RMIT UNIVERSITY
ITALIAN RETREAT FROM MODERNISM URBAN ARTEFACT OF MELBOURNE
Aldo Rossi’s collage of ‘Architecture of the City’
NAME: DANNY (DONG WOO) KWAK STUDENT NUMBER: S3278341 TUTOR: BELINDA GRANT th
ARCH: 1750 HISTORY WESTERN ARCHITECTURE 20 CENTURY
Mussolini and the fascist Italy fell after their defeat in WW2, leaving the country in devastated ruin. However, this was also a great opportunity for Italy to bring something new to the urban fabric. Yet in the eyes of the modernist critiques such as Reyner Banham, Italian architects seem to disregard International Modernism style and returned to their Regionalism (see fig. 1), which was considered out 1 dated and negligent . Aldo Rossi and other Italian Architects however, didn’t run away from 2 Modernism, but used this opportunity to master Italian way of design which was utilising history . Aldo Rossi’s ‘Architecture of the City’ wraps the importance of ‘Urban Artefact’, ‘Urban History’ and how 3 these can be the key design driver for the cities around the world creating ‘Locus Solus’ . This essay will connect Melbourne with Rossi’s theory and observe how his ideas were integrated in Melbourne’s development.
Figure 1: BBPR’s Torre Velasca (Neo-Liberty) vs Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye (International Modernism)
The main point Rossi states is that ‘City needs to be understood as Architecture’, and this Architecture is not the visible image of a city and sum of individual buildings, but ‘A construction of the 4 city over time’ . Thus people are the key to creating architecture. History changes as time goes by, and architecture adapts into every moment of history. It contains past and present within every single th bricks, Rossi’s example of urban artefact is ‘Palazzo della Ragione’ and how the city hall in the 13 century changed into a marketplace (see fig. 2). The form does not follow function as Luis Sullivan and other modernist architect emphasise but form can be adapted to functions. This ideology contradicted 5 the Modernism architecture’s view, best described by Le Corbusier’s ‘Villa Savoye’ , where this theory 6 can be applied to every building in every city. Banham, says LA is the ‘City that works’ and how the Italian architecture and Neo-liberty, is an infantile regression from this great opportunity.
Figure 2: Palazzo-Della-Ragione’s redevelopment over time (from town hall into market place). Representing Urban Artefacts can have different functions overtime which is independent of their form and they can shape the city.
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(Banham, 1959) Reyner Banham’s article in Architectural Review issue 747 (Molinari, 1998) Italian Architecture’s focus on contextualism 3 (Rossi, 1982) “One can say that the city itself is the collective memory of its people. The city is the Locus of the collective memory” 4 (Rossi, 1982) Rossi concept of Urban Artefact contradicted Modernisms polemics against monuments. 5 (Corbusier, 2007) 5 points of Modernism Architecture: 1. Pilotis 2. Free Plan 3. Free Façade 4. Ribbon Windows 5. Roof Garden 6 (Cooper, 1972) Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles 2
Urban Artefact as work of art City is a manmade object, combining engineering technique and architectural design, making a landscape inhabitable. Every city is developed by different engineers and architects and this is why every city has unique characteristic. The elements that make a city special are defined as ‘Urban Artefact’ by Rossi. These urban artefacts can be recognised in Melbourne as the famous coffee lanes. Comparing with Sydney, where artefacts are monumental i.e. Opera House, Darling Harbor and Bondi Beach, Melbourne’s lanes are rather small and unnoticeable (see fig. 3). This is why Melbourne’s Federation Square did not succeed as Melbourne’s monument and people are more attracted to the 7 narrow, almost dull lanes . This is because Melbourne and Sydney is different and same ‘Architecture’ has different meaning, Sydney requiring more grand monuments due to much more international 8 visitors and Melbourne’s Hoddle Grid can really bring out the lane culture .
Figure 3: Melbourne’s emphasis on narrow lane culture vs Sydney’s Opera House attracting global visitors
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(Davies, 2014) Melbourne’s Federation Square strength is that it’s very permeable yet creates a psychological sense of enclosure. 8 (Guthrie, 2014) Analysis of the city Melbourne and Sydney and its comparisons
Typological Question and Naïve Functionalism th
In the 20 century, modernist architects emphasised in the concept of ‘Form follows function’. How the programs should determine what the buildings should look like, in order to maximise the 9 efficiency . Rossi states that this concept limits architecture to that function, the form cannot be more than function. He rejects this to determine the artefacts, as the functions of urban artefacts are subject 10 to change over time . New types of functions are rising constantly while old redundant functions are disappearing constantly. If this ‘Form follows function’ is applied, every building in the Melbourne CBD has to be temporary, ready to be dismantled for new type of function. This would make the architecture to be quick and boring as its purpose will disappear when the function dies. Melbourne’s GPO is a great example of and urban artefact that is free from rules of function and the form can incorporate new functions through architectural upgrade (see fig. 4).
Figure 4: Melbourne’s GPO transformed from the biggest post office in Melbourne into shopping complex, by rebuilding
after a fire
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(Frazier, 1991) Sullivan and the Chicago School approached architecture with functionalism idea (Rossi, 1982)
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Theory of Permanence Rossi’s emphasis on ‘Urban History’ is important as it is the most accurate way to study a city. Cities change constantly, however some things are persistent. These permanent objects are also urban artefacts and these, whether monument or basic layout, cities maintain the development along this axis by expanding according to the characteristic of the urban artefact. Rossi categorises permanence 11 into ‘Propelling’ and ‘Pathological’ . Propelling artefact is monuments that survive due to its form that accommodates other functions over time. The ‘Hoddle Grid’ is an example of this, how it originally was the whole of Melbourne and the city grew from its axis and now the Swanston St has been converted into tram and bike path (see fig. 5). When the artefact becomes isolated it becomes ‘Pathological’. The ‘Royal Exhibition’ building is isolated due to ‘Carlton Garden’ and it is still an urban artefact yet separated from the rest of the city.
Figure 5: Melbourne’s Swanston St before and after Jan Gehl’s re-development, showing transformation while keeping the original foundation
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(Rossi, 1982)
City as a Spatial System However big the city is, a city’s character should be able to be observed at any point. Rossi express the city is a spatial system comprised of many different parts. This concept is used to oppose the Modernism’s idea of zoning. 70s LA used this to develop the city, zoning includes residential, 12 commercial and industrial . However, this resulted in a city that relies on motor vehicle and long distance travel. Most of Melbourne’s building in CBD has no single identity but are multi-purpose buildings able to host variety of zones (see fig. 6).
Figure 6: Conventional urban planning’s zoning system not allowing diverse functions to exist in small place while modern city has multi functioning buildings.
History and the Collective Memory History of a city and people’s collective memory are imbedded in the city itself. Monuments radiate history through materials and forms. The collective memory of a city can also portray the characteristic of that city. People remember important features of a city, and if these are collected and analysed, we can identify what objects become Artefact and what monument become just a building. 13 This analysis method is different to what typical historians would use , as they intend to find and isolate past from present, but Rossi wants to identify important history for architects to use for design technique. Such artefacts can be seen in Melbourne city in the form of clocks. Flinders St Railway Station is historical monument, where history is emitting from every building block and especially from the oxidised copper domes. However, more important to people is the row of little clocks (see fig. 7). Melbournians know the term ‘Meet you under the clock’. Likewise, ‘Coopers Shot Tower’ within Melbourne Central is heritage but the ‘Big Clock’ is far more memorable to people (see fig. 7). 12
(Cooper, 1972) Historians use facts and filter bias information, in contrast Rossi focuses not on truth but what people believe in. 13
Figure 7: The two famous clocks of Melbourne, on Flinders St Station and Melbourne Central groundfloor
The Monuments Rossi’s concept of a monument is an object that transmits ideas within a city ‘Monuments are the physical signs of the past’. However, monuments are not preserved old buildings like the Great Pyramid of Giza, but objects that has been evolved rather than preserved. For Melbourne, the State Library of Victoria can be classified as the Monument. The building has gone through many redevelopments but it has always been a great public building for the general public, constantly being upgraded to become a better public library (see fig. 8)
Figure 8: State Library of Victoria’s development over time, transforming into grand public space.
The locus ‘Locus Solus’ is Latin for unique place. Rossi introduces this concept as the relationship between a location and buildings situated there. Rossi uses Roman Forum as an example where the urban square brings out the important buildings such as Bascilica, Temple and Amphitheatre. For Melbourne, the forecourt in front of SLV can be classified as the Locus. Unlike the library, the forecourt’s general design feature hasn’t been changed. It is where everyone relaxes and enjoys sunshine, but it still emits a great public space just as it did in the 50s (see fig. 9)This mere patch of tiered lawn area serves as urban artefact as it is placed in the heart of CBD connecting the two monuments, together bringing thousands of people during variety of events.
Figure 9: State Library of Victoria’s Forecourt in the 1950s
Melbourne may not have incorporated Aldo Rossi’s concept explained above, but we can clearly observe urban artefacts. ‘Architecture of the City’ does not give us guidelines on how to design a city but it provides the designers a new set of lens on how to view cities, which may give a direction on architectural design. Aldo Rossi and designers influenced by Neo-Liberty focused on context and the value in urban history unlike modernism and their futuristic design. Likewise, all aforementioned precedents are Melbourne’s artefact whether big or small. Italians did not retreat from Modernism, they reformed Milieu.
Works Cited Banham, R. (1959). Neo-Liberty. The Architectectorial Review. Cooper, J. (Director). (1972). Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles [Motion Picture]. Corbusier, L. (2007). Toward an Architecture. Getty Publications. Davies, A. (2014, 06 30). Why is Federation Square such a success? Retrieved 09 15, 2017, from Crikey: https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2014/07/30/why-is-federation-square-such-a-success/ Frazier, N. (1991). Louis Sullivan & the Chicago School. Gramercy; 1st edition. Guthrie, S. (2014, 12 09). Melbourne vs Sydney: who wins the showdown? Retrieved 09 16, 2017, from The New Daily: http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2014/12/09/melbourne-vs-sydney-wins-showdown/ Molinari, P. S. (1998). 2G-15 Italian Postwar Architecture 1944-1960. Glli. Rossi, A. (1982). The Architecture of the City. MIT Press, 1982.
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