SENIOR SEMINAR
INTRODUCTION
BY JENNA ANDREWS
The following chapters relate my experiences in and impressions of European sites to selected essays which discuss urban design and landscape architecture. This booklet contains written entries, series of photographs, and informational diagrams to express these relationships. Some written entries focus solely on the essays, in which case you will find footnotes explaining the correlation of the images to the entry. Many images are black and white due my concurrent film photography course at Santa Chiara. My photography is an attempt to express composition, light, framing and point of view | Enjoy.
CAL POLY SAN LUIS OBISPO LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE | STUDY ABROAD SANTA CHIARA | FALL 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS - Chapter titles reflect the corresponding essays -
Chapter 1 “Defining The Urbanistic Project” | Castiglion F’no........................... 5 Chapter 2 “Defining The Urbanistic Project” | Palermo, Sicily........................... 7 Chapter 3 “Defining Urban Sites” | Castiglion F’no........................................... 9 Chapter 4 “Defining Urban Sites” | Venice, Italy................................................. 11 Chapter 5 “Landscape Nostalgia” | Castiglion F’no.......................................... 13 Chapter 6 “Landscape Nostalgia” | Paris, Canal St. Martin Jardin Villemin..... 15 Chapter 7 “Grafting The Edelweiss” | Castiglion F’no....................................... 17 Chapter 8 “Grafting the Edelweiss” | Fiesole, Italy, Villa Gamberaia.................. 19 Chapter 9 “Gardens and the Larger Landscapes” | Castiglion F’no.................. 21 Chapter 10 “Gardens and the Larger Landscapes” | Playa d’en Bossa, Spain... 23 Chapter 11 “Walkscapes” | Castiglion F’no......................................................... 25 Chapter 12 “Walkscapes” | San Vito Lo Capo, Italy............................................. 27
DEFINING THE URBANISTIC PROJECT CASTIGLION FIORENTINO, ITALY
In her essay, Joan Busquets discusses ten approaches to urban projects: three of which are evident in the urban design of Castiglion Fiorentino.
RECONFIGURED SPACES
The top photograph depicts the famous arches of the main Piazza del Commune. This plaza is an approach of “Tactical Maneuvers.” The square is a completely accessible open space, free of statues or fountains or any infrastructure other than the surrounding wall with these arches, serving as a gathering and lookout point to the stoic tower and hilly landscape. The minimal intervention in this area allows endless possibilities for the community to create social processes and gathering events in this area. The piazza hosts numerous urban events and festivals that bring the community together simply by the tactical, minimal design choices in its construction.
The bottom right image is taken from Via Trento, a vehicular corridor, where evidence of a parking lot exists near the top of the hill. Beyond the lot lies one of the biggest public parks in Castiglion; an approach of “Reconfigured Space.” This once underutilized space has been socially reconfigured by the vehicular circulation routes. The area where the park, garden bar, playground and dog trail now exist, is an area that could be easily accessed by the pedestrians due to the road and walkable paths to the space. What was once outlying space beyond the small, walled urban center of Castiglion is now included as a reconfigured and recognized as an open gathering space near the center that is a very vibrant community space, especially in the summer season.
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CORE RETROFITTING
Finally, we see the approach of “Core Retrofitting” within Castiglion Fiorentino. The bottom left photo and diagram express how original urban architecture created voids between structures. Some of these voids were designed into wide, welcoming walkways with vista points that could have otherwise been underutilized. Slightly altering these sidewalks along the urban center and in some instances, reorganizing the voids between roads and buildings with moveable furniture (Porta Fiorentina) create new micro-spaces for social interaction without altering the historic identity of the urban center.
CHAPTER ONE
TACTICAL MANEUVERS
DEFINING THE URBANISTIC PROJECT PALERMO, SICILY, ITALY
This series of photos on the left comes from a World International Sicilian Heritage exhibit in Palermo’s city center. The spiral installation represents contemporary wayfinding through art, but also the ancient design approach to urban life in Palermo. The graphic below is a map from 1 the end of the 17th century of Palermo as an urban site, published by Coronelli. From early on, Palermo developed as a quasi-grid layout, but also had instances of borrowed curves from the winding seaside topography near the port. There is evidence of a slight spiral toward the most dense, central point in the heart of the city.
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Image of Palermo city center circa 17th century courtesy of Marzolini, Italian photographer and artist.
CHAPTER TWO
Today, planners and architects have taken the “Multiplied Grounds” approach discussed in Busquets’ essay. Because the center of Palermo, the hub of commercial activity in all of Sicily, is so dense, techniques of reusing spaces to create smaller areas of interests can be found. Courtyards between multi-story residential complexes and museums become grounds for art installations and exhibits (pictured; World International Sicilian Heritage exhibit). Small plazas near busy intersections transform at night into places for the community to host ritual celebrations incorporating music, dance and art. Making the most of the existing landscape and architecture is possible by multiplying the opportunities for use, especially in heavily populated cities like Palermo. Using existing infrastructure to host art exhibitions and markets increases the communal opportunities for interaction while celebrating the historic urban planning.
DEFINING URBAN SITES CASTIGLION FIORENTINO, ITALY
The historical settlement and urban center consists of commercial activity, residential infrastructure, and educational institutions and processes. We see the overlap of the city center and agricultural landscape through the commercial activities within the town. Cafes, restaurants and markets create social and economic interaction by delivering the goods from the processes occurring in the agricultural land (wine, olive oil, cheese, etc.).
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The existence of our international study program acts as a social construct that further integrates these processes in the urban center by introducing a different population to participate in the urban activities. Through this lens, we create an understanding of economic and social aspects while recognizing the agricultural identity of Castiglion Fiorentino. By doing so, we look at all constructs of the town, not just the picturesque landscape.
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1 Graphic: My land use map demonstrates the interplay of multiple networks (agriculture, residential, open spaces) that make up the urban site and define the town’s function.
“Defining [sites]...does not come down to establishing some unique identity of a limited place...it involves recognizing the overlay and interplay of multiple realities operating at the same time, on the same place.” -Andrea Kahn The physical landscape of Castiglion Fiorentino only defines part of its identity. Rolling hills and vineyards create an aesthetic * Top: image but do not explain the social processes. Bottom Left: Much of the urban identity of the site is constructed by social processes
and human interaction with commercial businesses and institutions. Santa Chiara students and the city’s population contribute to the translation of agricultural goods (wine, food) into economic means through consumerism and contributing to the social processes within the town. Excerpt from “Defining Urban Sites” by Andrea Kahn, p. 286.
CHAPTER THREE
To think that Castiglion Fiorentino is defined simply by its physical identity and property limits would be a misconception of urban characterization. On a surface-level interpretation, Castiglion is made up partly of residential infrastructure surrounded by a vast agricultural landscape with hilly terraces and mountains. But this physical identity can be understood by any tourist or visitor, and can even be communicated with basic photography to an audience completely unfamiliar with the town. The unmistakable physical context of this Tuscan town does not define the site entirely, but the social activities, urban processes, and city planning within Castiglion Fiorentino do, as these elements provide the urban identity that reflect the town’s form and function. Although located in the countryside with a population far lesser than city centers like Arezzo or Firenze, Castiglion 1 Fiorentino can be understood as an urban site through recognition of its overlapping spatial and social networks.
DEFINING URBAN SITES VENEZIA, ITALY
The native Venetian population is becoming overwhelmed with the international visitor population, thus affecting the social activities of the city. Venice is a truly interesting case of spectacular hydrological transportations systems impacting the direction of urban (tourist) activities on a grand scale. In the diagram you can see the difference in elevation between the existing landscape and the interventions of tourist activities through cruise ships. Quite frankly the massive scale of the ships was overwhelming compared the scale of the Venetian buildings. Tourism is literally defining this urban site in many contexts including its visual fields.
1 Settis, S. (2016, August 29). Can We Save Venice Before It’s Too Late? Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/opinion/can-
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we-save-venice-before-its-too-late.html
CHAPTER FOUR
Venice, Italy is, and has been for years, identified by its waterways which serve as physical boundaries. But if we want to define this urban site, we must look deeper into what these water passages mean for the social context of the city. The infrastructure of this site -- made up of connected canal systems -- created an aesthetic unlike any other Italian city resulting in tourism as the driving economic force of the city. Venice’s urban design has become increasingly catered toward the tourism industry, with most open public spaces serving as commercial vending zones, and continual construction/renovation of multi-story, waterfront hotels.1
LANDSCAPE NOSTALGIA Landscape architectural nostalgia can be referenced from any time period or any culture. The use of contemporary interventions, such as this diagonal axis stone path with minimal ornamentation (pictured right), alludes to past landscapes of the Japanese zen garden (diagram below). The use of this carefully positioned walkway is intentional for a few reasons. It could be to create different ground planes on opposite side of the path; each space fostering its own experience. Another purpose could be to direct you-- intentionally without random strolling-- to a focal point or another space in the garden. If you look carefully at the path, it is created by laying stone, leaving a small void, and laying another stone. Another intention for this garden could be that of Japanese nostalgia; the void between the stones signaling you to pause between your steps as more of a meditation exercise. The use of the singular tree as a focal point articulates similar intention for pausing and contemplating... 13
(Right page) Top photo and bottom right photo of an entryway garden on Via Val Di Chio in Castiglion. At first, this looks like any other Italian garden, but if we attempt to make a deeper connection, we see that this design nods to the history of the ancient Roman gardens. (Right page) Bottom left photo of a traditional ancient Roman garden. The use of 1 strategically placed potted vegetation to create entry experiences into new spaces is often used and most times symmetrically oriented. We see the same approach in Castiglion used to frame entry ways into the actual property, usually near wrought iron gate structures, and then again on either side of the door creating another symmetrical frame into the next space; the home. Although the current potted vegetation in Castiglino Fiorentino the individual beauty of the isolat- is many times ripe with succulent ed tree, especially as nature takes plants, there is a reminiscing of the it course in the fall. The way the Roman times where these ceramic/ leaves fall over the open grass is terracotta features would be full of almost an art form in itself meant brightly colored flowers. The use of to be seen and enjoyed by the palms and... user on the directed path.
...shrubs to create a lush garden feeling is still utilized today mimicking the Romans creative use of drought tolerant plants due to their hot climate. Even in Tuscany with a more amiable climate, subtle use of palms to create a fuller-looking garden is still present, acknowledging the design intent of the Ancient Romans to create a specific aesthetic. 1
Photo of ancient Roman Garden courtesy of http://www.lifeinitaly.com/garden/roman-garden.asp
CHAPTER FIVE
“THE USE OF HISTORY IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL NOSTALGIA� RAFFAELLA FABIANI GIANNETTO CASTIGLION FIORENTINO, ITALY
PARIS | CANAL SAINT MARTIN, JARDIN VILLEMIN The following series of six photographs are intentionally organized to be read left to right to visually move you through the physical space and layout of the Villemin garden as it is in Paris.
Throughout Paris, there is an unmistakable aesthetic identity that has been created in part by the presence of many large-scale French formal gardens and parks. However, Paris’ dense arrondissements (neighborhoods) are also full of pocket parks and landscape architectural micro-interventions.The small park known as the Jardin Villemin (Villemin Garden) is situated along the Canal Saint Martin in Paris’ 10th arrondissement. A bridge guides you over the canal and down along the water’s edge. Upon entry to the Jardin Villemin it is clear that the landscape architecture does not reflect Parisian formal design of endless topiaries in geometric designs. This small, simple park references the cloister gardens of medieval style, and the nostalgia is rich in symbolism. As author Fabiani Giannetto describes, the use of nostalgia in design can represent historic periods that are pleasant or unpleasant. As for medieval cloister gardens, their intention was to provide a type of haven from the outside world that was many times full of hostility and violence. Cloister gardens represented enclosures, as these gardens were almost always walled in.1 Villemin’s side gated entrance and surrounding fence alludes to the same sort of protection from the outside elements. The garden is full of rectangular planters and enclosures (pictured) that make for efficient usage of the site. The repeated cloisters of flower beds and community gardens strongly reflect the
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1 The Cloister Garden. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thegoodgarden.com/cloister-garden-history/.
ideals of the medieval gardens to bring the community together for meditation, refuge and communal gardening. A sense of peace is brought by the enclosed park, reminding users of the retreat and sanctuary that can come from intentional and careful landscape design. The diagram below expresses the intention of original medieval cloister gardens as it relates to this Parisian intervention along the Canal Saint Martin.
CHAPTER SIX
LANDSCAPE NOSTALGIA
RAFFAELLA FABIANI GIANNETTO CASTIGLION FIORENTINO, ITALY
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floral enclosures lining almost every house on every street. I looked for answers and was surprised to find that there indeed was a method behind this design in the Tuscan garden, and the idea was grafted from a gardening concept in ancient Roman. As common folk could not afford private land, their garden intervention was that of a window box overflowing with flowers to mimic a small piece of floral garden.1 We see that the “Italian garden style� has been transformed over time with many different references. The idea that there is just one style of Italian garden to create a cultural identity is in part true because of a similar aesthetic from house to house, but the current Italian garden draws its origin from bits and pieces of different inspiration possibly stemming from multiple generations.
1 Sheldon, N. (2010). Ancient Roman Gardens. Retrieved from http://www.ancienthistoryarchaeology.com/ancient-roman-gardens
CHAPTER SEVEN
GRAFTING THE EDELWEISS
Many Castiglion Fiorentino gardens and landscapes appear to be timeless. From a distance and from quick interpretation it seems as though there was a standard for these residential gardens, a standard to create a cultural identity in Castiglion Fiorentino. The question is does this unified ideal for gardens create a bond between the community and history of the site and/or does it makes it more challenging for the community to accept newer, modern or contemporary approaches to garden design? Another question I ask myself as I walk through Castiglion Fiorentino is are these landscape features actually native to Italian gardens? Are they borrowed? Were they influenced by the design ethics of generations before, and are they transforming or remaining static? So often you will find hanging flower boxes from every window, wall and gate of homes in the town. It seems like a traditional and almost required feature for the Italian gardens, but is it native to the region or did this idea come about a long time ago? I found myself asking this question subconsciously as I noticed
GRAFTING THE EDELWEISS
CHAPTER EIGHT
FIESOLE, ITALY | VILLA GAMBERAIA
The Villa Gamberaia in Fiesole, just outside of Firenze, reminds me of a near perfect prototype of the specific “Italian Garden” described in Giannetto’s essay. The idea that historical and political movements encouraged a standard for a national garden was a move for unity within the entire country. As discussed in Chapter 7, I believe modern Italian gardens have notions of this iconic “National Italian Garden” style but are more-so hybrids of many different references throughout Italian (and family) history. The villa in Fiesole however, seems to adapt exactly to the Fascist protocol for garden tradition. The formal arrangements throughout the site lend to the idea that this was a classic, timeless garden of authentic Italian design. The villa also employs a fortified feeling with stone walls surrounding the property as did most early Medici villas and gardens. The visual representation of wealth and order throughout the site is seen with the largescale central pool lined by cypresses and manicured hedges, ample amounts fruit-bearing trees, and lush, colorful cluster gardens bordering the expansive lawn and walkways. Incorporating a multitude of fruit-bearing trees, especially lemon trees, around the Villa Gamberaia symbolizes the natural provisions of Italy to her people, again unifying through symbolic planting. Although the description of a true Italian Garden is up for interpretation,
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(Above) Site plan of the Villa Gamberaia courtesy of http://jtpennington.com/italy/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/villa-gamberaia-plan.jpg
GARDENS AND THE LARGER LANDSCAPE
There are certain distances and scales that allow one to visually understand landscapes, parks and gardens in relation to one another and the larger outdoor landscape. The scale of gardens in Castiglion is very small and almost always bounded. This series of photographs demonstrates the physical binding of private gardens from the surrounding landscapes. We see repeated instances of gates, fences, walls, etc. that create real and defined spaces separating the
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small scale, personal spaces to the grander, more expansive land that makes up the system of an entire outdoor landscape. The only example of a garden meshing with the bigger landscape is the top left photo which expresses unruly vegetation flowing over the boundary of the wall, therefore softening the edge from the foreground to the background. The graphic to the right expresses the different regions within the Chianti area of Tuscany. We notice the defined spaces only because of the physical border lines. This definition by boundary is the same in private landscapes within Castiglion. The approach of using walls and gates to surround individual property creates the bounded spaces between the garden and the landscape. My question to the residents would be this: do you prefer your bounded properties over fluid communal sites, or is it simply a traditional infrastructure that has not been changed?
CHAPTER NINE
LEATHERBARROW CASTIGLION FIORENTINO, ITALY
GARDENS AND THE LARGER LANDSCAPE PLAYA D’EN BOSSA, IBIZA, SPAIN
The images on the left express the larger landscape forms of the of the island. In each instance there is a strong horizontal axis depicting the horizon line. This axis is evident because of the lack of topography as the land drops off into sea, which stretches across the entire visual field in the middle photo. The “landscape” becomes more a sea-and-skyscape, with soft patterns reflecting the motion of the waves.
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When living an area like Castiglion Fiorentino, you have a large palette from the surrounding mountainous topography and dense vegetation to assist in creating private gardens as an extension of the view. But when dealing with the sea, the palette completely changes. The photos on the right show different interventions of landscape architecture on the island. What is the connection of these smaller scale spaces to the larger landscape/sea? It exists in the repeated axis. Notice the design intent to replicate the horizon line in the architecture, pool, and contemporary open spaces.
Although some may disagree with me, this type of resort design can create a link between human interaction and the landscape if done correctly. The purpose of the design caters toward one main idea: being outside. Sometimes the hardest part is getting today’s generation to go outside. But once outside, a natural landscape like this is inviting, stunning, and impossible to ignore. The key is direct, open access to beaches and open areas from the resorts and pools. It is a different type of challenge to mesh the landscape with design interventions on an island, but it is possible.
CHAPTER TEN
The photos of Playa d’en Bossa and Cala Talamanca, Spain show more than a pretty beach, but a relationship between the landscape of the Balearic Sea and the contemporary interventions of landscape architecture.
CARERI FRANCESCO CASTIGLION FIORENTINO, ITALY
In Castiglion Fiorentino, I perceive the act of walking in two different ways. Each concept has a benefit and a disadvantage. The top photos, taken along the road connecting the agricultural land to the urban center of Castiglion, represent one type of walkscape. For me, this is the automatic act of walking. There is little grade change, no stairs, ramps, parked cars, obstacles, etc. It is rare to even witness another person walking along this road, unless you are with a group of scattered Santa Chiara students making their way back to the town after an agritourism excursion. Physically, it is completely unstimulated; mindless, at times. Your right foot follows your left foot and all of a sudden you’ve walked half a mile without looking down once. The other type of walkscape is translated through the bottom image of a narrow street in the urban city. This example of intense grade-changing walkways are common all over Castiglion’s residential and commercial zones. It’s a far-from-automatic type of experience, but is great stimulation for your body, physically. Mentally, it’s necessary to gently encourage yourself to keep walking because the slope is so steep. Many of the roads are too steep and narrow for vehicular access, but might be the only pedestrian access from point A to B, so commonly you encounter other passersby. This type of walking allows you to appreciate your body for its ability to carry you through spaces. The disadvantage of this walking exercise is that I rarely have the chance to focus on the natural surroundings, vegetation, gardens, architecture, and so on. I am concerned with one thing, and that is usually getting myself (and my suitcase) up the hill. So what is the advantage of the automated, mindless walkscape? Little attention is being paid to the physical movement, so the majority of your focus can be directed toward visually participating in the experience. This is the chance to bask in Tuscan beauty of the vineyards, rolling hills, olive groves, historic towers and far-off castles. This type of walking gives you the opposite perception of the steep, cobblestone alleyway experience. It allows you to be at peace and understand how walking through spaces can create an unforgettable memory of the surrounding landscape.
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
WALKSCAPES
WALKSCAPES
SCOPELLO & SAN VITO LO CAPO, SICILY
It was interesting to see how humans are reclaiming entrance to a natural reserve because they are passionate about appreciating its beauty and experiencing it by walking. The fact that it is not naturally suitable for pedestrian traffic seems a bit ironic. The paths had to be carved and cut like voids into the mountainside to allow for humans to cross through the land to reach the vista points that are pictured above and on the following page. At these high elevation points, the panoramic landscape is stunningly visible. A long, long time ago, men wandered these mountains using walking as a tool to gather food and seek shelter.
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Today, walking is a modern communication form of society and the natural landscapes. It is our way to experience Earth’s beautiful formations and make a physical connection with the land by walking between spaces, as we travel from one point to another, understanding and remembering Mother Nature’s complex composition of forms of voids. The graphic to the far right expresses the drastic topography change within the site of Zingaro Natural Reserve as it relates to the pedestrian walking trails. Zingaro topography map provided by http://www.hotel-trapani.com/eng/risorse_download_mappa_trapani.asp
CHAPTER TWELVE
Scopello and San Vito Lo Capo are stunning coastal towns in northwestern Sicily. Hiking through Zingaro Natural Reserve (pictured) was an experience that connected my body to the landscape in a physical and emotional way. The change in topography along the trail is profound, and like I discussed in the Chapter 11, is not an automatic motion but a intense walking experience that challenges your body.
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