Thesis Project - Politecnico Di Milano - Master of Architecture Built Environment

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Benyamin Nemati Supervised by Andrea Tartaglia

Poiltecnico Di Milano Scuola di Architettura Urbanistica Ingegneria delle Costruzioni Architecture - Built Environment - Interiors - MI

Non-Stop Station A research project on the role of railway in modern cities focusing on East-Side Milan Railway as the case study

Supervisor: Andrea Tartaglia Student: Benyamin Nemati

AA. 2021/2022

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Index

1.

Pilot

1.1 Establishing the topic 1.2.1 Urban transformation of Milan 1.2.2 Historical and cartographical analysis of railway in Milan 1.3.1 Case study introduction: Why East-Side Milan?

1.3.2 East-Side Milan contextual analysis 1.3.3 East-Side Milan railway 2.

Close-Reading

2.1

Physicality/Mass: Physical analysis of the railway as an autonomous object Contextual/spatial: The spatial analysis of railway’s surroundings

2.2 3.

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Critical-Reading

3.1.1 Architectural perspective on railway and the city 3.1.2 Division - Barrier / Transition - Threshold 3.1.3 Mobility and Linear Architecture 3.1.4 Grey or Green?

Mobility and Landscape Infrastructure 3.1.5 Potentiating Railway Typology: Case studies 4.

Application

4.1 4.2

Manifesto: Meta Project - Railway Typology Non-Stop Station: Focused projects in real situation of Milan

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Abstract

How to describe in a nutshell the main and ultimate goal of this thesis? In this research the presence of railways in cities and the inevitable consequences they bring to urban area has been critically rethought through the lens of architecture. Railway primarily is considered a mobility infrastructure and one of the most significant part of transportation system in modern cities.

Nevertheless, their form and function is fundamentally based on technical codes for trains and mobility system. This coupled with essential constructive codes, make railways a series of generic objects bearing the same look all over the world. Therefore, irrespective of the urban area they are located, the spatial issues created by railways tend to fall into the same categories of problems. The role of railways in modern cities as the primary focus of this research is analyzed from an architectural perspective to find the most effective solution toward this phenomena.

To tackle this problem it is necessary defining a framework by which the thesis can be based on. Hence railway in east-side Milan has been chosen as the primary case study for a twofold reason: First, the railway has significantly shaped urban development of urban Milan. Second, this railway in shape of an embankment performs as an urban barrier dividing most parts of the city. Its strong and concrete presence as a significant urban object in the urban fabric of Milan and the spatial issues it creates in surroundings spaces is the driving force of this thesis.

Railway in East-Side Milan is conceived as an example to understand this problem in a more efficient manner. Hence it is subjected to a series of analysis that identify its issues and discover its potential factors. The primary historical and cartographical analysis followed by a careful formal and spatial close-reading of the railway conducted in the first and second chapter states that railway embankment in east-side Milan is an urban barrier devoid of any architectural principle. Subsequently in the third chapter, the inevitable problem of typology for railway infrastructure is discussed to the full through different architectural standpoints.

These critical-readings followed by a careful study of different projects dealing with similar issues paves the ground for the ultimate chapter of this thesis.

In the final and ultimate chapter entitled "application" all the previous studies and theories converge to envision an alternative reality for the railway. These accompanied with a deep study on the problem of typology in architecture combined with the most important aspects of mobility create a basis by which a meta project is envisioned. This project which is conceived in a conceptual site creates the basis for the final chapter of this thesis. In this proposal all the theories and hypothesis discussed in the initial chapters have been realized in two different zones of east-side Milan to understand how the new proposed typology is able to transform the real situation of the railway in a city like Milan.

1 PILOT Transformation of the city and the impact of railway infrastructure.

1.1 Establishing the topic

Reading through history and by analyzing urban developments in the city it is noteworthy to say that the construction of the infrastructure, especially railroads has never been the task of architects. Evidently engineers control the design techniques and standardization as the final product in the city. Although through out history it is possible to find the roots of mobility as the fundamental principle shaping modern cities, architects concerned in different architectural paradigms never managed to shape and design in detail the topic of railway.

Approximately from the second half of XIXth century and due to the needs to change the role of stations as solely a shelter for trains to a gate for modern cities, train stations walked into the theme of architecture from being a merely engineering piece of structure in the cities. This is followed by the construction of the first underground railways such as metros which required a different architectural approach.

Considering the increase of traffic flow and number of cars in the XXth century railway continues to be a popular means of public transportation in the city. In being so by expansion of the cities, railways well-articulated or not remain an important part of the city. This is accompanied by the fact that a considerable amount of the surface of the city is covered by the railways and railyards.

The period of reconstruction after the 2nd world war have been a great moment to revise the planning of infrastructures in the cities. Evidently roads and railways in this period continued to be functional and provide the easy accessibility. Even though the stations transformed to be an interesting theme of architecture and have become multifunctional spaces by providing public amenities to the cities, in architectural standpoint no particular change occurred around the topic of railroad buildings and the surrounding spaces even if they are positioned inside the urban fabric.

The most important problem which can be established in this regard is the consequences caused by the presence of railway as an infrastructural element in urban context. In order to understand the topic and turn railway into a project of architecture it is crucial to distinguish the two different characters of the railway. Which are

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firstly the engineering and infrastructural aspect to accommodate new type of transportation and secondly the role of railway as the fundamental part of mobility to shape cities in the standpoint of modern urbanism and architecture.

In this thesis the presence of railway in urban context is criticized in different point of view in order to pave the ground for the ultimate architectural hypothesis.

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1.2.1 Urban transformation of Milan

Milan as one of the largest cities in Italy is known to be one of the main urban settlements in Europe as well. Its complex urban growth through the time has led Milan to have this so-called irregular urban plan. The city grew from its original limits and always in radial urban sprawl.

Founded around 400 B.C. by Gauls, occupied in 222 B.C. by the Romans. Like all the medieval cities and for the sake of protection and defense, the city constructed a series of walls and developed outward the core. Medieval walls were built at the end of XII century and later in 1546, under Spanish domination, the construction of a new military belt of bastions was undertaken, these walls being external and concentric to the preceding ones and connected to the castle. [Fig.1] The first industrial and urban development of the city of Milano in the period between 1880-1915 was the development of the new railways for regional and international trains. Beruto plan 1889 and Pavia-Masera plan 1912 have been the first two regulatory plans of Milan. They demonstrated and registered the expansion of the city with a continuity around the historical core. In these plans the new headquarters affairs and trade were in historical center while workers district and new factories were in the suburbs and on the nodes around the rail. [Fig.2] At the end of 19th century to avoid the growing up city out of control through outside of city walls, the first “Piano Regolatore” was designed by Cesare Beruto. This ring is 900/1500 m from the city walls which is wider on the north part than south part due to fact that the terrain is better to build on the north part. This plan is very important because it define the spatial identity of the city which is the basic form of nowadays Milano. He made an analogy between the tree and city of Milano like growing up with the rings. The biggest flaw of this concept had was the fact that the ring considers only the space inside and does not consider the upcoming urban expansion. And the railways were not developed as well. The Pavia-Masera plan reconfigured the railways and made possible the construction of new stations such as Milano Centrale and Lancetti. Pavia- Masera made only an extension to the existing ring, a banal idea to support only the urbanization by increasing its

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[Fig.1] Roman walls (yellow), Medieval walls (light blue), Spanish walls (blue)

dimension from 20km to the 40 km without stablishing a defined city planning. Even though it considered the basic structure of the city and gave a new direction to the urban expansion, the future expansions outward the ring had not been foreseen neither in this map.

Due to the demographic expansion at the beginning of the XX century, it was necessary to formulate a master plan for land-use: in these years the city spread outside of the Spanish walls. In the fascist age, the predominant tendency was a radical redesigning of both roads and building systems of the center, in order to have better economic exploitation of the land, in addition to the realization of a complex grid of roads and building structures outside of the walls. The new master plan, designed between 1931 and 1934, covered the town’s administrative boundaries almost completely, except for the most southern section occupied by flourishing agricultural firms. Later, the Agricultural Park “Milan South” will be instituted, in order to restrict urban development in the southern part of the Province of Milan.

In the period between the two World Wars, the tendency in urban

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[Fig.2] The scheme of Beruto plan approved in 1889 and on the right the scheme of Pavia-Masera plan (1912)

development was to expand toward the outside, until connected to the other villages in the proximity of Milan along the main roads: in this way, the well-known conurbation that characterizes Milan appears.

In the last years, urban sprawl has partially stopped, even if development continues following the same patterns of settlement.

This is since even if the individual municipalities regulate urban planning, the master plans are not being fully coordinated with a larger plan, which should be the plan of the metropolitan area.

Milan is a dynamic city, and this feature is defined by its leading attitude towards innovation. Although the political and urban system of Milano in the last 2 decades has not been capable of dealing with its dynamism through implementing a unique urban planning approach, the diversity and plurality of economic and cultural actors in the city has created a network of possible driving force. For instance, universities, third sector associations, banking and insurance companies and foundations.

This “polyarchy” of public and private actors has been able to trigger a deep social and economic change, despite the institutions’ delay in using a strategic approach, through the mobilization of local resources and foreign investments, talents and technologies (Armondi, De Vita, 2018).

In this manner, the urban development of Milan comprised

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of a network of public, semi-public and private actors which by means of introducing new narratives within the city contribute to urban growth. In fact, the current mixed-development pattern model is constituted the traditional pro-growth approach of the previous administrations. This new model takes into consideration civil society’s mobilization, internationalization, support of new initiatives and the reuse of vacant spaces in the city.

Consequently, in the last years Milano saw the appearance of new working space, such as co-working, FabLabs, makerspace, hybrid spaces (BASE Milano, Open – Non solo libri, Mare Milano) financed by private actors but able to interweave a relationship with the local grassroots, sometimes even restoring abandoned buildings. (Giambelli, Grandis, 2018) The urban transformation of Milan is not just summarized in territorial and large-scale episodes supported by big financial and insurance companies, but also there exist multiple smallscale and local transformations that is mainly represented by third sector and cultural bodies, for instance universities and foundations. Nevertheless, this multiplicity of narratives of urban transformation has never been able to answer the variable and multifaceted character of the city. The slowness of this city is actually the outcome of a molecular frenzy (Boeri S., 2007). Due to the problem of speed and delay in large urban transformation, the development and social innovation in the city is triggered by the constant molecular and small-scale transformation that can create instant and vibrant urban pieces.

One of the most significant outcomes of Milan’s urban strategy is the fact that although the multiple narratives and episodes of transformation have put the neighborhoods in a continuum livability, the created spaces and urban elements are often just trying to support the infrastructure of the city which led these spaces to be less multi functional and interactive which other activities.

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1.2.2 Historical and cartographical analysis of railway in Milan

As with many other modern cities, the history of Milan, the economic capital of Italy, is tightly tied with the development of its far-reaching and increasingly sophisticated rail networks. And as in many early rail developments, Milan’s networks started with the construction of separate terminals for short, isolated lines and no clear network vision.

When Milan opened its first railway in the 1840s, it had barely 200,000 inhabitants, only slightly more than in the mid-sixteenth century, in an area of 8.5 km2 (three square miles). It was the provincial capital of a peripheral Austrian province, periodically shaken by the turbulent period of revolutions and wars that soon brought Italian unification in 1861.

When its rail age began, Milan already had a strong manufacturing tradition, and was surrounded by a prosperous agricultural hinterland of well-established towns and cities. Its population growth was split between a strong dense core of multistory apartment blocks and a nearby suburbanisation centred on a cluster of cities. This dense network of towns and cities is one legacy of an early prosperity and the high levels of urbanisation that characterise the Italian peninsula during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. For that reason, Milan had developed a dense interurban tramway system to connect the city with those growing pre-existing urban settlements. These four maps demonstrate Milan’s growth into its hinterland, largely attracted to the Alpine Piedmont region to the north. [fig.3] On August 17th, 1840, when Milan was still part of the Italian provinces of the Austrian Empire, the first rail line in northern Italy, a 15 km line connecting Milan to Monza, opened to the public.

Officially named Imperial-Regia Privilegiata Strada Ferrata da Milano a Monza, the line terminated just outside Milan’s Porta Nuova gate along the Spanish Walls (Bastioni Spagnoli), built by the Spanish rulers of Milan in the mid 16th century and still marking the city boundaries at the time. In 1846, a second station was opened outside Porta Tosa gate as the western terminal of the first stretch of the Imperial Regia Privilegiata Strada Ferrata Ferdinandea Lombardo-Veneta Milano-Venezia – also called the Milan-Venice rail line. [Fig.4]

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[Fig.3] Milan, black lines are railways,urban areas are dark grey. Centro Studi PIM

In 1851, after only few years in service, the Porta Nuova station was rebuilt to accommodate both the Milan-Monza and the MilanComo rail terminals. The continuous development of new lines continued with railways to Venice, Turin, Bologna, and Genoa.

This prompted a rationalisation of the Milan’s rail terminals, with the construction of a new, large, modern Stazione Centrale (central station) situated just outside the northern city walls, 400m east of Porta Nuova, to be shared by the major private railway concessionaires. The foundation stone was laid in September 1857.

In 1859, the line from Turin, then capital of the Kingdom of

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Piedmont, reached Porta Nuova as its temporary terminus. Only a few months later, during the Second War of Independence and while Stazione Centrale was still under construction, the two existing terminals, Porta Nuova and Porta Tosa, were temporarily connected by the French and Piedmontese armies. For the first time, all the lines converging to Milan were connected in a single network, even if temporarily. Finally, the new Stazione Centrale, with its Second Empire architectural touch, was opened in 1864

by Vittorio Emanuele II, first King of Italy, as the unified terminus of the growing network of lines connecting the city to the rest of the newborn country.

In the following years, Milan kept growing and so did its rail network. In 1870, the line from Genoa was inaugurated, terminating in a new station in the south near Porta Ticinese. Three years later, the line was extended along the western limits of the city, to connect with the other lines at Stazione Centrale and to reach the newly built dedicated freight yard at Garibaldi, testifying to the growing importance of Milan as the manufacturing hub of the north. This finally connected the city directly with the new country’s most important seaport.

By the end of the decade, a new central rail terminal, erected not far from the Sforzesco Castle, was opened for the new rail lines leading north to Erba and Saronno. It was built by the Società Anonima Ferrovie Milano-Saronno e Milano-Erba, later renamed Società Anonima per le Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM), one of several private concessionaires with Belgian and French capital that spurred the development of local rail networks around Milan, Rome, and Naples in the decades between 1870 and 1920. The FNM network kept growing in the following decades as a complementary system connecting Milan with the quickly industrialising and densely populated Big Lakes region bordering Switzerland to the north-west. It was mainly intended as a bypass route for freight traffic serving new yards situated on the south and west, avoiding the already overcrowded Stazione Centrale. The great depression of the 1880s slowed down the growth of the rail network for more than a decade, but the southern part of the ring was finally completed in 1904, right on the eve of the 1905 Italian

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railways nationalisation.

The complete ring did not last long, unfortunately. Even before being completed, the rail ring was poised for a short life in a fastgrowing city. The Belle Époque, also known as the Liberal era, was characterized by the progressive democratization of political life, an overall modernization of the country, and what some economists consider the first Italian economic miracle, concentrated in the ‘Industrial Triangle’ of Milan, Turin, and Genoa. As Milan was growing quickly both in population and in size, this second rail ring was a wall already too tight for a city that had demolished the Spanish walls just two decades earlier to make room for the intensive construction of homes and factories. By the 1890s, local politicians, landowners, and economic interests had already started to lobby the government for a large-scale restructuring of the rail network around Milan, pushing it further out and freeing up space in the city. [Fig.5] Studies for an overall reorganization of the rail layout around Milan had already started in 1889 by the Ministry of Public Works. But the project only gained momentum after the 1905 nationalization of the major private railway concessionaires creating the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) rail network which united all of Italy’s intercity railways. [Fig.6] The entire reorganization of the Milan railway hub took two decades to come into fruition. Part of the new northern ring was opened right before the onset of the WWI and the eastern one was partially opened in 1918. But the deep economic and political crisis that ensued in the early 1920s delayed the commissioning of the new Milano Stazione Centrale until 1931. The old Stazione Centrale and the former rail ring were demolished in the following years and replaced by what is today Piazza della Repubblica and a long, wide boulevard. A smaller station was built a few hundred meters west of the demolished one, mainly as the terminus of electric trains heading to Varese, nicknamed ‘Varesine’ station, that has survived to today. After the demolition of the first ring, it took more than 70 years to see trains coming back along this central axis, although in a very different way. [Fig.7]

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[Fig.4] Birth of Milan’s rail network in red, city walls in black, & waterways (Navigli) in light blue. Marco Chitti

[Fig.5] The first private railway (FNM) breaches Milan’s medieval walls, 1883. Marco Chitti

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[Fig.6] Closing the circle on Milan’s railway network, 1904. Marco Chitti

[Fig.7] Former ring railway in light red dashes, 1931.

Marco Chitti

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1.3.1 Case study introduction: Why East Side Milano?

Milan is interesting since each cardinal point means a specific set of particularities that can be studied and isolated. We can see that the city is continuous to the north, along the main axis of mobility, and is interrupted in the south by the presence of a large agricultural park. The east is a combination of these two parameters, being the perfect area of investigation when we intend to deal with diverse and often conflicting elements. It is also the place where most of the arriving population concentrates.

Analyzing a territory, object and a city can be undertaken through reading the history, considering the current situation and predicting the future changes. One of the best ways to best know the two later principles is through Milan PGT. The new plan of the city which inspect the city and look thoughtfully the diverse characteristics of it. Milan is eclectic, not-homogeneous city comprised of different typological and morphological orders and different lifestyles as well. The new plan of Milan provides a new set of rules and try to define the future character that city will have.

According to studies and PGT, the region distinguished in 5 sectors, that each one of them varies in morphological shape and way of life: [Fig.8] 1.

Consolidated city: This is the part of the city surrounded by the Spanish walls (1546-1560). The planimetry and the character of this territory is constructed by the superimposition of buildings ranging from roman settlements (Mediolanum) to nowadays contemporary structures. The main core of Milan with the high concentration of services and amenities.

2. Città lineare est del Lambro: The recollection of different territories and cities over the east side This area is important industrially and in terms of infrastructure. Despite the industrial character, this area is well known for the landscape and natural resources as well.

3. Foglia della Brianza: Due to its strategical location in the northern part of the city, this territory contributes to the economy, industry and tourism through creating a connection with the important cities in the north.

4. Parco Sud: On the contrary to the Zone 3 this territory due to its

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[Fig.8] The map of the 5 sectors.

richness in agriculture and landscape is a great food source for the other parts of the city and the country in General.

5. Città transversale Nord Milano: Similar to the Zone 2 this area is also a recollection of different cities over the north of Lombardy, and it is crucial due to its industrial character and natural resources.

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1.3.2 East Side Milano contextual analysis

In order to understand and analyze more in depth the urban and contextual features of the area, the maps and the analysis of the PGT becomes essential. The PGT comes with new urban rules.

Hence the application of these rules requires an understanding of the definition of each term. In the following, the definition of two of these rules are described and subsequently they are demonstrated in a map which tries to show the aforementioned definitions in the area of thesis. [Fig.9] -A.T.P. Area di Transformazione Periurbana. Areas with landscape and agricultural production emphasis. They are briefly mentioned on the PGT, being covered by the Norme di Atuazione del Piano Territoriale di Coordinamento del Parco Regionale Parco Agricolo Sud Milano plan.

-A.T.U. Area di Transformazione Urbana. Areas of opportunity that have been chosen by the city as key for development. They reinforce the urban coherence in the city.

Together with Urban Rules and an understanding of the PGT, in the following pages there are maps each demonstrating the provisions on Public space and mobility and they try to show how these considerations change the fabric of the city and the interrelation of each part. [Fig10] [Fig.11] [Fig.12] [Fig.13]

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Caserma Mameli

Greco-Breda

Via don Calabria

Lambrate Rubattino Consolidated Urban Area I’idrocalo

Monlue

Rogoredo

Porto di Mare

Abbazia

[Fig.9] ATU areas in black, ATP areas in medium gray.

Consolidated urban area in light gray.

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[Fig.12] Existing and prevision metro and train lines

[Fig.11] Existing and the previsions considered in PGT for cyclable lane

[Fig.10] Green and Public spaces

[Fig.13] Urban voids, areas of environmental regeneration and new prevision for urban green spaces

1.3.3 East-Side Milano railway

In the second part of this chapter the railway have been analyzed through the lens of history. To study a certain urban object it fundamental to approach it in 2 different ways: The primary cartographical and historical recherches contribute the understanding the way in which it is formed and exited and what have been the potential or problematic issue existed in the past.

The secondary approach is the study of the current situation and characteristics. Understanding the latter is considered the key step to find potential aspects to shape the research and the subsequent steps.

In this last part which can be considered the initial steps to further analyze the case study, a series of a photo-graphical documentation is conducted to better understand the current situation.

The following map demonstrates the area of concentration and the areas by which the railway is surrounded by. [Fig.14] It has been tried to document to the full the urban circulation around the railway to be familiarized with the reality of railway in east-side Milan. In the next following pages the area of case study is divided and has been documented in smaller areas.

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[Fig.14] Map of the streets alongside the railway.

Black lines , adjacent streets. Grey lines, Parallel and disconnected roads. Dashed line, Bridges and spans.

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2 CLOSE-READING Physical and spatial analysis of the railway

2.1 Physicality/Mass: Physical analysis of the railway as an autonomous object

First part of close-reading ESMRailway is conducted through formal deconstruction of its mass. This elemental analysis falls into 2 categories: 1. Connectivity: Railway in ESM is a linear infill path dividing its two sides. Nevertheless alongside the railway there are elements to provide this connectivity. These elements can be analyzed in 3 subjects of Nodes, Crossings and Lines. Nodes are defined as station buildings that provide perpendicular connection and vertical access to the railway track. [Fig.15] [Fig.16] Crossings as the second subject are the underpasses, overpass bridges and tunnels that cross railway building to provide accessibility. [Fig.17] [Fig.18] [Fig.19] Lines instead are the 4 different roads surrounding the railway. These roads can be adjacent and alongside, Turns, dead-ends and parallel. [Fig.20] 2. Typology: ESMRailway is indeed an embankment in urban area of Milan that divides the city. It is a mono-functional object with limited constructive techniques and materiality which creates a weak connection with the city. Although the whole mass is designed with the same technique all over the area of study, it has some formal variations that create different situations. In this part these variations are formally analyzed to better understand the physical characteristics of this railway type.

Reinforced concrete and earth as the two significant elements shaping ESMRailway are formed in concrete walls, parapets, Hills and storage spaces. [Fig.21] [Fig.22] These analysis demonstrate the extent to which the arbitrariness of these formal variations. The solo use of railway embankment for the trains and the fact that it barely communicates with the context states how autonomous is ESMRailway. One of the very reasons regarding this autonomy can be considered the nature of railway which is an engineering and infrastructural object constructed on technical codes for train mobility. In so being, The current form of this railway is devoid of any architectural principles.

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[Fig.15] Nodes: Station Type 1 [Fig.16] Nodes: Station Type 2

[Fig.17] Crossings: Underpasses [Fig.18] Crossings: Overpass Bridges

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[Fig.19] Crosses: Tunnels [Fig.20] Lines: Adjacent Roads

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[Fig.21] Abacus of axonometrix drawings showing different formal variations and the ways railway interact with surrounding.

[Fig.22] Formal analysis of the railway and its relationship with the surrounding.

1. Short Wall + Extended green

2. Short Wall

3. Short Wall + Green Hill

4. Green Hill + Building

5. Divider of Green Land

6. Stretched Green Hill

7. Long Wall

8. Long Wall + Building

9. Long Wall + Green Extention

10. Open Voids

11. Regtangular Spaces

12. Vault Spaces

2.2 Contextual/spatial: The spatial analysis of railway’s surroundings

The second part of close-reading ESMRailway is devoted to the spatial and contextual characteristics of the railway and the surrounding space. Basically, due to the existence of railway in urban area and more importantly the policies regarding the urban transformation of the city over time lead to creation of critical spaces alongside the railway. These critical situations vary according to different criteria which create problematic issues in the long run.

Systematic problems such as, human unfriendly environment, insufficient public settlements and environmental issues are the few most significant outcome of the railway embankment in ESM. To facilitate the process of analysis and to better understand problematic issues alongside the railway, first a list of the most recognizable spatial features have been created and then the area of study has been analyzed through these categories. The outcome of this analysis is useful to understand what are the most important issues caused by the railway in urban area.

The map on the right [Fig.23] demonstrates the concentration of these categories in the area of study. One of the most important outcome of this study is that although the railway has the same shape all over the area, the surrounding issues and situations are fundamentally different and this is due largely to the location where the railway is engaged with. As mentioned earlier the criteria that the area is analyzed through are: [Fig.24] to [Fig.35] 1. Barrier; 2. Urban Morphology; 3. Scale; 4. Urban Voids; 5.

Pedestrian Unfriendly; 6. Limited Cyclist Facilities; 7. Lack of Public Space; 8. Safety; 9. Parking Explosion; 10. Insufficient Local Settlements; 11. Unkempt Greenery; 12. Isolation Among all these issues and considering that the railway is an inflexible urban object, it noticeable that the northern parts where there is more urban density the surrounding space are suffering from systematic and circulation issues such as traffic, lack of public facilities and pedestrian unfriendly environments while more to the south where are the suburban areas the problems are unkempt urban spaces and bigness. This is stating the fact that the current mono-functional and rigid railway embankment is not the proper typological answer to these problems.

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6 LACK OF PUBLIC SPACE 7

LIMITED CYCLIST FACILITY

9 PARKING EXPLOSION

2 URBAN MORPHOLOGY PARKING EXPLOSION

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LACK OF PUBLIC SPACE

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PARKING EXPLOSION 9 UNKEMPT GREENERY 11 LIMITED CYCLIST FACILITY 6 SAFETY 8 LACK OF PUBLIC SPACE 7

9 LIMITED CYCLIST FACILITY 6 PARKING EXPLOSION

9 PARKING EXPLOSION 4 PEDESTRIAN UNFRIENDLY 9 PARKING EXPLOSION 2 URBAN MORPHOLOGY

4 PEDESTRIAN UNFRIENDLY 10 INSUFFICIENT LOCAL SETTELMENTS

4 PEDESTRIAN UNFRIENDLY 8 SAFETY 9 PARKING EXPLOSION

3 URBAN VOIDS 1 BARRIER SCALE LACK OF PUBLIC SPACE LIMITED CYCLIST FACILITY

5 11

7 6

12 ISOLATION

SAFETY 8

LACK OF PUBLIC SPACE

2 URBAN MORPHOLOGY

3 URBAN VOIDS

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SAFETY 8 LIMITED CYCLIST FACILITY 6

4 PEDESTRIAN UNFRIENDLY

3 URBAN VOIDS 11 UNKEMPT GREENERY 1 BARRIER 3 URBAN VOIDS 2 URBAN MORPHOLOGY

4 PEDESTRIAN UNFRIENDLY

LACK OF PUBLIC SPACE

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12 ISOLATION

SCALE

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3 URBAN VOIDS 11 UNKEMPT GREENERY

SAFETY 8

7 5 LIMITED CYCLIST FACILITY 6 LACK OF PUBLIC SPACE SCALE

SAFETY 8

SCALE

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SAFETY 8 LACK OF PUBLIC SPACE LIMITED CYCLIST FACILITY

7 6

4 PEDESTRIAN UNFRIENDLY 3 URBAN VOIDS 11 UNKEMPT GREENERY

1 BARRIER 4 PEDESTRIAN UNFRIENDLY 12 ISOLATION

1 BARRIER

10 INSUFFICIENT LOCAL SETTELMENTS

4 PEDESTRIAN UNFRIENDLY 3 URBAN VOIDS

[Fig.23] Map of the area of study on the existing spatial issues and characteristics along side the railway

[Fig.24] 1. Barrier: The extent to which the railway can be a physical barrier in an urban environment.

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I AM MILANESE!

AM I MILANESE?

[Fig.25] 2. Urban Morphology: The difference in the shape and form of urban blocks on the two sides of the railway.

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[Fig.26] 3. Scale: The problem of bigness and density in suburban areas. This drawing demonstrate the industrial areas around the railway and the growth of box-like volumes.

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[Fig.27] 4. Urban Voids: The presence of unused large urban areas alongside the railway and the need for new urban regeneration in dense urban environment is the focus of this drawing.

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[Fig.28] 5. Pedestrian Unfriendly: Alongside the railway there is a considerable lack of public and pedestrian facilities.

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[Fig.29] 6. Limited Cyclist Facilities: The areas surrounding provide insufficient facilities for private Eco-friendly vehicles.

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[Fig.30] 7. Lack of Public Space: in some areas where railway is more integrated with the city subsequently there is less green space public space provided for the inhabitants.

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[Fig.31] 8. Safety: The areas alongside the railway , the void spaces and tunnels create a severe and harsh environment which lead to an unsafe environment.

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[Fig.32] 9. Parking Explosion: The roads adjacent the railway are narrow and the urgent need for parking area led these roads to be occupied by numerous cars that creates a chaotic car dominated environment.

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[Fig.33] 10. Insufficient Local Settlements: Close to the more wide areas for instance stations, public and local activities are settled in an unorganized and arbitrary manner.

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[Fig.34] 11. Unkempt Greenery: The hills shaping sides of the railway are covered with natural unkempt greenery and are divided with a barrier from the city.

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[Fig.35] 12. Isolation: At the intersection of railways due to engineering and technical codes some triangular neighborhoods are shaped that makes them isolated from the rest of the city.

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3 CRITICAL-READING Theoretical and architectural study of railway in the city

3.1.1 Architectural perspective on railway and the city

In order to approach the topic of railway and the city and to articulate it with architecture, it is crucial to conduct a series of analysis in the standpoint of architecture and the city. To precede with this issue, it is noteworthy to integrate some of the writings and theories issued by Kevin Kynch and Aldo Rossi about the urban facts. Even though the books ‘Architecture of the city’ and ‘The image of the city’ are already forty to fifty years old, are still some the most relevant and important bases for urban analysis and studies.

Kevin Lynch in his book tries to look through the perception of the city while for Aldo Rossi the most important aspect is the construction of the city. In order to understand better the relationship between railway and the city both perception and construction become fundamental. Hence the combination of the positions of the two authors becomes very interesting for this research.

The two complementary positions taken by Aldo Rossi and Kevin Lynch respond to the primary question of: What is the city? the city is a built environment evolved during the time.

‘Like a piece of architecture, the city is a construction in space, but one of vast scale, a thing perceived only in the course of long spans of time’.

‘The city, which is the subject of this book, is to be understood here as architecture. By architecture I mean not only the visible image of the city and the sum of its different architectures, but architecture as construction, the construction of the city over time’.

‘I will now take up the hypothesis of the city as a man-made object, as a work of architecture or engineering that grows over time; this is one of the most substantial hypotheses from which to work’.

The presence of the railway inside the city and more importantly the role of railway inside the city can not be interpreted directly from the texts of these books. Nevertheless, it could be possible to understand how both authors conceive the railway. Kevin Lynch in his book ‘The image of the city’ refers to railway as one kind of path in the city.

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“The contents of the city images so far studied, which are referable to physical forms can conveniently be classified into five types of elements: paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. …These elements may be defined as follows: 1. Paths. Paths are the channels along which the observer customarily, occasionally moves. They may be streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads. …”

The railway for Kevin Lynch as one of the paths is a physically perceptible object along which the city is observed and perceived.

For Aldo Rossi instead railway is considered as an infrastructure, he refers to it as one of the fixed activities in the city.

“To define primary elements is by no means easy. When we study a city, we find that the urban whole tends to be divided according to three principal functions: housing, fixed activities and circulation.

“Fixed activities” include stores, public and commercial buildings, universities, hospitals and school. In addition, the urban literature also speaks of urban equipment, urban standards, services and infrastructures. To simplify matters I will consider fixed activities as included within primary elements.”

According to this text infrastructure as one of the fixed activities is also a primary element, an element by which Rossi defines as such, “…capable of accelerating the process of urbanization in a city, and they also characterize the processes of spatial transformation in an area larger than the city. Often they act as catalysts.” To paraphrase Rossi railway is comprised of a series of buildings constructing an ultimate physical body that all of them are considered a part of a primary element in the city.

Here by articulating the two standpoints regarding the railway it could be possible to consider the architecture of the railway not merely an autonomous object in the urban context but a primary element by which the city is constructed and perceived. Therefore, when it comes the moment of defining the project of architecture the railway as primary element in the city should be able to act as a catalyst of urban development.

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3.1.2 Division - Barrier / Transition - Threshold

Considering the previous analysis on ESMRailway and the fact that its volume plays the role of a barrier in the city, in this part of critical reading the focus is on the definitions of division and boundary. It is crucial to understand to what extent the spontaneous and unplanned act of the railway as a divider can be integrated with architectural principle of division.

As already discussed earlier in the first chapter, city of Milan like many other European cities has been developed through out its inner walls. The three important walls ( The roman, Medieval and The Spanish ) have been subjected to demolition due to the need for urbanization and growth. Although city walls primarily has been served for military purposes, define and shape the morphology of the city through dividing it with rest of the world. Nevertheless, there’s they are no use nowadays as there is no need for such protection. City walls doesn’t exist anymore in modern urban regeneration programs but there are elements that substitute them in other forms and shapes.

This is the same case in Milan but with a slight difference that there exists the 4th wall in the city that has never been recognized as city wall which serves for protection. The eastern Ring of railroad as an embankment in the city and the existing tunnels represent the modem form of perimeter walls and city gates respectively.

It is contradictory how the item of mobility which is considered a connector can also be consider as a divider of lands.

Although it may sound extreme, interpretation of ESMRailway as a wall help to define its position in architectural standpoint. Wall as one of the primary elements of architecture has always been subjected to research. Robin Evans in his article on “wall” in history of architecture starts with the Great wall of China. He says: “It will deal with a strange way in which human beings render their world inhabitable by circumscribing and forgetting about those parts of it that offend them”, The presence of wall or any form of object that act as a divider in a city can not be as extreme as in case of the Berlin Wall. Its extreme consequences on city and society brings up lots of questions regarding the effects a certain form of a physical barrier can have in a city.

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Berlin wall as an excellent example of a contradictory reality questions the 60’s dream of architecture’s liberating potential. This is the period when the definitions of wall has been reinterpreted in architectural discourse. Rem Koolhaas with his article “The Berlin Wall as Architecture” in 1971 expresses to the fullest the definitions of devision and separation.

“1. In the early seventies, it was impossible not to sense an enormous reservoir of resentment against architecture, with new evidence of its inadequacies - of its cruel and exhausted performance - accumulating daily; looking at the wall as architecture, it was inevitable to transpose the despair, hatred, frustration it inspired to the field of architecture. And it was inevitable to realize that all these expressions - the fanaticism of the tunnel diggers; the resignation of those left behind; the desperate attempts to celebrate conventional occasions, such as marriage, across the divide - were finally all too applicable to architecture itself. The Berlin Wall was a very graphic demonstration of the

[Fig.36] Dialectic of Berlin Wall and Milan's Railway

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power of architecture and some of its unpleasant consequences”.

This study of Berlin wall was the underlying reference to his project with Elia Zenghelis “Exodus, or The Voluntary Prisoners of Architecture” which was a proposal of an ideal city conceived for the center of London.

Railway embankment in ESM can not directly be compared to the Berlin wall as the building intention of both cases are radically different. The only unique principle by which both objects are falling in the same category of walls is the factor of division. Berlin Wall is the result of a socio-political decision toward an specific period of history while ESMRailway is just a part of urbanization of Milan. Although the consequences that they have in cities are fundamental different, they have almost the same effects on urban fabric. They create a gap-space which makes two areas in close vicinity divided. If the Berlin wall is a robust protected wall that creates a inaccessible and forbidden zone around it, Railway of Milan is a very thick wall by which the train moves on.

Other than both metaphorical and physical presence of wall as an element of division, it is profoundly important to discuss the space which it creates. Wall by maintaining its physical presence as a mediator in space defines the two spatial terms of interior and exterior. In the case of ESMRailway The railway is not simply dividing the city in two part, in fact due to its thickness it creates a threshold space, two exterior and one in-between solid interior served for railway. This spatial definition is more visible in elevated railway or streets typology or better known as viaducts which create an empty space underneath.

In the article written by Hormigo & Morito in 2004 entitled “Urban Gapscapes: Problems and Opportunities in Urban Design” which is the spatial analysis conducted on the Tokyo’s JR Yamanote line, they discovered 16 types of space underneath the elevated railway line. In case of ESMRailway this spatial diversity is limited to solid embankment, storage void spaces and tunnels which provide the transversal accessibility.

The Threshold space created by ESMRailway is not the same space created by Tokyo’s JR Yamanote line elevated railway.

Although both function as urban mobility and infrastructure,

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the effects they have on urban area around them are extremely different. In the case of Milan the factor of dividing the urban fabric is considered the major issue while in the case of Tokyo and in general all viaduct structure typology the resultant space underneath the railway is the problematic issue.

ESMRailway is neither a wall which simply divides two spaces nor a building which embrace a interior space. As already mentioned it is a thick wall, a physical barrier which provides a unique threshold space. The transitional experience provided through long tunnels, underpasses and overpass bridges are the threshold spaces created by this railway typology.

Separation, transition and incorporation are the three phases of every passages according to Arnold Van Gennep. “So great is the incompatibility between the profane and the sacred worlds that man cannot pass from one to the other without going through an intermediate stage”. According to him the transitional space connecting the two stages should have a transformational character. In this case the person taking the transitional phase experience an in-between stage which is considered the threshold space.

It is important to emphasize the fact that division and connection are the two interrelated definitions. George Simmel in his book “Brücke and tür” ( Bridge and door ) expresses human’s ability in the establishment of boundaries between spaces by the act of dividing them and the subsequent need for connecting them again through creating thresholds.

Milan’s railway embankment by having a robust and solid form primarily registers itself into the urban fabric in the guise of an extremely thick wall, and subsequently creates the need for transition which would be detrimental to urban fabric.

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3.1.3 Mobility and Linear Architecture

Throughout history of modern architecture and urbanism the term “Mobility” has been always one of the key elements for shaping the cities. With the advancement of technology and the way by which human moves, new definitions of mobility is shaping in every period of history. To understand better the present it is always important to study the past, Luisa Maria Calabrese in her article entitled “Reweaving UMA” investigates methods, theories and design on mobility which have been produced in the past hundred and fifty years through a series of architectural paradigms.

Regularization, institutionalization, rationalization, utopia, independence, metaphors, reflection and restoration are the set of paradigms she categorizes to analyze the theme of mobility. In her article she says: “The first paradigm introduces three urban models (the network city, the clustered city and the linear city) and three typologies of the modern spaces of mobility: the boulevard, the central artery and the corridor”.

Here to articulate the macro topic of mobility which consists all forms of transportation, it is better to move along with the subjects which concern the railway infrastructure and more importantly the specific case of ESMRailway. The structure of the railway and the need for continuity lead railways to be a linear object. This linearity of the structure when placed an urban fabric creates urban corridors and gaps that shape strongly the morphology of the city.

In the case of ESM, the railway represent the very basic form of transportation which is a mono-functional railway track. As already discussed in earlier chapters, the railway embankment in Milan creates a weak connection with the urban fabric. This accompanied with its structural linearity makes it an autonomous object in urban area. The question here is to what extent an infrastructure as such is capable of becoming an integrated urban object.

To better understand the its potential points it is noteworthy referring to theories and projects dealt with the same subject of mobility and try to connect them with case study of Milan. Among architectural theories and projects it is possible to mention dozens of precedents which have tried to redefine cities through out the new forms of mobility. The significant issue here is in most of these

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[Fig.37] Linear City. New Jersey, United States. 1965 Peter Eisenman and Michael Graves

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theories and project the form of mobility is conceived the same and the important issue they tackle is the resultant city or urban space created by this integration. Hence it makes it even harder to think of the railway as an architectural object rather than an infrastructural elements.

In his Book “Roadtown” Edgar Chambless stresses the need to think of new form of transportation in cities. He says: “Roadtown transportation includes all the links in the system of transportation automatically coupled into one system. This is what I mean by a new conception of transportation”.

“Housing and transportation exist together, being mutually interdependent. They are inseparable, the building is worthless without transportation and conversely there would be no need for transportation without the house”.

In his proposal he conceives the function of housing or overall the whole city interrelated to transportation. There are other architects and planners followed the same idea of such integration. The idea of a horizontal building instead of vertical which moves along the mobility lines of railway is an urban regeneration idea formed in early 60s and 70s. Michael Graves and Peter Eisenman remarkable project “Linear City” is a proposal of a continuous urbanism which goes through the west coast from Boston to Washington DC. This 22 miles linear city is consisted of 2 horizontal stripes, one for the industry and the other devoted to housing, offices and stores.

[Fig.37] The idea of integrating city and railway in such significant and totalitarian manner is coincided with the idea of “Mega-structural Architecture”. Yona Friedman’s “English Channel Bridge Project”, Mitchell and Buotwell’s “Conprehensive City”, Paul Maymont “Paris Sous La Seine” and Gilles Gauthier “ Linear City” are all examples of linear architecture and new form of conceiving cities horizontally on mobility in 60s and 70s.

The most significant aspect that all of these linear cities have in common is the that the ultimate goal is to engage a new form of city through unification of all urban programs. The important issue here is to understand to what extent the mobility infrastructure is capable of transforming to a new form of mobility. Nevertheless, the

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factor of unification in linear cities is capable of being incorporated in the typology of Railway as the initial driving force.

The term Motopia (1961) is the study curated by G. A. Jellicoe on the subject of the relationship between urban landscape and automobility. In his proposal he tries to physically separate the roads by placing them on the roof of the town he designs. Therefore the ground floor would be liberated for pedestrians. He tried to find an urban form where man and machines are able to coexist. The study of this matter has been an evolution in urban landscape since the beginning.

Having said that, the issue of integration of mobility with the landscape and the urban fabric opens up new discussion in the discourse architecture.

Back to Milan Case study and the railway embankment in East Side, it is important to express the need for urban regeneration policies toward the current situation of the railway. It is important to redefine the typology of the railway in order to create potential spatial qualities and more importantly its integration with the city.

To what extent is possible to manipulate the linear typology of the railway to create a well integrated linear architecture.

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3.1.4 Grey or Green?

Mobility and Landscape Infrastructure

ESMRailway, although considered one of the key modes of mobility in the city, it lacks integration with urban landscape of Milan. Apart from typology, form and program, one of the most important issues to analyze is its performance and relationship it creates with landscape urbanism. According to "Webster's Unabridged Dictionary" infrastructure is defined as: "Infrastructure, classically defined, is “the basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons.”

The key principle of urban infrastructure in any form, in this case railway, is the serviceability and functionality for a specific urban system. The main question here is the way by which these systems are integrating with the landscape and urban system. "Landscape Urbanism" is a term coined by Charles Waldheim, he expresses that “landscape has become a lens through which the contemporary city is represented and a medium through which it is constructed”.

This expression emphasizes the importance of landscape in contemporary architecture and urban planning. In "The Landscape of Contemporary Infrastructure" Kelly Shannon and Marcel Smets state very interesting point of view toward infrastructure.

“Once married with architecture, mobility, and landscape, infrastructure can more meaningfully integrate territories, reduce marginalization and segregation, and stimulate new forms of interaction. It can then truly become ‘landscape’."

This fact alongside other recent writings and researches claims the importance of integrating infrastructural system with landscape and natural systems of ecology. In this way the mobility and transportation as one of the key elements shaping modern cities performs better when engaged with other systems and discourses.

Landscape Infrastructure within landscape urbanism framework is considered the next step for further urban developments.

Nevertheless this topic is quiet macro for this part of analysis due to its large influence not only on transportation but on city's economic and ecological future. Hence it is important to understand to what

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extent it can be useful to the very case study of Milan.

In her essay entitled “Landscape of Infrastructure” Elizabeth Mossop mentions the necessity of multi-functionality of infrastructure.

“Infrastructure such as roads are required to perform multiple functions: they must fulfill the requirements of public space and must be connected to other functioning urban systems of public transit, pedestrian movement, water management, economic development, public facilities, and ecological systems.”

These statements coupled with the term green infrastructure which refers to natural systems that provide additional benefits for human well-being, such as flood protection and climate regulation - are considered important criteria to redefine infrastructural systems in cities. ESMRailway due to its current form and serviceability is considered a gray mono-functional infrastructure.

Its sole use for train and its weak integration with landscape, next to all typological problems, are considered important issues to be dealt with. [Fig.38]

[Fig.38] East-Side Milano Railway

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3.2 Potentiating Railway Typology Case study

TRANSFORM UNUSED RAILWAY TO A PARK Idea of converting a disused railway to a park has been one of the recent successful projects done in New York. The High Line design is a collaboration between James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Piet Oudolf. It is noteworthy mentioning that Promenade Plantée in Paris designed by Philippe Matthieu and Jacques Vergely is the project that primarily conceived of such urban intervention.

CREATE A LINEAR PARK ALONG SIDE OF IT Taichung Green Corridor design by Mecanoo in Taichung, Taiwan reuses the existed unused rail underneath a new elevated viaduct by proposing new pedestrian and bike lanes that connect parts of the city in a sustainable way. This project is an answer the existing rail which was acting more as an urban barrier. In this proposal the linear park not only activate this barrier but also contribute to the landscape.

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BUILD A PARK ON THE RAILWAY The Rambla des Sants, designed by Ana Molino and Sergi Godia in Barcelona, Spain is an active railway converted to a linear park.

The new park is added on the existing railway through considering a new deck. Therefore it performs both as roof for the tracks and a new park for the neighborhood. This project redefines the surrounding by providing a new green facade and the spatial qualities it brings to the place.

BURY THE RAILWAY UNDER A HUGE PARK The central station in Bari, Italy is a winning competition for transforming the central railway area of Bari. This project is the result of a collaboration between Fuksas and architect Jordi Henrich I Monràs. The main aspect of this proposal is the 3 kilometer elevated park with an area of 78 hectares that covers that covers the railway and provide panoramic view over city and sea.

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MAKE PEDESTRIAN BUILDING "Protected sidewalks" and "Urban borders" are two of a series of drawings done through a collaborative research initiated by Plan Común. This architecture practice based in Chile observe aspects of the city in an interesting manner: "Regardless of the usual aspirations

of pragmatism that many of us may have, it is impossible to understand our cities without ideology. In the specific context of Chile, we live under a neoliberal model and we have to take a position –either in favor of or against it–."

ADD BICYCLE PATH ALONGSIDE OF IT The team behind the Radbahn in Berlin is urban transformation perceived by a non-profit association called “paper planes eV” in summer 2016. This project which is a 9 kilometers cycling track runs through the forgotten space along Berlin’s famous U1 elevated subway line. It is based on integration green spaces, and public and leisure spaces with the bike line and create an innovative urban space.

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MOBILE FUNCTION "Nomadic Railway City" a project designed by Swedish architects Jagnefalt Milton is an interesting idea to reprogram railway carriages to have other purposes. For instance mobile classroom or museums. The idea of transforming the purpose of trains to function in a new way has been initiated by Cedric Price in parts of his project "Potteries Thinkbelt" which was a critique of the traditional university system.

MAKE PARALLEL PATHWAYS As part of his design proposal for the Sint-Pieters Station in Ghent, Belgium, Louis Cloquet proposes new service walkways either side of the bridges. This design decision is due to the insufficient safe space alongside the railway as a result of increasing number of tracks.

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FILL THE VACANT SPACES The design proposal for Irun, Spain done by Nicola Corvasce and Jorge Ruiz Boluda proposes to generate central hubs valuing the existing, opting for a more sustainable urban growth. The strategic plan is to propose a viable economic and technical view, that allows reasonable answers to the present and future of Irun´s needs, avoiding complex situations that can be paralyzed by their high cost.

PATCH THE DIVIDED SIDES Sito Oy in the Project for the competition "Seinäjoki: Somewhere over the Railway" foe Espoo in Finland envisioned a proposal emphasized on mobility, pedestrian and bicycle routes as well as high-quality urban space. The railway was a major theme, as people would have to cross this barrier: each underpass or bridge has a public space and social attractions at each end to make this transition easier.

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MAKE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES "Seoullo 7017 Skygarden" a project done by MVRDV is located in the heart of Seoul, this project is considered a plant village that has been designed on a former inner city highway. It forms a big linear park with deferent vegetations that are supposed to grow and exceed height. This park will include 24,000 plants (trees, shrubs and flowers)

MAKE INHABITED BRIDGES Steven Holl in his project "Melbourne Project" which is a landmark in Melbourne, Australia proposes seven inhabited bridges that over pass the railway and connect the two streets. And in another project " Bridge of Houses" which is designed for Highline in Manhattan he introducs a series of villas on the elevated disused HighLine interconnected with cortyards. The inhabited bridge type is precedented in the project "Ponte Vecchio" in Florence, Italy.

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DESIGN A BUILDING AROUND IT "New Loop Ecologies" is project designed by Garofalo Architects is a proposal for Chicago. The Loop elevated train system, is one of the defining elements of downtown. This project is embracing the existing structure in form of a scaffold wrapping around the elevated rail to embrace new functions and activity. This approach is interesting in how new functions are attached to the railway body to make it multi-purpose.

BUILD BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL RAILWAYS "Miyashita Park" designed by Nikken Sekkei and Takenaka Corporation is a complex facility developed through a PPP (PublicPrivate Partnership). Its Building occupying the space between two railways. It activates the space in-between the railways to better connect both sides together.

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GO VERTICAL In the project " Queensway Billboards" Kosmos architects in collaboration with Ekaterina Zavyalova redefines the typology of billboard. They shift from being used as advertising element to vertical buildings consist of ramps, stairs, lift and sides. They are located at each intersection and perform different functions such as sport facility vertical garden and cinema.

BUILD OVER IT Railways in a city and in a area with insufficient space can perform as platforms to be built on. Adding a building over the railway can take advantage of the already existed structure. The project Standard Highline hotel which is located on the top of High Line park in New York is supported by two structures connected to the railway structure.

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CARVE OUT ITS SOLD BODY The project “Center Borgerhout” in Borgerhout, Begium is designed by NU Architectuuratelier. This proposal redesigns the facade of an arched railway embankment. It stresses the importance of the closed spaces underneath the railway. By adding a new glass facade to the arched building it creates a corridor with benches and meeting spaces that redefine the route of the users and normal passer-by pedestrians.

CAMP AROUND IT Alongside of the railway and mostly in suburban areas there exists vast empty spaces. These spaces and railway embankments in the city are able to used as campsite. "Urban Campsite" a project part of Dutch Design Week of 2012 is a proposal to convert the area under a flyover in Eindhoven’s Strijp-S district to a campsite to provide accommodation, public and recreational activities.

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MAKE ART INSTALLATIONS In the Dutch town, Zutpen two underpasses named Marstunnel and Kostverloren are redesigned with two permanent light installations. These spaces are equipped with lights that changes color and movement with the passage of cars. This is a proposal that tries to redefine the experience of a classical tunnel through the usage of art and the interplay between light and colors.

HOLD GRAFFITI COMPETITION Railway structure consists of large surfaces that invite artist for doing graffiti and any other form of art legally or illegally. The Underground at Ink Block is a project for a highway in Boston to cover 14 thousand square meter of the scarface of its walls. In this project 12 different artist are invited to take part in this project.

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4 APPLICATION Practical and hypothetical solutions for the case study.

4.1 Manifesto Meta Project - Railway Typology

Railway In East-Side Milan is devoid of any architectural definitions. Its naked body penetrates the city, showing-off the dominance and rigidness it brings to the space. In what form this object is communicating with the city? Or is it even trying to do so?

The form by which an urban object represent itself to the city has been the ever-present problem in architecture. In his book "The Architecture of the City", Aldo Rossi In attacking the traditional form-function duality and late modernism's abstraction, propose a more structuralist aspect of realism which is rooted in typological studies.

The engineering guise in which the railway is represented and the mono-functionality it offers to the city signify the lack of proper typological principles. The essence of the railway is the serviceability it provides as a mode of transportation in the city.

Nevertheless, the spatial issues created by the railway in an urban context is deeply rooted in absence of architecture.

The necessity of creating an architectural language for an urban object which is not considered architecture is the inevitable problem addresses by this thesis. ESMRailway is the victim of architecture's ignorance toward whatever which is not a building.

The constant focus of recent theories and practices addressing merely train stations and vacant rail yards signifies this ignorance to the full. Although viaducs form the biggest portion of railway infrastructure, their position in architectural framework is ill-defined and they are condemned to be left-out.

In his book "10 Canonical Buildings 1950-2000" Peter Eisenman analyses Aldo Rossi's project for "Cemetery of San Cataldo" as one of the ten projects in this book. [Fig.39] He considers this project coupled with another of his projects "Gallaratese Housing complex in Milan" as the few of his realized projects that exemplify to the full the idea of type, scale and analogy in architecture.

A significant part of this thesis is reflecting Aldo Rossi's definitions of typology. The underlying reason is deeply rooted in the unique analytic method he employs to redefine cities through what he considers urban artefacts. Peter Eisenman in his reading on Aldo Rossi writes:

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[Fig.39] Cemetery of San Cataldo, Modena, Italy Aldo Rossi

"Rossi conceived of the city as an ensemble of typological elements, whose simple geometries could be read as the result of removing their layers of historical accretions. The process of reduction is identified in Rossi’s typological analysis as the study of types of urban elements distilled to their most simple geometric form."

Urban artefacts both functional - such as housings - and symbolic - such as monuments - can be deployed as catalysts for new buildings. Typology for Rossi is a series of elements understandable and meaningful only in a particular context. Hence the city is formed through the repetition of a certain archetypal elements. Rossi uses iconic forms and through the technique of repetition strips them of their iconicity which is an inevitable principle of his drawings and projects.

In his proposal for the cemetery in Modena, by incorporating the symbol of the house he establishes a new typology for the cemetery through the life - death analogy. The result is a house for the dead!

This textual interpretation of Rossi toward the produced geometric figures in their simple forms not only criticizes the late modernist abstraction, it also attacks the monumentality of fascist Italy.

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According to texts of Aldo Rossi in the book "Architecture of the city" and the analysis conducted in the first part of the third chapter "Critical-Reading" railway is comprised of a series of buildings constructing an ultimate physical body that all of them are considered a part of a primary element in the city. If railway is a primary element in the city then what is the ultimate form it is supposed to undertake?

If cemetery of san Cataldo in Modena is interpreted as the house for the dead, Is it possible to consider ESMRailway as the house of the trains? This thesis transposes the themes of machine (mobility) and human with the symbol of a house. Yet considering the structure of the railway as an architectural building.

Train stations are the most integrated part of railways which communicates with the urban context through a certain type, yet disconnected morphologically from the railway itself. The major hypothesis of this study is to use a certain iconic form for a possible typology of the railway and try to engage these forms with the elements of transportation. The result would be a possible typology for the railway that embraces all aspects of mobility into a new type of building. [Fig.40] ESMRailway and its significant divisive characteristics to a great extent is detrimental to urban environment. This thesis tries to attack the current typology and envision the railway as a building which tend to engage itself with the urban context. The new envisioned typology raise the issue of repetition, by suggesting that the railway is formed by the repetition of a certain urban artefacts.

This idea correlated with the linearity and endlessness of railway criticize the origin and narrative. Therefore, the repetition of an urban artefact undermine the classical definitions of the starting, middle and ending point. The result of the repetition as such would be a typology stripped of the original element's perceived functional and cultural values.

The ultimate goal of this thesis is not to envision the railway as a house or any other urban archetype, but to transform the current railway to a building that deploy familiarity and at the same time conform the conventions tied to the meaning, form and scale of its elements.

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[Fig.40] 87 The Non-Stop Station, inspired by Aldo Rossi's drawing

The envisioned typology of the railway neither propose spatial solutions for the specific case study of ESMRailway nor ignoring it at the same time. Hence it is supposed to be considered a typology for all the railways bearing the same characteristics as the case in East-Side Milan. The formal and spatial analysis done in the second chapter of this very thesis are the essential prerequisites which backbone the framework of the proposed typology. The factor of division, linearity and all the spatial issues of ESMRailway create a framework by which the new typology is formed by.

The initial step to shape the new railway building is done through a process of deconstructing the railway system into its major elements. These elements signify a series of hypothetical orders by which the new railway building is envisioned. To create the new typology the main aspects forming ESMrailways are extracted and manipulated then merged again to form a new whole.

These hypothetical orders are divided into three different series of points, lines and planes. [Fig.41] [Fig.42] [Fig.43] Each one of these series represent a specific aspect of the current railway which now are subjected to a manipulation to be able to embrace new definitions. These alteration in structure is based on the primary needs the new railway should take into consideration.

Point Series: Points in the current typology of railway are the stations and in general, halt spaces. The element of stations in this hypothetical order is repeated alongside the railway in different guises and form new type of stations. Each of these points vary in terms of organization and serviceability they provide. The factor of repetition here creates a more congested building between the two existing stations.

Knot: this point stands for the normal stations but modified fundamentally that it performs not only as the train station but for any other possible form of private Eco-friendly facility. For instance sharing bikes and scooters. [Fig.44] Tower: is the part of the railway extended vertically on the top of the railway and by bridging the railway it provides horizontal connection and at the same time embraces a public program within itself. [Fig.45] Full Voids: The existing tunnels alongside the railway represent

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KNOT

HALF VOID

ELEVATED

FULL VOID

TOWER

KNOT

[Fig.41] Point Series

this point. In the new railway building the tunnels other than merely connection the two sides are manipulated to engage more with urban fabric through subtraction of railway embankment and proving a specific function. [Fig.46] Elevated: these point are dedicated to the environmental aspects.

These area are not in the direct access to users and serve as green infrastructure. They can be vertical farms and water collection systems considered on the top of railway. [Fig.47] Half Void: The solid body of railway in most part of the city where there is a shortage of space can be carved out to satisfy these spatial needs. [Fig.48]

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UNCONVENTIONAL TRAIN MOBILE FUNCTION

POINT 1

POINT 1

[Fig.42] Line Series

UNCONVENTIONAL TRIAN MOBILE FUNCTION

POINT 2

MOBILE FUNCTION TRAIN RUNNING/WALKING CYCLING UNCONVENTIONAL TRAIN MOBILE FUNCTION

POINT 2

POINT 3

MOBILE FUNCTION TRAIN RUNNING/WALKING CYCLING UNCONVENTIONAL TRIAN MOBILE FUNCTION

POINT 3

Line Series: Rail tracks create a linear path by which the whole system of railway is based on. Lines in the current railway are considered to be used just for the trains. In the new proposal these lines are developed through the factor of repetition and created interconnect system of lines that are devoted to other aspect of mobility. In this way the existing linear paths alongside the railway POINT 1 2 the new building ofPOINT 3 are embraced and convergedPOINT inside railway.

[Fig.42] Primary Lines: these series of lines are the extended and new paths by which provide connections from each point to another.

In this way the whole system of the new railway building is interconnected not only by trains but with other aspects of mobility that fall in the same category of lines. These new paths are divided into two groups of conventional and unconventional path that are unified in the same typology of new railway. [Fig.50] Secondary lines: are the extended version of the rail track to be served for another type of mobility. Here, they are called as mobile functions that are small objects with a specific function moving along the railway and path the city. Unlike the points series which provide stationary spaces these new type of spaces move along the city and by providing a specific function create new perception of the city and the railway. [Fig.51]

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VERTICAL PLANE EXTENDED WALL

HORIZONTAL PLANE CITY

HORIZONTAL PLANE ELEVATED

VERTICAL PLANE WALL

DIAGONAL PLANE HILL

HORIZONTAL PLANE CITY

[Fig.43] Plane Series

Plane Series: is the category focused on the physical elements shaping the current railway typology. Based on the previous physical analysis the railway consists of walls and hills on both sides. Therefore, in the new proposal these elements are redefined in two groups of horizontal and vertical. [Fig.43] Horizontal Planes: are the platforms alongside the railway that coupled with line series provide different spatial qualities. They are envisioned as linear parks both at the ground level and elevated which are the extensions of the current railway system. [Fig.52] Vertical Planes: represent the existing walls but redefined with a new typology to communicate with the city. These walls are multiplied and extended outward the railway, creating space inbetween the city and the solid body of railway. Accompanied with the two previous series the new in-between space created by these walls redefine the notion of threshold discussed in the third chapter. [Fig.53]

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[Fig.44] Knot: The redefined form of stations to embrace other aspects of mobility with stationary notion.

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[Fig.45] Tower: The vertical body of the railway which bridge the embankment and provide new access and spatial quality.

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[Fig.46] Full Void: The redefined version of the existing tunnels. In the new typology of railway they are developed to better engage with the urban fabric.

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[Fig.47] Half Void: Railway as a solid body in the city in specific areas can be carved out to be used for additional spaces.

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STORED WATER

RAIN

[Fig.48] Elevated: Alongside the railway a series of volumes are devoted to environmental aspects to transform the railway into a green infrastructure by incorporating the landscape as the primary element

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[Fig.49] Elevated: The importance of water collection an the need to provide a system to integrate the mono-functional body of the railway to become a multi-functional object.

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[Fig.50] Primary Lines: A series of linear trajectory of different path alongside the railway make the whole system of transportation to a complex system of mobility.

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[Fig.51] Secondary Lines: These new lines are additional paths devoted to mobile functions to create a new perception of the railway.

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[Fig.52] Horizontal Planes: The space alongside the railway is redefined through incorporating new horizontal platforms. These planes coupled with the line series form a linear park connecting the railway building to the city.

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[Fig.53] Vertical Planes: The existing walls are extended outside conceived in different materials create a space in-between that rethink the threshold space created with by railway.

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NON-STOP STATION, AN ALTERNATIVE TYPOLOGY FOR THE RAILWAY IN THE CITY. A ELEMENT IN THE CITY, RAILWAY CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF BUILDINGS INTERCON TRY TO ENVISION THE RAILWAY NOT AN ENGINEERING STRUCTURE PROVIDING MO CONTEXT. RAILWAY IN EAST-SIDE MILAN AS THE INITIAL CASE STUDY HAS BEE LINEARITY, BRUTAL DIVISIVENESS, MONO-FUNCTIONALITY ARE ALL RESULTS O ENVISIONS A NEW POSSIBLE TYPOLOGY FOR RAILWAY FORMED BY A CERTAIN U MACHINE THROUGH THE SYMBOL OF THE HOUSE. NON-STOP STATION IS A HOUSE IN AN INFINITE MANNER STRIPPED OF THEIR ICONICITY OR ANY CONVENTION DEPLOY THE FAMILIARITY THAT COMES WITH THESE FORMS. THIS IMAGE DEMON SITE AFTER CAREFULLY COMBINING THE HYPOTHETICAL ORDERS EXTRACTED

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AS A MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE IN AN URBAN AREA AND CONSIDERED A PRIMARY NNECT ALL TOGETHER. IN THIS THESIS BY PROPOSING AN ALTERNATIVE REALITY I OBILITY SERVICES BUT A INFINITE BUILDING THAT IS ENGAGED WITHIN THE URBAN EN CRITICALLY ANALYZED THROUGHOUT THE LENS OF ARCHITECTURE. STRONG OF ARCHITECTURE'S IGNORANCE TOWARD RAILWAY TYPOLOGY. THIS PROJECT URBAN ARCHETYPE. NEVERTHELESS TRANSPOSES THE THEMES OF HUMAN AND FOR MOBILITY SYSTEM. THE ICONIC FORMS USED IN THIS PROJECT ARE REPEATED NS RELATED TO THEIR PRIMARY DEFINITIONS, MEANING AND SCALE. YET THEY NSTRATES A POSSIBLE REALITY FOR THE RAILWAY TYPOLOGY IN A CONCEPTUAL D FROM THE RAILWAY AND THE ARCHITECTURAL DEFINITIONS OF TYPOLOGY.

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4.2 The Non-Stop Station

The hypothetical orders discussed in the previous chapter formed the initial foundation for the ultimate envision "The Nonstop Station" which a meta project aimed to transform the existing typology of railway. As discussed before this project is created out of a matrix of three hypothetical orders extracted from mobility system. The final result is an infinite project dealing with a conceptual grid city. As it is inevitable, the railway integrated with a real urban condition is a far more complex issue to deal with. Nevertheless, these ideas after all the practices done in the hypothetical parts are tried in a real condition to discover the secondary issues and potential points.

ESMRailway is a complex object running through the city and changes its characteristics constantly. Yet the most significant problem is its inability to articulate with the city. The railway intersection in Ortica neighborhood can be the place where the railway splits in two different conditions. The one to the north runs through the dense urban fabric while the other passes through the suburban and industrialized area. Although the railway is having a same typology and shape, it has different effects on these two environments.

For this part of thesis two areas have been chosen as sites of new interventions. Zone 1 is a portion of the railway after Lambrate station containing the tunnel that connects Via Pordenone and Via Casoretto. Zone 2 is another portion of railway in south part of Milano Forlanini Station. The main characteristic that make these areas radically different from each other is the factor of space. The density in zone 1 and the openness in zone 2 make the following proposals two different projects in a same guise. The typology applied on these sites transform railway in zone 1 to a building with more fragmented parts performing as a social hub. This is due to the fact that the area suffers from insufficient public space and pedestrian facilities. On the other hand, The proposal in zone 2 is more focused on environmental aspects of the city. It tries to transform the railway to perform as a green infrastructure through making vertical farms on top of the railway and through the efficient use of greenery existing already on and around it.

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ZONE 1 PRESSURED

ZONE 2 LEFT-OUT

[Fig.54] Map of the two different area for design proposal

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M CE ILA NT N RA O LE

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NO MILA TE RA LAMB

ORTICA

A

A

ZONE 2

SECTION A-A

B

B

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C

C

D

D SECTION C-C

SECTION D-D

E

E

SECTION E-E

F

F

SECTION F-F

G

G

SECTION G-G

[Fig.54] Master plan - Urban sections - Zone 1

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[Fig.54] Isometric + Context Zone 1

[Fig.55] Axonometric Plan - Zone 1

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[Fig.55] Views Zone 1

M CE ILA NT N RA O LE

ZONE 1

NO MILA TE RA LAMB

A

ORTICA

A

ZONE 2

SECTION A-A

B

B

SECTION B-B

C

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SECTION C-C

D

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E

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F

F SECTION F-F

G

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[Fig.56] Master plan - Urban sections - Zone 2

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[Fig.57] Isometric + Context - Zone 2

[Fig.58] Axonometric Plan - Zone 2

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[Fig.59] Views - Zone 2

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