A grammar of the grid

A GRAMMAR OF THE GRID

SOUTH TO SOUTH Messina and Reggio Calabria Excursions on the borders of the Mediterranean

PORTFOLIO

Christina Varvogli

STUDIO TUTORS Luca Galofaro - Davide Sacconi UCL | The Bartlett School of Architecture | MArch Urban Design 2012/13

CONTENTS 5

BEYOND THE OPPOSITION BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

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PUBLIC AND PRIVATE: WHERE DOES COMMON STAND?

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The narrative of Schylla and Charybdis

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A composition for the common

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The need for organization

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The block of the common

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A GRAMMAR OF THE GRID

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Capturing flows and the need for frames

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The generic logic of the grid

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Messina and Reggio Calabria

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The generic aspect of corruption in the city space

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A manipulation of the grid

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The block as a unit

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Reggio Calabria

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Common frame

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Pavillion of the common

77 Messina 79

Vertical courtyard

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Urban Shelter

93 REFERENCES

95 Christina Varvogli Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname

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Beyond the opposition between public and private The contemporary world that we live in is characterized by movements and flows; technology, transportation and information have transformed urban life in terms of urbanization and globalization. Globalization has a vast impact in urban terms, as the globalized economic and cultural exchanges are transforming the urban reality and the contemporary civic life. This generic condition has influenced the relation between the public and private spheres, as the notions of public and private tend to transform, overlap or co-exist.

The clear distinction between public and private is related with the organization of the city as a system, where movements and flows take place. In that sense, the notion of private property is a very important aspect, as it can separate the public from the private space, as well as the state from the individual. Traditionally private property could define public space only in spatial terms, however nowadays we are facing a privatization of private space, as the private sphere of our everyday life is becoming more public through technologies and communication. But what does this mean in terms of politics, economy and contemporary living and working conditions?

These questions can be altered if we examine the current conditions in the city; one of which is the significance of privately owned spaces in the city, as well as their impact on the urgent issues of politics and socialization. Spaces under that legal framework are referred as ‘common spaces’; these in-between spaces are characterized by the fact that they are private properties shared by individuals, gaining in that way a public character.

Messina and Reggio Calabria are two cities of the southern Italy that share a history of construction and deconstruction; however the 1908 earthquake brought a condition of tabula rasa to the two cities, which was considered as an opportunity in order to plan and organize the two cities on the system of the orthogonal grid.

MORIYAMA HOUSE The housing project of SANAA (2005) is an example where the composition of the elements can create in-between spaces for the common (image: Dezeen, 2007).

As the grid represents a clear system where different kinds of spaces are clearly defined, it is crucial to study the grid of the two cities as a way to understand the spaces that are translated either as public or private. The distinction between the terns gains more importance for the two cities, as their morphology has been affected by the illegal actions of its inhabitants, in terms of expansion of the domestic space of the house. This condition is a characteristic of the southern culture, and although it is completely opposite to the legal framework, it arises a problematization; the tendency of appropriating the space, and what potential could this cultural behavior have for the people of the South.

The block is considered as the constitutive element of the urban structure, and becomes the base of a strategy that proposes the manipulation of its three dimensional spatial configurations, in light of the contemporary living and working conditions. This manipulation suggests the gradual transformation of the city into socio-spatial conditions that will activate people to organize their shared space and create the conditions for the common.

This project explores the possibility to understand and react to the legal and illegal economical, political and social processes that constitute the two cities and proposes a new way of living and an autonomy for the South.1

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Part of the introduction is from C.Varvogli (2013), The archipelago of the common, The Bartlett.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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public and private: where does common stand?

Public is a term that has various meanings, hence social scientists have not managed to sufficiently distinguish them. Theorists are mentioning that there are mutliple kinds of public, which means that the term public sphere has more than one meanings (Cohen and Arato, 1992; Mandanipour, 2003). A question that arises is whether there are also different kinds of private; as the role of public has been transformed through the years and affected the boundaries between public and private, concequently the private sphere is also going under a kind of transformation.

There are a number of approaches that someone could have in mind regarding this issue, however all of them differ towards civil, political and economic factors; one approach is the relation between the public and private sector, which could also be translated as the market of private interests and the state of public interest. In that way, the role of the state is to act for the common interest and economic actors aim at their private interests.

This condition follows the liberal-economistic model, which describes the tactics of the 20th century. In that case, the boundaries that separate these two spheres are regulated by the state, as the legal framework defines issues of property and therefore what is considered as public or private (Sheller and Urry, 2003).

The terms of public and private can have many meanings; however, it seems that on the spatial context the public and private are well defined. This means that they are not considered as two separate spheres, but more as two conditions which can either be separated, overlapped or even coexist. Public and private spheres are going under great transitions, which could lead to a new potentiality; a potentiality that could also be described in spatial terms. A potentiality that shares characteristics from both spheres, is the common. Taylor (1995) is referring to this spatial condition as ‘topical common space’, and he defines it as ‘[…] a space in which people come together for some purpose, from a more intimate scale of performances, celebrations, sports events etc’. In that case, a common space has a public character –since it is a shared space– and a function that is of a common interest for the users.

However it seems that the idea of the common is way more complicated, as there are issues regarding ownership and which lead to the beginning of our analysis; is the common public or private? This issue is very complex as the notion of common widens from the idea of communities who share common spaces, facilities and resources to a number of people who might even share the same house. From the larger to the smallest scale, the common has an existence.

TORRE DAVID The informal community that was created in this unfinished building arises questions for the limits between property issues as well as for the use of the unused space

What perhaps makes the common so flexible, in terms that it could be referring to a community or a number of people is the issue of ownership. In many examples of common shared spaces, communality and co-housing (ex. Torre David Tower in Venezuela, Moriyama House in Japan, SostreCivic in Spain, Walde in Berlin), the common space is part of a private property. What makes a space within this property state common is the way it is going to be handled by its owners. Today commonality and the possibility of sharing common spaces or facilities is a current issue, hence there is the legal framework that can define the character of the common through regulation and rules.2

of the city. In 2012 the top of the building was transformed in to a common space, a project that won the Biennale 2012 (image: Dezeen, 2012).

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Part of C.Varvogli (2013), The archipelago of the common, The Bartlett.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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a FRAME TO THE CITY The floating platform, leaving Messina and travelling towards Reggio to reach the dock. Upon its arrival, the platform becomes a frame that hosts the common.

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The narrative of Schylla and Charybdis The narrative of Schylla and Charybdis takes place into a scenario where endless urbanization has led to the lack ideas such as centrality, limit, city, countryside; in that context, this narrative explores the possibility whether cities could have determined limits as well as restricted building development within the same limits.

Messina and Reggio Calabria are two medium sized cities which have exceeded their limits towards urbanization; this is evident from the fact that the landscape is working as a limit for the city, limiting its tendency for sprawl. The grid of both cities is very important in that sense, as it keeps the city compact and it has the ability to

frame the city in terms of property.

Inspired by ancient greek mythology, Reggio Calabria is referred as Scylla and Messina as Charybdis. This project suggests the creation of a common element between the two cities, in terms of a spiritual procedure.

A permanent dock is located in a strategic point of each city, which is characterized by its population density. The function of each dock is to welcome the arrival of a floating structure, which is travelling through the strait for 365 days, until it arrives at one of the cities.

The arrival of the floating structure is followed by the creation of a common

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

space, as the plarforn arrives at the dock of each city. The creation of the common space is a cause for celebration and leads to a festive atmoshphere for the people of the city and the floating structure.

The ritual that connects these two cities, through the platform’s slow journey in the Strait becomes the common element among the two cities that has the ability to transform the space and create the conditions for the common

This project is a group work of Christina Varvogli; Constantinos Marcou; Theodora Soulounia; Lily Tsolakidi.

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the journey The Strait of Messina is the in-between space among Messina and Reggio Calabria that works as a limit, but also as an element of unity. The docks of each city, referring to Messina as Scylla and Reggio Calabria as Charybdis, work as the parts of the city that allow this connection to happen.

THE NARRATIVE OF SCHYLLA AND CHARYBDIS The journey of the platform in the Strait is slow, as it is referring to a ritual.

Through this journey, the platform becomes the common element among the two cities. The arrival of the platform is celebrated by a fest that takes place in the common space that is created by the platform and the dock.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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A COMPOSITION FOR THE COMMON This project is an experiment that tried to use existing housing projects in order to create new conditions for the common. Two very different and characteristic housing projects, the Narkomfin building and the Moriyama house were studied together in order to analyse the similarites and differences that they share. Each project is very different from each other, as they were build in different times, representing different political meanings or meeting different needs for its residents (Buchli (1999), Fitz (2005).

The relation that these two buildings have regarding the quality of a common space, as well as in the relation between common and

private space, was an inspiration for trying to combine these characteristics together.

The combination of the strongest common and different characteristics led to the creation of an interesting dialogue between the two building projects, both in terms of function and design. The combination of these housing projects created a common ground for a shared space, which could also be accesible to the public by its openness.

The combination od the two projects in the city grid of Reggio Calabria, will be used as a tool in order to enhance different parts of the city’s grid.

The strategy that was followed in order to relocate these two projects was based on

two basic issues: initially, the existing open spaces, as the Narkomfin is a large scale building and it should keep the analogy of its dimensions. Secondly, their relocation should be done in a way that they cover a ray of influence in the city’s grid.

Each one of these common spaces has a different character and a different impact in the city. The compactness and the relation with the existing open public spaces create a strong network of diverse common and public spaces in the city grid.

This project is a group work of Christina Varvogli and Lily Tsolakidi.

common as a way of living View from the ‘City Gate’. The inbetween spaces among the buildings become a space for interaction for the people, enhancing in this conext the common character of the space. The space becomes something more than the open space of a housing complex, and becomes the place for communal interaction.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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Narkomfin building Relation of common and private spaces; common spaces are located in the supporting building, whereas the rest of the rooms have a private character. The circulation of the building is possible through two corridors, on the second and fourth floor. The circulation enhances the fragmented character of the Narkomfin, as the inhabitants of the building are ‘isolated’ from the outdoors open space.

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Moriyama house The relationship of common and private is redifined, as each building has a private character. However the garden is a common space which enhances the relationship between the different tenants. In that way, the open common space among the residences becomes an in-between space of community and residence.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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IN AND OUT Inside and outside relation; the fragmented character of Narkomfin is more evident, as the interior and exterior are divided by a conceivable line, a border.

The linear windows provide a view to the outside, however, this connection is not possible from the exterior to the interior.

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in goES out Interior/Exterior plan; in comparison with Narkomfin, Moriyama house is represented without any boundaries enhancing in that way the strong relationship between the inside and outside space.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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PROMOTION FOR A NEW WAY OF LIVING A social condenser which was built to foster the communist way of life. It represented more than just a building, as it was about a vision of historical and political change.

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common and transparency It is a suggestion for a way of living, as the tenants of the houses have the opportunity to share a common space, like a small community. This characteristic is enhcaned through the flexibility of the interior and the importance of the exterior; the transparency through the large window openings works as a link between common and private.

Christina Varvogli Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname

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Relocation strategy in Reggio Calabria The relocation of the two buildings together is based on their analogies, in order to create a dialogue between them. The scale of the composition led to the experimentation of locating the two buildings in existing open spaces or big blocks in strategic parts of the city.

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UCL | The Bartlett School of Architecture | MArch UD Christina Varvogli

influence of the strategy The relocation of the two buildings in four parts of the urban grid enhances the urban grid and the existing open spaces in the city through the common.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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LOCAL CENTER The composition is adjusted into the scale of the neighbourhood, as the common space becomes a part of the school.

Narkomfin has the character of the main building, as it is adjusted on the existing school and frees space from the groundfloor. The buildings of Moriyama house organise the exterior and give an extrovert character to the space.

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city gate The square gains a hyperlocal character, as the Narkomfin building gains double height and creates a dialogue with the train station. The composition ot the two projects is located on a public square in order to experiment with the limits between public and common.

Christina Varvogli Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname

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THE NEED FOR ORGANIZATION In the ‘Local center’, the Narkomfin building is adjusted to the local character of the neighborhood. The pilotis is extended so it can host the existing elementary school, enhancing in that way the initial common character of this element. The small Moriyama houses are used in order to create in between spaces. Their flexibility is enhancing the numerous possibilities that the combination of their composition can have as supporting buildings.

In that way, they organise the common space, as the open space is constituted from in-between spaces which provide different qualities of space. This composition

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is also referring to the different buildings of the original Moriyama house and its exterior character The case of the ‘City gate’ gains a hyperlocal character, as the height of the Narkomfin building is doubled in order to enhance the density of the urban environment. At the same time, the Narkomfin defines the open space while the composition of the enlarged Moriyama buildings creates a number of between spaces. In that way, the composition of the Moriyamas is able to organize the common space, keeping at the same time the relation between the interior and the exterior. The relation be-

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tween the Moriyama houses and Narkomfin is strong, as the Moriyamas are able to gain common and public uses; they can be used as Narkomfin’s supporting buildings but also as cafes, shops etc. In that way, the Narkomfin building along with the number of Moriyama housed creates different scales and qualities for the common.

TRANSPARENCY OF THE COMMON The linear facade of the fragmented Narkomfin becomes the background, while the windows of Moriyama houses allow transparency to the square/

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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the block of the common The urban block is considered as one of the constitutive elements of the grid, as it distincts the private space from the public in terms of property. Under those terms, this project explores the possibility of creating in-between common spaces in the scale of an urban block on the grid of Reggio Calabria.

that connect the inner block space with the city. The open space of the block is a common space that is shared among the residents of the block’s housing complex, however the openings allow a possibility of linking the common with the public; in that way the common space gains a public character.

The composition of the project is based on a grid, in order to enhance the geometry and also make it adaptable, so it can be repeated every time in a different composition which gives it a unique character. The grid is strictly defined as a typical city block, however the openings of the block’s facades allow a transparency

The form is a clear reference to the simple geometry of the grid, which is the characteristic that makes the project adaptable. The simple form also makes the repetition more creative, as each block can be unique. The transparency of the facades represents conceptually the circulation in the different types of

buildings.

The most important part of the design process was to define the composition.

The creation of the in-between spaces inside the defined grid, so the open common space is composed from parts of smaller inner spaces. However, the project focuses on the definition of the space as an open block. In that way the continuous facades also work as a limit between the block’s inner space and the rest of the city, but the pilotis-like openings let access to the people so it gains a more public character through openness and accesibility by everyone.

Common spaces in the city The compact but also open facade gives a public character to the inner common space.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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Final exhibition The process of the composition through the conecptual draft models led to a strict composition which defines the perimeter of a city block.

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EXPERIMENTS ON Composition composition #1 (creation of inner spaces) and composition #2 (definition of space and inner spaces). The second composition focuses on the definition of the block though the perimetrical facade, which works both as the limit and the element of unity between the block and the rest of the city.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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IN-BETWEENS OF THE COMMON The strict and at the same time flexible composition also encourages the use of the rooftops, as well as the circulation on the different levels of the rooftops. In that way, another layer of the building can be used as a common space.

OPEN TO THE COMMON The location of the openings is based on the peoples’ flows. The continuity between the openings enhances the transparency of the block towards the city, as well as its public character.

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POTENTIALITY OF THE COMMON Zoom in of the open common space.

In between spaces can be used as an occasion of the interaction between the inhabitants, as well as the people of the city.

THROUGH THE OPENINGS View of the block’s inner space through an opening. The perforated character of the block enhances the communal character of the space, through the accessibility to the public.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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a grammar of the grid Movements and flows in terms of technology, information and communication are describing our everyday life and are having an effect in the contemporary conditions of urbanization and globalization. This is due to the economic and cultural alterations in a global scale, which are able to transform the urban conditions and civic life.

This generic condition is having an impact on the notions of public and private spheres, as those they seem to change, overlay or co-exist. In spatial terms, movements and flows are defined by the city, as public and private spaces of the city tend to organize it. Private spaces are able to define this system through the notion of property and ownership.

However, the privatization of private space through communication and media have brought significant changes in our lifestyle, as the private sphere is being ‘exposed’ in the public.

The character of public and private spaces in the city, as well as what they represent in terms of urbanism, citizenship and social relations have changed and they are currently going after a transition. These issues are transforming our everyday lives, as they are able to redefine urban conditions, politics, economy and social interactions.

The urban grid is the system that is able to clearly define the boundaries between public and private. In the case of Messina and Reggio Calabria the notion of the grid gains importance, as it is the common element that constitutes the two cities. The implementation of the grid in both cities after their last destruction in 1908 was an exceptional case in Italy, and especially for the South, as the grid is considered as a ‘northern’ system of socio-spatial organization.

Both cities are characterized by their orthogonal grid, however the tendency of people for appropriation of the space is also a strong common element among the two cities.

The issue of illegal housing in southern Italy is related with the cultural characteristics of the people of Mediterranean and the values of the nuclear family and the household. As such, the presence of illegal housing in the cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria is an example of people’s self-organization, within the broader organizational system of the grid.

Under this spectrum, this project is an urban experiment that explores the possibility to understand and react to the legal and illegal economical, political and social processes that constitute the two cities defining a grammar of the grid. The urban block is considered as the constitutive element of the urban structure, and therefore it is analyzed in order to explore the possibilities of transformation that can create the conditions for the common.

These transformations are based on a strategy that suggests the manipulation of the threedimensional spatial configurations of the two cities. The gradual transformation of the city could be the origin in order to rethink the distinction between public and private spaces; a process that could create the conditions for the common and activate people for the self-organization of their shared space and lead to an autonomy for the South.

BASED ON A GRID In this art installation by Esther Stocker, the system of the grid is implied as much by its gaps as it is by its contours.

The composition of the elements shows that the grid is there, yet not visible. (image: Flickr, 2012)

This project is a group work of Christina Varvogli and Lily Tsolakidi.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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CAPTURING FLOWS AND THE NEED FOR FRAMES The era that we live in is being characterized by the fast transformations that we are facing in technology, transportation, urbanization and globalization (Sheller and Urry, 2003). These conditions have affected civic life, people’s relations and subsequently the public and private spheres.

If the 20th century has been characterized by the sovereign role of the state and market to affect and prevail over ‘private’ life, the 21st century is about the social and political problem that arises from the transformations of the public and private spheres. In many cases public realm is considered as absent, as the private realm tends to affect the issues of property and

domesticity.

Klein, 2000).

This contemporary condition has transformed the opportunities of everyday life, however they have also affected social life conditions and participation in the terms of citizenship. According to literature, social conditions and citizenship have weakened. There is a variety of arguments in literature on this specific issue; according to Wolfe (1989) and Putnam (2000) commercialization and privatization of the contemporary lifestyle have affected the civic life and damaged the ties of solidarity and community. Urbanization impelled by the private domain has contracted public parts of the city and the state, leading to loss of democratic control (Nader, 2000;

Consequently, the privatization of citizenship leads to the absence of the public sphere. This pattern is dominant in cities since the ages of ancient Greek and Roman cities, and it is changeable according to the current social, political and economic circumstances. In ancient Greece, agora used to be the political space that allowed the exchange of opinion and raised the role of citizenship (Aureli, 2001: 4). Nowadays political spaces are related to squares where protests take place (Leontidou, 2012) or have been overtaken by the continuous flows of movements and information which seem to become (Nemeth, 2009).

FRAMING THE FLOWS Frames allow functions to perform and are able to give symbolic meanings.

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captured movement Architectural space organizes, provides a frame and gives a form to the continuous

These new forms of social relations are abstract and unstable, however architecture has an almost opposite character; it has a physical existence, a duration in time and can create an interesting dialectic to contemporary relations. Architectural space has the ability to organize, it provides a frame and gives a form to the continuous flows of movement and information. The role of architecture is significant, because when a movement is captured and framed, it can be recognized. According to Lefebvre (2000) ‘Social relations are abstract and ungrounded until they are spatialized that is made into material and symbolic spatial relations’.3

flows, In that way the movement is captured and can be recognized.

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Part of C.Varvogli (2013), The archipelago of the common, The Bartlett.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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THE GENERIC LOGIC OF THE GRID The impact of the grid on the cities is very crucial and most imporantly on the modern societies that dealt with urbanization.

Ildefons Cerdá implemented the grid for the expansion of Barcelona, as a potentially infinite device that would be able to lead the cities to urbanization. Urbanization was Cerdá’s idea that described the ‘condition of limitless and complete integration of movement and communication brought about by capitalism’ (Aureli, 2011).

The grid is a significant characteristing in many metropolises around the world, as its geometry worked as a machine for their development and growth. It creates a generic condition, as it is able to frame the city within a totalizing condition, where

the city has no boundaries. In that sense, urbanity is considered as one domestic space, where the distinction between public and private space and political and economic space is absent. ‘The governing methods of economy transcend the boundaries between public space and private space’.

As noted before, the relation between the public and the private is strongly correlated with the socio-economic and technological transformations that the contemporary cities are facing during the last decades.

The loss of their distinction creates a problematization to the urban literature.

However this fact strongly characterizes the contemporary era and could be seen

famous grids New York and Barcelona

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as a transformation towards the process of urbanization. Urbanization has the ability to transform the urban conditions, and the fade of the line between the public and the private could be the potentiality to arise the common.4 4

Part of C.Varvogli (2013), The archipelago of the common, The Bartlett.

tHE GENERIC GRID The continuous monument by Superstudio (1969). A huge endless generic grid, which is commenting on the way globalization is capturing the world.

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MESSINA AND REGGIO CALABRIA Messina and Reggio Calabria are located in Southern Italy on the tip of the Italian peninsula. Reggio Calabria is part of the continent of Italy, whereas Messina is the third largest city in the island of Sicily.

The two cities face each other across the Strait of Messina. Both cities share a long history since the ancient times, however they have been over many changes through the years; the two cities were destructed many times and were rebuilt.

The most significant earthquake during the last century was the 1908 earthquake that impacted both cities, and especially Messina which was destroyed at its most part. This phenomenon characterized both cities, as they were left as a Tabula rasa; a blank sheet of paper that was able to give a new potentiality for both cities.

The earthquake of 1908 left the two cities as Tabula rasa, allowing their reorganization into the system of the grid. Two engineers, Pietro De Nava and Luigi BorzĂŹ proposed news plans for the cities. Both plans were based on tradition and also renovation, regarding the construction quality of the built environment. The important common element of both cities is the fact that they were both planned on an orthogonal grid, a characteristic that is rare in Italian cities.

The cities were rebuilt in the period of early modernity under the aspiration for a rationalized urbanization which was manifested both in the BorzĂŹ (1909-1911) and De Nava (1910-1914) plans.

Reggio Calabria is located between two fiumaras, the characteristic rivers of

MESSINA Borzi plan, 1911

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southern Italy, which are also the borders of the town. The city is based on a strong grid, which is strictly following the morphology and the landscape. The city might have been reconstructed through the De Nava plan in 1910, however the grid was actually a residue of Giovanbattista Mori’s plan in 1784. Mori designed the grid according to the landscape and a long axis that remains an important urban characteristic of the city, as it connects the fiumaras, the borders of the city. On the other hand, Messina was not built on a grid before 1911. It was a part of a rational tactic that was representing a northern thought of urbanization.5 5

Part of C. Varvogli (2013), Archipelago of the common,

The Bartlett.

REGGIO CALABRIA De Nava plan, 1909-14

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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MESSINA The grid of Messina xpands from the seafront to the foothills. However the landscape works as a limit for the continuation of the grid.

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REGGIO CALABRIA The grid of Reggio Calabria is more strict in its geometry. An expansion of the grid on the landscape has created an amphitheatrical grid.

Portfolio 2012/2013 | Name Surname Christina Varvogli

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THE GENERIC ASPECT OF CORRUPTION IN THE CITY SPACE The people’s tend to appropriation is evident through the several cases of illegal housing in both cities. However this phenomenon is not an exception in the case of the two cities, as there are many cases of illegal housing across the Mediterannean. This tend of extending the private space of the house is a complicated issue, as it could be due to factors such as poverty, geography, migration, urbanization or political instability; also, it could be related with the characteristics of the Mediterranean culture and their family ties; in many Mediterranean cities, the dominant family model is that of the nuclear family, which means the living of parents and children. The household is

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the common that bonds the nuclear family, as it is used in more ways than a simple home; Allen et. al (2004) describe it as a ‘structure through which individuals move at different stages in their life cycles’.

This means that the household is seen as an important factor for the family, and it has deeper meanings than just its function. The household is ‘open’ to all members of the family, although there is only one owner for the house. These family relations transform the house to a much more than just a building, as it tends to change according to the needs of the family.

The issue of illegal housing is an important

issue in Italy, as 10 to 15 percent of all housing provision has been illegal, primarily concentrated in the Southern part (Istat, 2010). The illegal units in all parts of the cities are represesentative of the local culture, which could be translated into disconnection with the state, desrespect to the legal framework and regulations or a need for keeping the model of the nuclear family together. In each case, those units express the potentiality of spaces of the built environment that can be further transformed and a tension of using the ‘unused’ space of the city.6 6

Part of C. Varvogli (2013), The archipelago of the

common, The Bartlett.

EXPECTING THE ADDING

filling the gaps

It is very common that the buildings

Enclosing the balconies in order to use

are ‘prepared’ for an expansion of the

every possible space within the frame of

household.

the block.

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horizontal expansion An enclosed balcony that is extended creates an exception on the facade.

vertical expansion The appropriation of the rooftop space is the most common case for illegal addings.

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A MANIPULATION OF THE GRID The filled spaces of the city can be read as additional parts on a grid. In that sense, the open and empty spaces of the city represent the cut pieces of a three dimensional grid.

The additional parts represent the filled space of the city that occupies the empty space of the city. The blocks and the buildings should be understood as the remains of the empty city space. The grid has the ability to organize the city and its consisted blocks; however the blocks seem to be more than just parts of the city grid, as they represent a unit of spatial organization that has distinct borders. The block can be understood as an intermediate level of urban space between the public and the private, and as a unit it can provide a level of people’s organization and autonomy.

The new needs for the organization of people’s space can be implemented on the level of a city block. Practically, if people in a block have spaces in common they can

decide how to use the common space in order to meet some of their needs.

In its two dimensional form the grid is generic in its nature, with distinct borders between public and private spaces. However, it can also be very abstract; the blocks are the basic elements of the grid, and their manipulation as cubes form different qualities of space.

The morphology of the existing blocks represents the different possibilities for the transformation of the urban environment and the flexibility that this planning tool can have. By using the block as the constitutive element, the two cities shape different space qualities that make each block differ from the other. These differences, are taken into consideration in order to enhance the number of possible transformations. registered in the city grid and emphasise the ability of the block to be the base for numerous potential transformations.

The strategy is based on the manipulation of the city space, in its three dimensional form. The implementation of this tactic is based on cutting, adding and also linking parts of the city grid.

This strategy proposes the redefinition of public, private and common in terms of design. The common is the shared space among the residents of the block, which has the potential to become a quality shared space, a common platform for social interaction that is able to meet people’s needs. The common could activate people in terms of self-organization, in order to organize their shared space. In that way, the strategy allows the city to transform.

URBAN GRIDDED As the grid adapts on the city in its three dimensional form, it creates a clear distinction between the public and the private, the ‘used’ and ‘unused’ space of the city, the fills and the gaps.

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ADDING, CUTTING AND LINKING The adding and cutting intend to keep the housing capacity constant, so if a part of a block is cut, it should be added at another point or another block. The linking reexamines the way by which private, public and common spaces are accessed.

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AN ABSTRACT MASTERPLAN The subdivision of the urban block into elements works and an inspiration for numerous transformations. The implementation of these transformation in parts of the city is able to create a masterplan based on abstraction.

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THE BLOCK AS A UNIT The urban block is understood as a unit, as it is a part of the city which can offer a level of organization, in the context of the larger organization that is determined by the grid. The evolution of the urban block through factors is based on the three basic block categories: solid blocks, blocks with a corridor and blocks with a courtyard.

These factors shape the typologies that are found on both cities and they represent the difference in the variations of spatial organization on the block as a unit.

These rules become more specific, as they are implemented differently in each city, according to differences in terms of

the grid morphology, as Messina is denser than Reggio Calabria. In order to highlight each city’s character in terms of density, the interventions in Messina tend to fill or define the empty or unused block space, however in Reggio Calabria the interventions stand out by increasing the block height.

However, the most important factor of this strategy is the role of the urban block as a unit of organization. The strategy is implemented following certain rules, however the people of the block are the ones that decide whether they need these spaces or not. In that sense, this strategy suggests the organization of the city block

and the creation of a block management committee that will decide for its needs in terms of space. In that way people are in control of their shared block space, and are also able to decide how they will use that space. In that way the people of the block are able to take this strategy a step further and add functions to their block, leading to a possibility for self-organization on a neighbourhood level.

typologies on the grid The different typologies manage to shape characteristic areas in both cities.

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Basic block typologies The repetition of these typologies in the urban grid creates possibilities either for the use of the open space or the corridors.

Solid block

Block with corridors

Block with courtyard

Block with courtyard + corridors

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EVOLUTION of the urban block A number of basic factors that affect space quality and openess determine the typologies that are found in both cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria.h

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INTERVENTION CATALOGUE: MESSINA The character of the transformations in Messina is based on filling the gaps of the existing urban grid, as Messina is already dense due its average building height.

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INTERVENTION CATALOGUE: REGGIO CALABRIA Reggio Calabria has a stronger grid than Messina, however its not considered as dense. In that case, the strategy occupies the empty space of the grid.

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INTERVENTION CATALOGUE: MESSINA

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INTERVENTION CATALOGUE: MESSINA

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INTERVENTION CATALOGUE: MESSINA

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the starting point The strategy in Reggio Calabria is focused on the character of the neighbourhood.

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REGGIO CALABRIA Reggio Calabria is built on a strong grid, however the average height building doesn’t give the sense of a dense urban environment.

For that reason, the interventions in Reggio Calabria are focused on highlighting the neighbourhood character. This is evident by the height of the adding structures, which tends to exceed the maximum height of the block.

The height of the addings is able to highlight the intervention, however in each case the ‘structure’ is applied differently. The common element of the chosen blocks is the element of the corridor, which can be used either for linking or just as an entrance to

the common courtyard of the block. In each case, the interventions aim to reveal the potentialities that each block has according to its typology.

In the first case the adding is applied on the rooftop, transforming the existing unused terrace to a space of possibilities for the people of the block. In the second case the intervention is more complex, as it aims on filling a gap of the block as well as free the courtyard and transform the inner space of the block on many levels; from the groundfloor up to the highest level of the block.

Those case studies are able to combine a number of different characteristics of the typical blocks that can be found in both cities. Both of them represent the numerous potentialities of the spaces that can ‘host’ the common.

case studies Blocks #1 and #2 in Reggio Calabria

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ADAPTING THE GRID The structure frames the block by defining its borders, the edges of the corridor that lead to linking. The simple organisation creates in-between spaces, where the common is extended on the terrace.

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COMMON FRAME An existing block with a corridor can free its in-between space and gain a public character. By simply cutting the existing gates that separate the private space of the block from the public space of the city, the block gains a public character through its openess and accesibility. In that way, the basic element of the block is highlighted and it is used in order to create a link.

The common is applied again on a layer on top of the existing buildings, creating a common terrace as well as an organization for housing. The division between common and private is referring to the filled and empty parts of a literal three dimensional

grid. The similarity of the façade and the plan view allow a simple understanding of organization that can be suggested for the self-organization of people and the possibility for autonomy.

The implementation of the gridded structure on the whole surface of the terrace is a reference to the unused three dimensional space. The structure could be the frame that defines the open common space of the block, or it could be used as a guide in order to activate people to organise their common space in order to meet their own needs.

the intervention A typical linear block with a corridor has the potentiality to be become the base for the common. By cutting the gates of the block and adding the structure on the block’s higher level, it become the common frame of the block.

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The FRAME. LEVEL +6.50 The simple organization of the units is able to meet people’s need and be understandable by them so they can be activated for selforganization.

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THE FRAME. LEVEL +9.50

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inside the frame the units are actually cubes adapted on the grid that play with the filled and open parts of the structure.

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common frame The structure is adjusted on the existing building in order to define the block’s boundaries and create gates that will highlight its basic element; the corridor

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ADAPTING THE GRID The basic elements of the block are highlighted by the composition of this intervention. The existing gaps are either filled of enhanced, while the courtyard has become a quality space for the common.

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PAVILLION OF THE COMMON The variation in block typologies and the flexibility of the grid allow it to implement differently on each block highlighting the block’s basic elements. On a case of a block with corridors and a courtyard, the pavillion of the common is a part of the adding and also one of the entrances to the block. This case suggests other levels of privacy, as the common is placed on a higher level. The courtyard of the block has the possibility of gaining a public character, by using the existing corridors that let access to its inner space. However the character of the intervention is characterized as introvert, as the existing corridors are currently open, without any

gates that become the border between the public and the private. The intervention aims to keep this element, but it is focusing on the common and not on the public character of the block.

This intervention is applied by filling an existing gap of the block with housing, but at the same time keep the openess of the block. the courtyard is freed from an existing house, which is replaced by a common pavillion that is connected with the housing tower. In that way the two buildings create a dialogue and focus on the common, as the circulation among the two buildings is based on the common.

THE INTERVENTION The courtyard is freed by ‘cutting’ the building that occupies it, while an existing gap is filled by ‘adding’ the structure, but at the same time keeping the groundfloor open. The common is replacing the cut building while it highlights the second entrance of the block.

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THE DIALOGUE. LEVEL +6.00 The position of the two buildings manages to enhance the two corridors and create an interesting dialogue. As the circulation is possible only from the common pavillion, the common becomes the main structire that lead to the private.

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THE DIALOGUE. LEVEL +9.00

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THE DIALOGUE. LEVEL +12.00

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THE DIALOGUE. LEVEL +15.00

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standing out The two identical buildings are exceeding the highest level of the block in order to highlight the existing block. In that way they manage to define the highest level that the block can have.

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PAVILLION OF THE COMMON The common becomes the core of the block. The common space might be at the higher levels of the pavillion, however the groundfloor can be activated too.

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the starting point The selected area is at the center of the city and is characterised by its commercail character.

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MESSINA Messina is considered as quite a dense mediterranean city. The average height of its buildings up to six or seven storeys gives an urban character to this medium sized city. The interventions in Messina are focusing on the character of its commercial centre, where commericial use is mixed with residential. The chosen blocks are of the same type, in order to show different potentialities of the block with a courtyard.

Each block corresponds to a different quality of common space. In the first case, the intervention has a more introvert character that adjustes with the character of the block. In the second case, the block adapts a more extrovert character in order to meet

the needs of the commercial character that the area has. The intervention of the second block is an experiment that explores the boundaries between public and private.

In each case, those two examples are experimenting with the enclosed inner space of the courtyard, and how this space can be transformed in order to meet the needs of the residents or the people of the city. In that way we are able to explore the possibilities that the manipulation of the three dimensional space of the city has, in order to create in-between spaces, pathways and quality spaces that correspond to today’s living and working conditions.

case studies Blocks #1 and #2 in Messina

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ADAPTING THE GRID By filling the conceivable vacant space of the block, it adapts a substance in terms of created in-between spaces.

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VERTICAL COURTYARD The case of this block is that of a typical block with an inner courtyard. however, this block is also characterized by its height difference that creates a ‘gap’ on the three dimensional frame that is created by the block.

The suggested intervention follows the basic rules of the intervention catalogue and highlights the basic elemets of this specific block. The ‘gap’ is filled in order to use the available free space of the block and define its borders. The adding includes a housing complex, as well as enclosed and open spaces. The common is extended to the rooftop and the courtyard,

as the structure is unfolding from the rooftop to the grounfloor. The design of the structure strictly follows the frame of the block. The structure of the grid keeps the geomerty of the grid, however its design is a clear reference to the possibilities that a three grid can have in terms of empty and filled space. The circulation of the structure represents its flexibility.

character of this interventions is enhanced through articulating the boundaries between tha public and private in order to allow interaction and communication.

In order to experiment with the introvert character of the block, there is a cutting that has been applied on the groundfloor.

The partial cutting of the block creates a passage that becomes the entrance to the inner courtyard of the block. The introvert

THE INTERVENTION The courtyard of the block is the basic element and the gap is the empty space that is going to be filled by ‘adding’. By cutting a part of the block, the courtyard becomes accesible from the public.

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cutting the block. level +0.00 By applying ‘a surgery’ on a part of the block, the courtyard becomes open and accesible.

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FILLING THE LAYERS. LEVEL +9.00 The composition of this intervention is experimenting with the three dimensional grid in terms of size and position. The different organization of the units in each layer represents the possibillities.

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FILLING THE LAYERS. LEVEL +12.00

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filling the layers. level +15.00

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UNFOLDING THE STRUCTURE the grid is filling the gap by reaching the maximum height of the block. As the structure is adapting on the existing building, the grid is ‘unfolding’ in order to create the circulation.

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VERTICAL courtyard The implementation of the three dimensional grid in the inner coutryard of the block enhances the open common space of the block and creates new possibilities for housing and social interaction on a higher level.

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ADAPTING THE GRID The basic element of the block is transformed into a crossroad of corridors. In that way the inner space of the block becomes a part of the city and a crossroad among the blocks.

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URBAN SHELTER By simply cutting and adding, the freed space of the block gains a number of potentialities. The linear in-between space of the block can become a crossroad of corridors, creating a space with levels of privacy. As the freed space of the block, it is the common space that the block residents share, it can also be closed to public access. However the corridor can lead to the linking of the block’s space with the city, creating an in-between space for the city. The adding is applied by framing the created space and the possibilities for social interaction and movement.

The interventions suggests the creation of an urban shelter that can capture the flows and meet people’s needs. However the flexibility of the structure allows also the possibility for expansion, which is a clear reference to the people’s tend for appropriation. This doesn’t mean that the suggested structure should be considered as a cause for illegal activity, but as part of the shared space that the people of the block share. in that way, people are able to decide whether parts of the space that is framed by the gridded shelter can be enclosed or not.

THE INTERVENTION By cutting two buildings and creating entrances on the groundfloor, a typical block with a courtyard is transformed into a crossroad of linking. The accessibility of the block enhance the public character of the block.

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crossroad of links. LEVEL +0.00 The created links enhance the inner space of the block and at the same time they make it accessible. The urban shelter becomes a meeting point, a space for social interaction.

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FRAMING THE FACADE the gridded shelter becomes the frame that represents the empty three dimensional space of the block.

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URBAN SHELTER The grid becomes not only a part of the block, but of the city as well; in that case the common blends with the public, enriching the potentialities of the block’s open space.

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