from cba to cba+ enric massip-bosch One of the main avenues in Milano, Corso Buenos Aires (CBA) is a bizarre place with an enormous untapped potential. Along CBA all sorts of formal and informal activities take place. But these activities are almost only commercial: CBA is a shopping monoculture. In spite of that, life fights to flourish, occupying any suitable wrinkle on CBA to thrive. CBA is a backyard where a true Milanese nature expresses freely, safe from the view of strangers. The question is, would it be possible to disclose the potential of CBA without compromising its current spontaneous energy? How to operate not by cancellation but by superimposition, adding new possibilities for uses other than commerce in order to further enhance these energies? Can we preserve its uncodified nature while at the same time provide spatial quality by means of architectural intervention? Can we transform an axis into a pole, a strip into a street? It is possible and we present here a menu of seven ways to do it: from CBA to CBA+. We expose subjects, discuss alternatives, define vocabularies and develop instruments different from those of conventional urban planning in order to turn on 7 switches to reenergize CBA: — CBA+ is a region: its public spaces percolate many areas beyond the strip, generating a spatial complexity and diversity that is unique to CBA: courts, theaters and galleries become street. And the street becomes a plaza redefining mobility. — CBA+ is time: it is used in different ways in different moments of the day, it hosts rituals and leisure in different moments of the year, and is able to change its physiognomy accordingly. A program for uses with no function. — CBA+ is underground: vast expanses of unused space beneath the surface are reactivated and integrated into everyday life. They become an energizer of the surface, taking part of its pressure and rebounding it back, changing the conditions of the interface
between up and down. — CBA+ is biotics: new microclimates make new microuses possible for new users. Changed light and humidity conditions generate new possibilities. Plants become activators, blurring the limits between inside and outside, natural and manmade. Green as facilitator, not as beautificator. — CBA+ is fluxes: an urban connector that shapes movements and circulations, an opportunity to generate new accessibility to whole forgotten areas of Milano, abandoned to the sole presence of automobiles. Crosses borders into unchartered territories. — CBA+ is flexible: different people use the same space in different moments for different purposes, providing the city with new reasons to experience CBA. Interchange among different groups as a tool towards coexistence. An open-standard city for all. — CBA+ is upperground: new opportunities open up when adding uses to the rooftops, new visions of Milano are created by setting in motion unused height-rights. Vertical communications become social condensers, linking the uses underground with the new uses above buildings. We invite you to reappropiate CBA in the most delectable ways. Thank you for your patronage. Enjoy your meal!
stressing cba andrea gritti Corso Buenos Aires is without any doubt one of the most stressed places in Milano. Milano is a system in physical space. In physical systems stresses can be internal or external. Internal stresses are measured in terms of Tension; external ones in terms of Pressure. If public spaces of a city are Surfaces (=S) on which moving men and women apply their own forces (=F), Corso Buenos Aires in Milan is certainly a place under Pressure (=P).
If public spaces of the city can be considered as continuous tridimensional bodies that apply internal force (=delta f) on the in between parts (=delta A), Corso Buenos Aires in Milan is certainly a place of high Tension (=t). Pressure and Tension are physical magnitudes that architects do not deal with, even if they are essential for measuring material state and continuity. Both are dynamic concepts that involve the idea of action, force, energy in a local context. When designing CBA, Pressure and Tension are two fundamental magnitudes. The basic idea is simple: neither CBA’s pressure nor intensity must be diminished, but rather increased (=CBA+). At the end, an antimichelangiolesco experiment has been conducted: instead of working “by way of taking out”, we’ve worked “by way of adding up”. Like in kitchen.
CBA+ is fluxes
CBA+ is time
CBA+ is flexible
CBA+ is underground
CBA+ is biotics CBA+ is region
CBA+ is upper ground
g01 lucia bertaggia giulia perego
cba is a region
lucia bertaggia (Milano 1987) 4th year student of Masters in Architecture at the faculty of Architecture and Society, specializing in Landscape Architecture at Politecnico di Milano. Attended an erasmus program at Universidade Tecnica Lisboa (FA UTL).
giulia perego (Merate 1986) 5th year student of Masters in Architecture at the faculty of Architecture and Society, specializing in Landscape Architecture at Politecnico di Milano. Attended an erasmus program at Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (ETSAV).
Corso Buenos Aires is a wellknown street in the city of Milan. Its most important characteristic is the fact that it is the biggest commercial “axe” of the metropolis. The 20th century has been a very important element for mobility of Milan. In fact it links the center of the city with north-east peripheral zones. What we find today is a different situation because shopping is the most diffused activity in a frenetic atmosphere. People come here from many different places because it is here where they could find most of what they are looking for. This action is very fast and frenzied for it is a mere “buy and go.” The aim of the project is to transform CBA from a place to go through to a place where one can stay. Our method of reappropriation was conceived from the observation of public spaces in the street and the evaluation of its possibilities. The first thing observed in CBA is the high availability of spaces which have a public character. Sometimes it is evident, like a square or a street; sometimes they are hidden like in the courtyards and the patios of the ancient buildings that are now opened to the people.
existing spaces
new public space of CBA public space in CBA
ways of re-appropiation:
stategy of re-appropiation:
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spontaneous activities
The strategy used was to unify all the public spaces present in the street with a fluid-like pavement definition that reaches everything. In different situations, it takes the form of the empty space, it grows and changes its section in height and in width creating different volumes. It creates a new central situation that enlarges and tightens the sidewalks according to the principles established. The basic principles were born from the will to occupy all the public space. First of all it means that the fluid goes in and out in the patios. When it cannot enter, it will overthrow into the street. It assumes a wave movement and changes its section, reducing into a two-track street that lessens the mobility and transforms the ground into a quiet road. Secondly, the spontaneous activities that are born and nowadays occupy the public spaces were considered. For example are kiosks, street vendors and bar tables occupying the sidewalks and squares, of which a clear example is Piazza Lima. Our decision was to maintain these situations and to serve them using the fluid that can transform into urban elements such as chairs, tables, etc.
different way of ri-appropriation
consolidated spontaneous activities on the public space
MODIFICATION OF STREET’S SECTION
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traffic during the week
traffic during the day
car traffic
car traffic
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pedestrian traffic
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pedestrian traffic
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traffic
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mobility
future mobility
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wi-fi
area wire-less
The final result is a continuous situation present in the center CBA, that starts from Piazza Loreto and ends in Porta Venezia with the existence of particular situations in the patios according to the form, space and local needs. They can host several temporary activities, green spaces, wireless zones, playgrounds for children and so on.
play-ground
play-ground
temporary activities
temporary activities
g02 alberto d’ospina
cba+ is time
alberto d’ospina (Augusta 1984) 5th year student of Masters in Architecture at the faculty of Architecture and Society, specializing in Architecture at Politecnico di Milan. Attended an internship at MAB Marotta Basile arquitectura, Barcelona.
The strip of Corso Buenos Aires is characterized by the power of fluxes. This power is generated from the activity of shopping. Our work has the intention of providing the street new and different functions. Improving the visibility by not merely taking out, but through the operation of adding. This addition takes its force from the city of Milan, which is like a big electrical web with a lot of inputs. This web is full of light, temporarily on. Our project spins on this web and takes the power from the net occasionally. The character of temporariness is given by this aspect: when there is an event in Milan, CBA will recognize it. It will show the effect of this, through some fragments that are spread out on the boulevard. EVENTS at CBA+ Place: parking area Why: a lot of parking spaces are not being occupied because the street is used to travel using cars and the public transportation serves the zone very well, therefore there are not a lot of reasons to stop and park cars. How: implant carpets and temporary structures. Materials: pallets, scaffoldings, carpets, tapestries (temporary materials). Uses: diversified activities rather than just shopping Night/day: diversified activities in different times.
invasion of the streets by PLATFORMs
Fragments multi-purpose PLATFORMs multi-use depending on the event by plugging platforms, we can extend the sidewalk
+
+
the platforms can be combined and made longer to as much as the length of a street block
fashion week comes in the streets, comes in the BCA_ as the form of fragments, some expositions, some happenings.
MiTO became known thanks to the CBA. People can watch musicians perform and listen to music especially during the night. Some platforms can host concerts.
Salone del mobile could expand its influence also in the CBA. We can find some sittings, or urban installations that also can suggest an improvement to the street.
some platforms became screens (tapestries) between buildings, where it is possible show events that are happening somewhere else.
g03 valentina sforzini elisa tomasoni cba+ is underground
valentina sforzini (Mantova 1985) 5th year student of Masters in Architecture at the faculty of Architecture and Society, specializing in Landscape Architecture at Politecnico di Milano. Attended an exchange program at TEC of Monterrey, campus Monterrey and Guadalajara. elisa tomasoni (Rovereto 1985) 5th year student of Masters in Architecture at the faculty of Architecture and Society, specializing in Interior Architecture at Politecnico of Milan.
According to the general miaw 2010 theme of re-appropriation of public spaces in the city of Milan, the studio identified an area that has a really strong public vocation: Corso Buenos Aires. CBA public vocation derives from its use as powerful commercial street. In fact the commercial function characterizes the all length of the street, from the two polar points: piazzale Loreto and Porta Venezia. A good network of means of transport is provided in CBA, both on surface and underground level. CBA can be reached by two metro lines and the local train system. The underground exits spell the long street, they coincide with some public spaces that generate a special interest in these focal points. We can see that CBA has an articulated section, and this is a great possibility to implement the space quality. Basically CBA section is composed by five levels: the upperground, the ground and three levels of underground. It means that there is a really high space subtracted to the city and quite often used as a public space of some value. We tried to see it as a potential, the opportunity to improve the public space quality and quantity, working on the relationship between some dichotomies: open-closed, free-restricted, multiform-uniform, inclusive-exclusive. Our proposal is focused on the mezzanine level of CBA, this long
subterranean street has a great potential and there are some points in which the mezzanine is really large, so the idea is to use the street section in these points to improve the services that CBA offers. We can call this strategy: PLUG-IN, in fact we are entering the mezzanine level with some special functional boxes, which can provide for example reading rooms or dancing rooms. In this way we are making people themselves as the factor of re-appropriating the value of public space. For example, the mezzanine level becomes not only a crossing point, but also a place to stay. Through this PLUG-IN operation CBA can be converted in something more: CBA +.
PLUG-IN STRATEGY The mezzanine level of CBA represents a great potential. Many services that are not provided at the ground level can find place here. Our proposal is the introduction of public services, which can make the mezzanine level a real public space.
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mezzanine level - services metro lines local train
CBA +
CBA
CBA metro stations analysis
Loreto
Argentina
Lima
CBA
Oberdan S. Francesca Pt. Venezia Romana
+
CBA metro stations analysis
Commercial use
UP DOWN
Loreto
Services provided
Commercial use Services provided
Green spaces
Green spaces
Different transport
Different transport
Argentina
Lima
UP
Oberdan S. Francesca Pt. Venezia UP DOWN DOWN UP DOWN
UP
UP DOWN
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CBA + M CBA
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of public transport. Our attention is addressed especially to the services’ line because we consider that the mezzanine level can be exactly the place where we can generate a better public space.
CBA M
+ +
UP
UP DOWN
are, they can be the ground level or the underground level. The table above considers the intensity of four different factors: the presence of commercial activities, services provided, green spaces and other types
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Romana
DOWN
DOWN
The intention of the PLUG-IN strategy derives from an analysis of the existing CBA context, distinguishing also the street level at which they
CBA +
g04 m.chiara di vincenzo raphael causapin
cba+ is biotics
raphael causapin (Manila 1986) 5th year student of Masters in Architecture at the faculty of Architecture and Society, specializing in Architecture at Politecnico of Milan. maria chiara di vincenzo (bologna 1986) 5th year student of Masters in Architecture at the faculty of Architecture and Society, specializing in Landscape Architecture at Politecnico of Milan. Attended an exchange program at Ecole National de Paris Belleville.
The existence of green and the lack thereof is much of today’s topic. More and more are people becoming aware of its importance as well as the dangers of its continued loss. It is evident that not only architects and planners put forward the idea of using greenery as a tool to improve living conditions but also people from all walks of life. The location of Corso Buenos Aires is important for the city of Milan. It serves as one of the major thoroughfares of the city which comprises of various activities such as commercial, residential and recreational uses. There is a big potential to come up with ideas for this area to use Green not just for beautification but also as a tool for improvement and change. In line with the theme of the 2015 Milan Exposition which is: ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy of Life,’ we have conceived the make use of agriculture as the major element of design. Not only will it serve its purpose as the “life” factor of the street but also as a instrument to educate the people about its purpose.
“more ambitious. more responsible. more attractive. more mixed. more educated. more young. more framed. more visible. more spontaneous. more stable. more healthy. more prosperous. more flexible. more linked. more accessible. more dynamic. more operational. more updated. more open. more cultivated. more actual. more chic. more well. more dense. more green. more H2O. more visible. more balanced. more harmonious.”
biotics contamination, biotics as a connector
where to put green
1. the underground exit 2. the green wall 3. the street section 4. the court as growing plot 5. piazzas
biotics contamination, biotics as a connector
TOOLS (legend of the images)
tree as a shadow device
agriculture as a social device
leaves for thermal comfort
greenhouse as an architecture for nature
ABACUS how it is 1.the undergtround exits
2. the green wall
3. the street section
4. the court as a growing plot
how it would look like
CO R
CO R
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BU
BU
EN OS
EN OS
AIR
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biotics contamination, biotics as a connector
PORTA VENEZIA
PORTA VENEZIA MULTI PURPOSE GREENHOUSES
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OUTDOOR OPEN SPACE
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Existing
walkway. greenhouse. cafe. exhibit. food. bar. display. life. green. spot. place. lounge.
GREEN STRIP
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eat. drink. walk. play. relax. breathe. live. stay. find. see. be.
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Proposal
g05 elena pisoni francesco ballinari cba+ is fluxes
elena pisoni (Legnano 1988) 3th year student of Urban Planning at the faculty of Architecture and Society. francesco ballinari (Milano 1986) Third- year graduate student of Science of Architecture at Politecnico di Milano. Attending the course of Urban Built at the Politecnico of Torino.
The green platforms are artificially natural islands that are integrated in the urban complex which provide a vision of other urban areas, able to adapt programs to reversible and sustainable energy. In fact, each environmental platform is equipped with solar panels to convert solar energy into useful electricity for lighting installations, providing complete energy independence for environmentally friendly purposes. The idea of the project involves the area of Argentina and Piazza Loreto, trying to reinterpret the morphology and functions assigned to it and creating places of identity within the course using a green not only for decoration, but also for a purpose. Our proposal starts with the observation of the entire Corso Buenos Aires as a place for the flow of bikes and pedestrians, motivated by the presence of commercial activities, while the traffic flow by the function of urban connection of the course. The idea is to create green platforms that add to the ongoing possibility of stasis, permanence, and livability re-appropriation of space: this was made possible through the use of different green materials (medicinal plants, vines, earth), which create a more natural as opposed to the current overbuilding, a rethinking of some of the morphological and functional outputs metro (underground
enlargement and open spaces in order to obtain a stepped mixed with green dedicated to the passage, and the rest can and leisure) and installation of Wifi which can be accessed free of charge by acting as attractors that promote staying living the areas. We also used the hydroponics culture, in which the soil is replaced by an inert medium (clay, rock wool, perlite, vermiculite) for the inability to grow vegetation that threw its roots in the land occupied by the underground line.
Loreto
Lima
P.ta Venezia
Our idea of the green platform in Piazza Argentina:
The proposal for Piazza Loreto:
g06 andrea ghisoni panagiotis veizis cba+ is flexible
panagiotis veizis (Athens 1986 ) student of Masters in Architecture at faculty of Architecture and Society, specializing in Sostenable Architecture at the Politecnico di milano. andrea ghisoni (Melzo 1984) 5th year student of Masters in Architecture at the faculty of Architecture and Society, specializing in Landscape Architecture at Politecnico di milano. Attended an exchange program at SEK Univeristy, campus Segovia and ate the Lund University in Sweden
Corso Buenos Aires, one of the symbols of the fashion market expansion in Milan, has the capacity to have micro-changes in its aspects based on different tendencies, seasons and events. This ability provides a lot of potential for development. Presently, there a is limited occurrence of activities on ground. The kind of “stop and go� attitude of people in this area limits the use of public space to a more private one. One instrument that could be used for the re-appropriation of this area is light, making use of its varied colours and intensities. The project has the goal of revitalizing the public space and giving indentity to it even in the nightly hours. New activities such as sports competitions, temporary markets, and other public events shall occur in the area which was previously dominated just by automobiles in the morning. The destination can change every day and every hour based on public esigence. The project offers a catalogue of the free spaces along the street, that can be occupied in the future. These areas will be marked and limited by the LED lights and the newly reappropriated spaces. The lights symbolise the different layers that the project want to combine as solution. CBA+ will enrich the existing region with a heart that will function also in the night time.
dimension of temporary spaces
1656 sqm 1108 sqm 682 sqm 618 sqm 540 sqm 512 sqm 466 sqm
405 sqm 380 sqm 308 sqm 305 sqm 300 sqm 281 sqm
temporary activities
227 sqm 183 sqm 154 sqm 153 140 110 89 78 72 50 39 24
sqm sqm sqm sqm sqm sqm sqm sqm sqm
workers crooks ethnic market cafè t-shirt sellers lovers street shop pub jogging photos movie set
a catalogue of temporary spaces that we can use to crate new flexible spaces with the light
street food water
cba+ story Piazzale Loreto
fluxes of cars and people on the ground level 15 hours/day Porta Venezia MM2 Loreto MM2 Lima
under ground public transport for 19 hours/day
MM1 Porta Venezia + passante ferroviario
l temporary spaces m
xl temporary acitivities born in temporary spaces between cba fluxes
s s m
street led system a system of street led on cba produces a unique system like the ones in the shops ethnic market concert hall playground
temporary market
book shop
open air restaurant led system can produce a flexible situation according to the different temporary activities
lights flexibility street light graduation sights density islands area playgrounds traffic lanes advertisements promenade climax blocks colours switch off temporary activities in cba+
piazza Argentina
piazza Oberdan
piazza Lima
corso Buoenos Aires
g07 michael corradi tushar gaur fernando valeins cba+ is upper ground
michael corradi (Bussolengo, 1988) 3rd year, architecture and building construction student in the Faculty of Architecture, Politecnico di Milano tushar gaur (Bulandshar, 1986) Graduated in 2008 from UPTU Luknow, India. 2nd year,Master of Architecture exchange student in Erasmus Mundus ECWIndia4EU project in Politecnico di Milano fernando valeins (Buenos Aires, 1971) Graduated in 1994 from the Faculty of Architecture University of Buenos Aires and Doctorate in architectural composition at IUAV in Venice in 2002. Doctoral student at the Politecnico di Milano.
Multiplicity is the key to CBA as it observes vivid harmonic mix of multiple characters and languages. Once a significant connection route, with time, has grown in various dimensions and transformed itself to a potential area which can share role of ‘center’ in the Milan City. It is quite evident that CBA’s ability to capture ‘the local’ has generated extraordinary economic pressure which manifests itself in sky-shoot of property prices. This unprecedented rise of economic pressure has resulted in transition of nuclear commercial enterprises to chain stores, which are major contributors to the unique character of the place. Collective memory of the CBA is predominantly as common Milan’s commercial space. In this exploration we wish to retain this uniqueness and introduce a social dimension which can establish CBA as “the place” in the Milan.To reappropriate CBA to CBA+ we don’t aim to resolve complexities but try to facilitate the space so that contradictions can co-exist.Our target area is potential of upper-floors in CBA which accommodate largely private domain and is seemingly non-interactive to public space. Here we aim to carve some niches for thrust which place is experiencing on ground surface and open up some opportunities of commercial
and socially active public spaces in upper floors. This Strategy aims to • Work on public private partnership model(PPP) by provide ease of vertical circulation through renting staircases and elevators cores from multiple private ownerships and open them for public use or install some new circulation wherever necessary and possible. We believe just provision of easy access on upper-floors can dynamize the activities on upper-floors and change the character and space use. • Create some voids in existing regular facades and explore possibility of some social and temporary uses. • Exploit the potential of empty roof spaces and if needed add some floors in existing buildings. To begin with we have identified galleria Buenos Aires, parking area and few more sites to start the spark of the process and these ares can be re-appropriated with minimum intervention.
Vertical Connections
Event Slab
Possible space use collage
Fashion
Market
Art
Conference
Happy Hour
This Strategy aims to Create some voids in existing regular facades and explore possibility of some social and temporary uses.It also tries to Exploit the potential of empty roof spaces and if needed add some floors in existing buildings. To begin with we have identified galleria Buenos Aires, parking area and few more sites to start the spark of the process and these ares can be re-appropriated with minimum intervention.
Potential site for First Stage of intervation
Strategy for vertical connection Possibility of using parking roof as drive-in theatre and media screen
Miawers05 2010 10th 01, Milano
curated by enric massip-bosch andrea gritti with fabio fusco
with thanks to paolo riganti, comune di Milano, for his kind contribution to the workshop.
further information http://www.flickr.com/photos/miaw-polimi/5043236205/in/photostream/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9QFK1B7xyg www.issue.com www.miawblog.wordpress.com
from 27.09.2010 to 02.10.2010 school of architecture and society politecnico di milano
from 27.09.2010 to 02.10.2010 school of architecture and society politecnico di milano ‘corso buenos aires plus’ (cba+) is the first attempt to address the urgent issue of adding uses to this important avenue of Milano, today a mere shopping monoculture. cba+ aims are to stimulate crossover ways of living the city and to stimulate citizens to achieve an interrelational approach towards social issues. cba+ provides an intergenerational forum for seniors, youngsters and communities exchange, but is also an informal platform to discuss the issues and share the ambitions that urbanity implies. The overall theme of cba+ is reappropriation.
g01 lucia bertaggia giulia perego g02 alberto d’ospina g03 valentina sforzini elisa tomasoni g04 raphael causapin maria chiara di vincenzo g05 elena pisoni francesco ballinari g06 andrea ghisoni panagiotis veizis g07 michael corradi tushar gaur fernando valeiras
www.miawblog.wordpress.com