the application conditions, the tested prototypes were simulated with a FEM-based computer program that has constitutive models for the simulation of the nonlinear behaviour of these materials. By using the derived properties, a parametric study was conducted to identify the influence of the FRM properties on the performance of the proposed strengthening system.The author wish to acknowledge CiviTest, Lda (Jesufrei, Portugal) for supporting the experimental program, the sustain provided by INOTEC - Innovative material of ultra-high ductility for the rehabilitation of the built patrimony, QREN project number 23024, and the collaboration of the companies Owens Corning, Exporplas, Sika, Chryso and SECIL for providing, respectively, glass fibres, polypropylene fibres, superplasticizers, Viscous Modifier Agent, and Cement. The authors further wish to acknowledge the Erasmus Plus and Placement Mobility Programs among the University of Ferrara (Italy), the University of Minho (Portugal) and the CiviTest Lda (Portugal) which made this international cooperation possible

The Voyage and the House. The search of Place by Bernard Rudofsky

This text focuses on the work of the modern Austrian architect Bernard Rudofsky, exploring his reflections and investigation on domestic space, showing how his ideas about modern housing were inspired by and evolving from his travels, and therefore considering questions of location and time as strongly connected to the design process. The voyage was for Rudofsky a way of thinking, an intellectual and physical experience. From his travels all over the world, looking at spaces and buildings of all the times, he brings back images, ways of living, which constitutes a fragmented collage of architectural experience from various countries and cultures. From this collage he develops new design ideas, exploring the possibility of reviewing the modern way of habitation. Rudofsky explored different ways of occupying and using the spaces. His designs - the villa Oro, the house in Procida, the house in Positano, the hotel in Capri, (Italy), the Frontini and Arnstein houses (Brasil), his own house in Spain, and the Nivola house in New York - represent radical investigation in the domestic space, radicalizing the relationship with nature (in particular with the ground), and conceiving the spaces as strongly related to the actual physical and sensorial experience. The research is based on material from the Getty Center Archive, Los Angeles, where most of Rudofsky’s work material is kept

Replay. Riflessioni sui corsi di Composizione.

Il progetto di architettura prima di essere soluzione specifica e risposta concreta e formale, è atto critico e interpretativo della realtà. Mi è sempre piaciuto molto il modo con cui Beatriz Colomina (in ArchitectureProduction) spiega il suo cos’è architettura: parlando del Labirinto scrive che il vero architetto non è colui che l’ha progettato e realizzato –Dedalo-, quanto colei che l’ha interpretato e compreso, ovvero Arianna che attraverso il filo ne rivela la vera essenza, individuandone il meccanismo e il principio. I corsi di progetto sono il luogo in cui la riflessione deve avvenire attraverso il processo del fare. Rispetto alla contrapposizione tra un corso-atelier incentrato sulla figura dell’architetto-maestro e quello frazionato nelle varie componenti specialistiche, si intende affermare la centralità del corso di progettazione e l’essenza di luogo di riflessione e sperimentazione dell’architettura, spazio di ricerca e di confronto nel processo del fare

Porosità ai margini: investigazioni Napoli di Walter Benjamin

Traduzione di un articolo seminale di lettura del testo Napoli di Benjamin e Lacis da parte del filosofo australiano Andrew Benjami

Richard Burdett: la mia idea di città. Intervista a cura di Alessandra Como.

Intervista a Richard Burdett sulle trasformazioni della città di Londra