Architecture. Landscape Urbanism. Urban and Territorial Planning.
Collection of academic and professional works
K A R OL INE F IS CHER
K A R OL INE F IS CHER architect & urban planner Nationalities/ Brazilian and Italian Date and place of birth/ 18/12/1992, Brazil Contact/ fischer.karoline@gmail.com +39 348 7997082 Via Minima 50124 Firenze Italy Online CV and Portfolio/ linkedin.com/in/karolinefischer behance.net/fischerk Professional Website and Articles/ https://karolinefischer.site123.me/
A BOUT ME I am a young urban planner and strategist interested in ecologically and socially resilient territories. With an international and multidisciplinary background in architecture, urban planning and landscape design, I have the ability to work on all scales and approach every space or territory with respect for its past, a strong vision for its future and consideration for all its users. Outside of work, you can find me on a bicycle, practicing pilates in a park, dancing the Brazilian Zouk and studying languages.
Passions: landscape urbanism, strategic urban and territorial planning, urban and landscape design, urban regeneration, socio-ecological urbanism, urban and territorial resilience, cultural landscapes.
I N T H I S P O R T FO L IO I PR E SE N T... Academic Works 14
PLANNING FOR COEXISTENCE IN VULNERABLE TERRITORIES Strengthening ecosystems, building socioterritorial resilience in Paranaguá Bay, Brazil European Post-Masters in Urbanism Thesis, presented in June 2019
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LANDSCAPE NETWORKS OF SYNERGYSM TOOL-KIT TU Delft (The Netherlands), Fall 2018
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URBANITY STRINGS, IDENTITY THREADS AND THEIR LINKS UPC Barcelona (Spain), Spring 2018
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RADIANT PERIPHERIES Università IUAV di Venezia (Italy), Fall 2017-2018
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VIA SALENTINA Re-forming Salento Workshop, Università IUAV di Venezia (Italy), September 2017
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PILGRIMAGE IN AN ARCHITECTURAL NARRATIVE Technological University of Paraná, Curitiba (Brazil), 2016
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MIXED USE SOCIAL HOUSING IN JARDIM BOTÂNICO Technological University of Paraná, Curitiba (Brazil), 2015
Professional Works 66 70
CURITIBA METROWAY LINEAR PARK Institute of Research and Urban Planning of Curitiba, Curitiba (Brazil), 2014-2016 CINI&NILS SHOWROOM Studio Bettonica Leone, Milan (Italy) 2014
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01 PLANNING FOR COEXISTENCE IN VULNERABLE TERRITORIES Strengthening ecosystems, building socioterritorial resilience in Paranaguá Bay, Brazil European Post-Masters in Urbanism Thesis, presented in June 2019 Università IUAV di Venezia. Venice, Italy Menthor: Paola Viaganò (IUAV Venice)
Between the Atlantic Ocean and the last continuous remnant of the Atlantic Rainforest, Paranaguá Bay region, in Southern Brazil, is one of the few urban territories in the world that have the privilege of detaining nature as it was shaped in its genesis. Both regional economy and culture are supported by its diversified ecosystems, that offer the basis for the traditional groups subsistence, support port activities and regulate natural events. However, the increasing pressures from urbanization, infrastructure expansion and the global market are causing the fragmentation and degradation of its ecosystems. As a consequence, the population is more exposed to environmental risks, and the regional economic development is declining. Acknowledging that unsustainable ways of living and producing in this territory are threatening its unique biodiversity and are undermining their own progress, how can planning and design promote the harmonious coexistence between nature conservation and regional socio-economic development? This research works the hypothesis that only healthy ecosystems can support economic prosperity and diminish vulnerabilities. Therefore, from the understanding of how the natural processes influence the human activities and, in turn, how human activities are changing these natural processes in the Paranguá Bay context, the strategies proposed explore how the territorial systems can support nature-based design alternatives to build resilience and allow a more sustainable regional development.
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In Paranaguรก Bay, increasing pressures from urbanization, infrastructure expansion and the global market over the territorial ecosystems are causing their fragmentation and degradation. Consequently, the population is more exposed to risks, and the regional economic development is being threatened.
Naturally, sediments from the First Plateau fall down the rivers and valleys until the bay. Forest cover loss is increasing this process. Human activities tend to expand along the existingng roads, as the topography is hard to overcome, augmenting urban sprawl, the impact on natural ecosystems and their fragmentation.
Port activities are threatened by silting, which requires more dredging works or the eventual abandonment of some areas, which pressures other ecosystems. The expansion of port terminals, road infrastructure and logistic areas augment the pressure over the fragile coastal territory.
Extreme silting is creating sandbanks along the coast and changing the bay altimetry. That interferes in the marine biodiversity and the related economic activities. Local fishermen are perceiving the water pollution and the diminishment of fish diversity and quantity. Many depend on government economical assistence and remain jobless for many months. 16
Agriculture based on non-sustainable practices cause vegetation fragmentation, biodiversity loss and pollution of soil and waterways by chemicals.
Housing along and over fragile ecosystems as river banks, hills, mangroves and wetlands are pressuring these ecosystems, polluting the environment and increasing exposure to floods, lanslides and tides.
Hypothesis and Research Questions Considering that Paranaguรก Bay region is inside a biodiversity hotspot that contain one of the most threatened biomes in the world, and is delimited by the last great continuous remnant of Atlantic Rainforest, the vital role the human systems have in the conservation of its ecosystems is undeniable. Yet, the little resilience towards hazardous events and several issues linked to the social and economic development, demonstrate that there is an unbalanced relation between the human and nature systems in this region. Therefore, some reflections emerge: H1. Nature conservation and economic prosperity can coexist if we plan for healthy ecosystems. In the study case, it is clear that the fragmentation followed by the degradation of ecosystems are weakening the regional economy as well as augmenting social issues at many scales. Therefore, the coupling of urban development with ecosystem restoration/enhancement can bear new possibilities to urban design and planning and promote opportunities for sustainability. H2. Resilience can be increased by reinforcing natural systems. The unregulated urban growth, combined with the construction of hard infrastructures disassociated to the natural processes, culminated in the little adaptive capacity of both urban and social tissues to hazardous events in Paranaguรก Bay. But the effects of floods, soil erosion, landslides and other disasters can be diminished or in some cases eliminated by reinforcing the existing natural systems of this territory, allowing flexibility and leaving room for natural processes to happen. Main research question
How can the human and natural systems of Paranaguรก Bay territory support design alternatives to build resilience and allow a more sustainable development?
Analysis Using GIS data, interviews and photographs I built a site analysis exploring how both natural and human systems interact in this territory. From that, it was possible to understand how natural processes influence human activities and how the human activities are changing the natural processes. The main social and environmental vulnerabilities were identified, as well as opportunities that can support further transformations.
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Analysis synthesis
‘Human and natural systems of Paranaguá Bay Strings of tension, borders under pressure.’
The analysis revealed territorial elements and relations that connect natural and human systems, build challenges and offer opportunities. From the mountains to the bay, there is a big tension exerted by the territorial ‘strings’, represented by the waterways, valleys and slopes, through which several natural processes occur, revealing the indissociable relations between the diverse ecosystems that compose this territory and the importance of their regulating functions. Water, sediments and biodiversity flows rely on these connectivities as well as human displacements, agriculture production and fishing activities. The natural vulnerability of these territorial ‘‘strings’’ is enhanced by unsustainable and non-resilient ways of inhabiting and producing along them, which augments the exposition of the natural and socio-economic systems to environmental damage and economic losses. Ecosystems in the borders of human activities are pressured by their expansion and contamination. The coast and estuarine areas are threatened by infrastructure and port expansions as well as new real estate developments and socio-vulnerable people on the limits of urban areas. Although sometimes in contrast with the environment, human activities in Paranaguá Bay are supported by it and the maintenance of healthy ecosystems can benefit social and economic development. The territorial strings and borders are, therefore, places of opportunities where the natural and urban spatial elements can support strategic interventions in order to build resilience and strengthen both human and natural systems.
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Strings of tension.
Borders under pressure.
Lessons learned and design principles. Traditional knowledge provides more sustainable ways of production and living Conservation Units help protect biodiversity, maintain the lifestyle of traditional groups and offer possibilitites for ecoturism and sustainable production.
Natural and cultural heritage valorization build identity and improve the autostime of local inhabitants
Infrastructure can be planned to cause less impacts on natural ecosystems
Ecosystem diversity and connectivity improve biodiversity
Buffer areas are important to create better transition, limit urban expansion and offer production or recreational areas for citizens Densify urban centres limits the impact of human activities and improve the accessibility to urban services to everyone
To protect streams and maintain vegetation cover along waterways improve water quality by filtering nutrients and sediment 19
Biodiversity improves life quality and supports economy
Forest cover is important to prevent soil erosion and the retention of nutrients that can be used for food production
Mangroves and wetlands, dissipates stream energy, regulate floods and control shoreline erosion
Territorial strategic systems
The territory as a resource: Strengthening ecosystems, building resilience The territorial relations between human and natural systems hold potentialities in strategic areas, represented in the analysis by the strings and borders. These relations are constructed by the diversified landscape elements and the human uses of them. Thus, the strategy aims at creating new spatial conditions for resilience and sustainability in these vulnerable spaces, by providing design guidelines that rely upon the transformation of key elements and relations based on an ecosystem approach. The transformation of Paranaguรก Bay region into a territory of coexistence relies upon two strategic systems that support one another and are based in three perspectives: the human activities, the natural ecosystems and the spaces/infrastructures that connect them. The first strategic system is supported by the natural habitats, topography, waterways, rural spaces, and the borders of urban areas and conservation units. It aims to strengthen the territorial ecosystems by creating connectivity where infrastructure and human activities fragmented the landscape, as well as by constructing spatial gradients in which more sustainable economic models and new ecologies can develop. The second strategic system explores the potentialities of the human systems and how they may contribute to reinforcing the landscape ones. New mobility networks between urban areas and the rural settlements reinforce territorial identity, the traditional communities economic activities, and provide access to urban services. They further support new densified urban areas and interventions in territorial landmarks, which are transformed to house multi-functional spaces. Both strategic systems are complementary to each other as they offer the basis for coupling healthy ecosystems and socio-economic development. Further, spatial interventions will test how the territory can support the strategy.
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Ecological Gradients
Mobility networks and local communities
Strengthening ecosystems by ecological connectivity and gradients Strong, robust landscapes can provide many benefits to the population and the environment. So that, the new ecological connectivities and gradients rely on the restoration and regeneration of nature as well as the creation of flexible and multi-functional spaces that can carry biodiversity flows, regulate disasters, create new income alternatives and improve life quality in urban areas.
Densification centres and Mobility network for traditional communities and local producers
Ecological Gradients
Scenic routes, local communities and territorial landmarks
Ecological Connectivity 21
Small scale projects
Exploring possibilities in vulnerable areas In order to explore how the strategic systems can transform the spaces where people live and produce, possible scenarios are created in strategic vulnerable areas, defined along the territorial strings and borders. Through an interscalar approach, key spatial elements that support the territorial strategies were identified and the design principles were converted into guiding interventions that, linked, sustain the territorial transformation. 01 COASTAL AREAS
Current situation
Scenario 01. What if the urban structures retreated to give space to nature recover its functions?
Scenario 02. What if the urban areas are rethinked to carry new resilient infrastructures? 02 SLOPES
Scenario 01. What if new green infrastructures were created to regenerate damaged ecosystems and reduce risks?
Current situation
Scenario 02. What if new blue infrastructures carry resilience and new spaces that bring benefits to the environment and local population? 22
03 RIVER VALLEYS
What if landscape interventions created the conditions for new economic alternatives for the rural population and diminish exposition to environmental risks? By creating new conditions in the landscape, synergisms between human activities are created and are the basis for soil recovery, flood control, extreme sediment flows and economic activities that improve rural and traditional goups’ income. Current situation New scenic itineraries connecting natural landmarks and lookout points
Vegetation recovery in high slopes and foot hills reduce erosion and landslides
Agroforest combines food, medicine and wood production with ecosystem regeneration and connection
Connected vegetation fragments along rivers and hills
New income alternatives for traditional groups (rural tourism)
Ecological connectivity
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Improved water quality and reduced sediment flows by vegetarion cover can create conditions for new economic activities, as acquaculture
25m
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Agroforest improve land nutrient retention and diminish land erosion
Reinforcement and requalification of slow mobility networks
Design explorations
The erosion of the beaches by the ocean currents is increased when the sand and sandbank protection strip is eliminated. Pressures from pedestrian movements and constructions too close to this ecosystem help reduce its regulating functions and diminish biodiversity. Soft infrastructures help the coastal ecosystems preservation and connectivity, besides offering recreational spaces as well as new slow mobility and touristic itineraries.
Agroforestry systems are models of plantations in which agricultural crops are combined with forest species. They serve to recover degraded areas and, at the same time, provide food and other goods, as medicinal plants and wood. In family farming, surpluses can be sold in markets, exchanged for other products or donated to feed people in social vulnerability situation. Indigenous, caiรงara and other traditional groups can be involved in sharing with farmers their knowledge on producing in synergism with the forest. 24
Wetlands can enhance urban drainage, and provide transitional areas between natural and urban areas. They can be planned to carry multifunctional activities, providing citizens with recreational or production areas and help build better relations between humans and natural systems. 25
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02 LANDSCAPE NETWORKS OF SYNERGYSM TOOL-KIT How can water and traffic networks carry a more sinergetic relationship between productive activities and ecology in the South Wing automated landscpaes? European Post-Masters in Urbanism (EMU), Fall 2018 University of Technology (TUDelft). Delft, The Netherlands. Individual work to detail the Regional Strategy developed by the whole team of students Menthors: Roberto Rocco, Victor MuĂąoz.
This project is the individual work I developed to translante into the urban scale the Regional Strategies I and the others students proposed for the changing landscape of the South Wing in The Netherlands. The main research aimed to explore and speculate on the opportunities and risks for the metropolitan region between The Hague and Rotterdam, afforded by automation technologies disrupting production, logistics, labour markets, and well-established ideas of work. Contemporary urban regions demand visions and strategies that not only provide a transition towards more efficient business, but that speculate on ways to gain leverage for the common good in the transition toward automated productive labour, anticipate disruptions, provide new livelihoods, and a renewed quality of urban life.
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Polders Traditional agricultural lands
Village Market place
Heritage Technology using local resources
Before: technology and productivity constructing the traditional Dutch landscape.
Increased size of fields Obsolete waterways
Urban areas Housing demand
Automated productive areas Higly productive Soil impermeabilization CO2 emission
Ditches and canals Little resiliency
Crossing barriers
High energy demand Heritage Visual pollution To be revalorized Little space for ecology
Now-a-days: in-door production in automated landscapes.
The Landscape Carrying Infrastructures Roads and waterways have structured South Wing landscapes since the first land reclamations and urban settlements, building the relationship between countryside and urbanity. Their spatial configuration have defined territorial distances and different conditions attached to them have allowed flows of people, goods and nature. Water and traffic carry biodiversity, water processes and management, production logistics, people displacements, heritage elements and technology.
Automation as driver of landscape transformation During this Region development, innovative technologies have always allowed its further economic and urban growth, supported by the carrying infrastructures and local resources. More recently, automation has been the main driver of change of its structure. New activities and land use changes transformed field sizes, natural resources cycles and brought new environmental challenges to an already sensitive landscape (i.e. soil impermeabilization and compaction, CO2 emission by green houses). The traditional territorial logics have been substituted by a hierarchical model that created disconnections of natural elements, mobility obstacles in the territory, has an increasing energy demand and produced obsolete landscape elements. These are consequences produced by its mechanization, specialization and sprawl of urban and productive activities. Considering the existing flood risk, the current water control system is based in a ‘reactive’ model, dependent on mechanical barriers, high dikes and ‘hard’ canals, that may not be able to cope with the uncertainties of climate change.
Traditional territorial logics
Now-a-days territorial logics (automation process)
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Networks of Synergism These challenges call for a regeneration-based strategy that reinforce and rethink the regional landscape networks as carriers of new multi-functional and durable landscapes, where a synergetic relationship with nature allows a more sustainable development. Therefore, this project aims at providing a tool-kit of guiding interventions that create special conditions for water and traffic networks. Following an ecological approach, in which natural processes play an important role and are combined with risk resilience and circular economy principles, it sets the basis for the Landscape Strategic System. Considering the existing flood risk, the current water control system is based in a ‘reactive’ model, dependent on mechanical barriers, high dikes and ‘hard’ canals, that may not be able to cope with the uncertainties of climate change. At the territorial scale, three main challenges were identified: (1) Fragmentation of green areas with ecological potential; (2) Hard edges between different activities areas and (3) Higher flood risk areas. Some guiding axis are recognized as strategical for tackling each of them, as they hold potential por creating (4) Ecological Connectivity; (5) Gradients in edges and (6) Flood Resilience.
Challenges
FRAGMENTATION
HARD EDGES
ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
Green areas with ecological potencial that are disconnected
Little quality or use of areas in the boundaries of Urban and productive activities (both in-door and out-door)
High risk areas to flood and climate change that rely on a non-resilient model
Gradient Edges to allow new public spaces and new uses
Implementation of a more resilient model for flood control
Potentials
Connectivity and reinforcement of the ecologcial matrix
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Elastic Bands Three typologies of intervention ‘corridors’ were created. Each of them define not only the main waterways and roads where interventions can be placed but also the areas along and in-between them, which, for their flexibility and multi-functionality, can be compared to ‘elastic bands’. The Elastic Bands represent strategic axis and areas of major opportunities and where the tool-kit can be used, but the interventions can be replicable anywhere. Their implementation aim at adding and creating value to the existing carrying infrastructures, which will require a joint effort from municipalities and a multi-scalar planning.
Data Source: WIJK - en buurtkaart 2014
Elastic Bands of Ecology and Production Green areas with ecological potential
Bands of Ecology
Agricultural areas
Bands of Urban Gradient
Roads
Bands of Resilience
Waterways 30
The Tool-kit The Landscape Networks of synergism Tool-kit is a set of guiding tools that can be used by the government, designers and citizens as planning resources. By proposing new uses in strategic areas that aim at the enhancement of the ecological matrix, increase of biodiversity, renewable and decentralized energy production, sustainable water treatment, risk resilience and mobility connectivity, the interventions are from the national, provincial and EU interests, as they create new opportunities for new commons, biodiversity, a sustainable use of resources, adaptation to climate change and, thus, life quality.
Increased ecological gradient Agroforest: reforestation and production
Soften edges: new public spaces Compensation
Rain gardens for water purification
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Bands of Ecology
Green corridors along waterways: enhance biodiversity corridors
New Heritage itineraries Decentralized renewable and new uses energy production Recycle for Community use
Solar bikeways: energy production
New connectivity
Bands of Urban Gradient
Spaces for recreation and food/energy production
Flood control and water storage system
Bands of Resilience
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Wetlands for water purification and storage
Policies related In order to incentivate less land use for in-door farming activities, compensations can be granted if the land is used for the strategies related to the toolkit.
How should the land be used in order to have compensations?
Mitigation of CO2 emissions by creating new green areas and productive forests
Renewable energy production and water purification spaces
New community uses in recycled in-door productive spaces
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Multi-purpose spaces examples
Slow mobility and ecological connectivity
Water purification and food production
Flood control and recreation areas 33
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03 URBANITY STRINGS, IDENTITY THREADS AND THEIR LINKS CUERDAS DE URBANIDAD, HILOS DE IDENTIDAD Y SUS ENLACES European Post-Masters in Urbanism, Spring 2018 UPC Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya. Barcelona, Spain Authors: Karoline Fischer, Carolina Fiallo, Rafael Cohen, Alberto Zaragoza, Joan Ramirez, Claudia Perez, Felipe Engber and Javier Tobias. Professors: Joaquin Sabaté, Joan Moreno and Julian Galindo VIEW FULL PROJECT AT: www.behance.net/gallery/66088553/URBANITY-STRINGS-IDENTITY-THREADS-AND-THEIR-LINKS
During the past century, the First Plain of Garraf have suffered many economical and therefore social and urban changes. The agricultural territory that until the early 1900´s followed the morphology of medieval times, testified from the 60’s the convertion of ancient fields into dispersed housing developments which provoked structural, mobility and land use changes in this region. But the terriotry is full of opportunities for transformation. By envisioning a durable territory, we proposed a strategy which ehanced the territorial identity and built new simbiotic relations within the new developments for their further development. “There is no territory in decay. Only territories without a project” -Sabaté, J.
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S a n t P er e de Ri b e s
Regional structure at 1:50 000
Support layer
Network layer
Activity layer
Accessibility layer
Territorial multiscalar analysis The problematics regarding the dispersed urbanizations surrounding Sant Pere de Ribes town could not be tackled individually but in a systemic way. For this reason, it became necessary to carry out an interscalar and multilayered analysis that could reveal us the logic that has transformed the territory and the appearance of the urbanizations throughout its history.
As a consequence of its economic development process, this territory now faces four main challenges regarding land use, infrastructure planning, and environment: • Isolation of dispersed residential bags and lack of relationship between territorial realities; • Lack of relationship with the physical environment; • Great amount of patrimonial and landscape elements that do not constitute a defined territorial identity; • High dependency on an individual rolled mobility, as the road system produces segregated relationships within the territory. 36
Territorial synthesis at 1:10 000
Landscape systems at 1:10 000
Territorial landscape systems Once understood the elements that organize this territory, we found a radial-form system composed by four “fingers” that converge to Sant Pere: two of them connect to Les Ameriques and Más Milá settlements, tangent to the main watercourses and intercity roads which cross the mountainous areas, providing a connection to other territories. The other system links the town to Can Lloses and Más Alba through the agricultural landscape. These urbanizations also make a border with Garraf Natural Park. These settlements contain populations that possess different ways of inhabiting the territory. As these residential ‘bubbles’ were not though as part of a regional logic, the discontinuities they produce in the environmental matrix and the historical road network produced ruptures in the previous territorial balance and relations. Even though they produce discontinuities, they are now part of the landscape and must be reinterpreted in this scope.
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Strategies at 10 000
Polycentric system
Continuity of the matrix
Territorial connections and doors
Strategies The potentiality of relationships is condensed into strategic areas, divided into a series of strategies linked to three views about human activities, the environmental matrix and the infrastructure that links both. We needed then, to create capillarity, permeability, and urban centralities. Centralities. The points where interterritorial connections intersect with urbanizations are intensified with the displacement of buildability, the appearance of new residential typologies, intermodal nodes, new uses and new places at the service of the population. They will provide greater autonomy to the settlements and allow the emergence of networks of public transportation around them. Permeability. It is necessary to reserve spaces in which human activity does not interfere negatively with the dynamics of the environmental matrix in the territory. In some of these spaces, the activities and products of human activity should focus on enhancing these natural dynamics and in others, human activity must give back nature its space. Capillarity. Around the historic roads and paths, the edges and transitions are re-thought and established links with natural and cultural heritage landmarks through a system of lookouts and accessibility doors. They are key in providing their own territorial identity, and to raise awareness among inhabitants of the importance of the environmental matrix that surrounds them.
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Urban contiguity: spaces of opportunity, accessibility and intermodal nodes
Sequence and territorial unit:Itineraries, territorial doors and belvederes
Territory unit
Territorial model STRINGS, THREADS AND THEIR LINKS structure the territorial relations and create tensions between them. The first system rests on the four “strings” that connect Sant Pere to the new (micro)centralities in the urbanizations. It establishes relations of urban contiguity, connecting urban activities, strengthening the radial system formed by the agricultural landscape, the road infrastructure, and watercourses. The second system consists of “threads”, scenic routes and itineraries that cross the existing territorial network of asphalted roads and complete it. They allow alternative transport modes and link landmarks of natural and cultural heritage. This system connects with the urbanizations through territorial gates and makes possible the recognition of the territory and the definition of an own and joint identity. The intersection points of these two systems configure nodes of tension, areas of opportunities and accessibility. We understand that both systems configure a territorial unit that resignifies the way we inhabit this territory and how it relates to its physical environment, converting what firstly were recognized as problems, into opportunities for its transformation. That way it becomes possible to create a cohesive and durable model that covers an entire territory. 39
Projects The implementation of each strategy must be through associated projects that will catalyze transformation and configure a major cohesive territorial system. I individually developed a capillarity project, an itinerary that links Les Ameriques settlement to Sant Pere through diverse landscapes, signifying the dichotomy between mountains and plain. The main goals are to: • Improve the continuity of the landscape and heritage itineraries, integrating the urbanizations in this network, offering an alternative connection with the town and between settlements. • Increase the offer of sports and tourism activities to boost economic development. • Value the cultural and landscape heritage that makes up the collective memory.
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Main landscapes
Elements, landscapes and visuals
Proposed interventios (actions)
The project consists in a series of landscape operations that will enrich and improve the user experience.
EL BOSQUE
LA ROCA
EL MOSAICO 41
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04 RADIANT PERIPHERIES European Post-Masters in Urbanism, Fall 2017-2018 Università IUAV di Venezia. Venice, Italy Authors: Karoline Fischer and Rajat Uchill Professors: Paola Viganò and Alvise Pagnacco VIEW VIDEO AND FULL PROJECT AT: www.behance.net/gallery/64227469/Radiant-Peripheries-project-movie
Oderzo is a medium-size Italian city in the Veneto region, with a dispersed settlement, that faces challenges in which the role of the car is questioned. Envisioning a more pedestrian-friendly, less car-dependent city and creating experiences that enhance quality of life for its citizens, the focus on the mobility issue guided the development of a scenario in which the biggest challenge was to rethink the city’s mobility modes and structures from its radial roads, which establish the main links and dynamics between the city center and its peripheries.
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What if new spatial structures and new mobilities along the radials requalify Oderzo’s peripheries? The main strategies are: • create a network for new mobility, that densifies and makes safer pedestrian and cycling displacements by the introduction of calm and shared streets; • recycle dismissed and underutilized buildings, public spaces and parkins to create opportunities for vibrant urban spaces and socio-economic changes; • introduction of an on-demand public transportation system to reduce the dependency on cars • enhance the qualities of green areas and riverways as they represent a potential to create new public spaces and a soft mobility network.
Project zoom in Colfrancui Radial Road.
:500
Decrease road width Recycle: Abandoned building for indoor and through traffic calming, create shared sports activity. space.
Requalify canal edge for soft mobility.
cur r
t1 en
Recycle: vacant ground floor commercial activity with densification and appropriation of parking area as new plaza
Proposal Proposed connection with Villa Galavagna by soft mobility network and continuation of green network, also urban farming. :500
cur r
t1 en
Colfrancui Church
Proposal
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Transformation to Shared space and Plaza: To host weekly markets and events.
Recycle: New Commercial front attached to Recycled existing building as Community Centre
Strategic interventions
Intensification: New Community Centre with added Commercial Activity
Recycle: Residential buildings with ground floor transformed for commercial activity
New green areas with urban farming
Recycle: vacant ground floor commercial activity with densification and appropriation of parking area as new plaza
Colfrancui historic centre
Recycle: vacant ground floor commercial activity with densification and appropriation of parking area as new plaza
Intensification: Recycle parking lots as public space/ plaza and activation of ground floor area for commercial activity
Recycle: Transforming underutilized green and parking lots into an urban park with water bodies and forests
Intersection with ring road
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Colfrancui historic centre: a shared space
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05 VIA SALLENTINA Reclaiming Rurality Regaining Salento European Post-Masters in Urbanism, Sseptember 2017 Università IUAV di Venezia. Venice, Italy Re-forming Salento Workshop https://reformingsalento.wordpress.com Authors: Karoline Fischer, Maricruz Gazel, Adriano Amenta, Marco Andreatta, Zhouyiqi Chen, Francesca Strafella. VIEW FULL PROJECT AT: www.behance.net/gallery/66088553/URBANITY-STRINGS-IDENTITY-THREADS-AND-THEIR-LINKS
Taken place during the development of an integrated urban plan for the municipalities of Presicce and Acquarica del Capo, the workshop was an occasion to question about Salento territory future. Each one of the four groups developed scenarios for a specific part of it, imagining how the landscape would change considering current environmental, social and economic challenges, and what would be the strategies to face these transformations. Via Sallentina is a road from the Messapic Era, which in Roman times connected Leuca harbor and Appia road, very important for the economy and commerce of Salento peninsula. Presently, the road is a reference landscape axis, as it crosses centenary olive trees, heritage elements and the traditional agriculture fields, important images of the region’s identity. But this territory is under transformation. Facing the Xylella Fastidiosa bacteria threat, that already devastated a good amount of olive fields, landowners and the residents started worrying about the agriculture production future, as it is based on olive cultivation and the region’s economy depends on it. Additionally, other facts contribute to the current scenario: • • • • •
Increase of local tourism Climate changes Considerable job demand Olive trees plantation is diminishing productivity Heritage in abandonment or underused
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What if we do nothing? “What may occur if we do nothing? What if Salento landscape renounced to the olive trees, so theatened by Xylella?� We would have a deserted and unproductive landscape, and heritage would be the only thing left, but would remain without use.
Unproductive fields and existing abandoned heritage elements
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What if olive production is market driven? “What if olive is no longer cultivated and we drive the production to global market?“ Economy may be beneficiated but in that way, we would be producing a landscape without identity and renouncing the territory.
Fields populated by highly productive greenhouses
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What if olive trees are replaced? “What if we replace the sick trees and construct an innovative and more sostainable productive landscape and valorize heritage elements at same time?� It’s possible if we create new forms of waste management and enrichment of diversity production.
Olive fields, new cultures and valorization of heritage
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What if olive trees remain? “What if we want to mantain the olive trees as traditional element in the landscape?� To achieve that, the sick trees are replaced for a intermediate crop as the soil recovers and policies of reutilization of heritage should be implementated.
Labor support infrastructure - new economy Turism support infrastructure - new econemerges!Possibilities of use for the historic omy emerges! Possibilities of use for the elements: historic elements:
compose
caffes, restaurants
deposit
sight seeing
rest stop
hotels and B&B
little 0km market
manufacture offices 53
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Location of interventions
06 PILGRIMAGE IN AN ARCHITECTURAL NARRATIVE BSc Thesis, presented in november 2016 Universidade Tecnolรณgica Federal do Paranรก. Curitiba, Brazil. The project got the maximum score (10/10) and was indicated to the Opera Prima national prize. Mentor: Prof Phd Irรฃ Dudeque VIEW FULL PROJECT AT: issuu.com/karolinefischer0/docs/tcc_karoline_fischer_-_pranchas
Since the 18th century, Aparecida city is the destination of several pilgrimage routes and today corresponds to the largest religious center in Latin America, attracting around 11 million visitors per year. Those who choose to travel on foot through existing country tracks and roads face a journey of beauty, sacrifice, self-knowledge and inner search. As the pilgrim launches himself into a journey towards the sacred, he experiences the landscape through silence and observation. In this scenario, architecture is the instrument capable to enrich the individual experience, creating a spatial narrative, composed by a sequence of spaces and histories that enables sensorial and emotional exchanges between the pilgrim, nature and spaces. In this proposed narrative, nine spaces and architectural landmarks were proposed along the last 70 km of Caminho de Aparecida, which corresponds to the most difficult part of the route where one crosses the Mantiqueira chain of mountains.
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Wenceslau Brás
1. Cave
2. Bridge
3. Sublime
4. Pilgrim choir
5. Portal
As the pilgrim advances in a linear movement, each intervention is meant to be interpreted and to communicate in different ways with him, providing a unique atmosphere which builds up a single and sensorial experience. On that purpose, the sublime and genius loci of the place are to be enhanced as fundamental characteristics and tools in each project as the discomfort of the journey and lack of maintenance are important factors that were also taken into consideration. Human scale is at constant confrontation with nature in a pilgrimage and step is the unit of measurement of the individual effort as rhythm is determined by topography and terrain characteristics. Rhythm and space conditioned the location of each intervention, that associated with landscape potentials, corresponds to a landmark along the journey and offers an opportunity of rest, contemplation and introspection. Every landscape and architecture intervention proposed is composed by two kinds of narratives: the first one is based on the inner route the pilgrim undertakes in relation to the landscape and the second is an architectonic narrative, in which the form and atmosphere of each project are guided by the lessons learned by the History of architecture. Pilgrim Narrative
Architectural Narrative
1. Cave it’s linear and unidirection form symbolizing the journey the pilgrim has ahead as the interior atmosphere allows him to have an introspective moment to concentrate in his own motivations.
Megalitic cameras: linear path and light contrast
2. Bridge a pause to the walk provokes the pilgrim to look towards the landscape that is reveled and then to his own route, as an exterior promenade.
Peristilo, greek temples: exterior promenade
3. Sublime the narrow and irregular passage escavated in the terrain ends in a belvedere that opens to the mountains, where the change in scale enables the understanding of sublime by the perception of one’s own body through space.
Gothic cathedrals: scale perception, sublime
4. Pilgrim Choir the path printed in the natural terrain by the pilgrims passage is reinforced by two parallel escavated lines on the ground that tangentiate round “chapels”, enableing rest and contemplation.
Ambulatory, Romanesque Churches: pilgrims routes 56
6. Labyrinth 7. Theater
8. Water
9. Sanctuary
Aparecida: National Sanctuary
Exteriority spaces Interiority spaces Dirt road Asphalt road 5. Portal the landmark represents the most visible and the higher point of the route, from which the pilgrim can see either the journey he just completed and the one ahead of him. It is also a point for night rest and water suplyment.
Bizantin architecture: interior space expansion
6. Labyrinth at the crossing of three different pilgrimage routes, it symbolyses the encounter of the pilgrim and himself, through a jouney of introspection and meditation inside a labyrinthical space.
Labyrinths: Routes made in reflection
7. Theater from this point, the traveler stops to admire the valley of South ParaĂba river, and its territory that opens up in front of him.
Acient theatres: construction on topography
8. Water a functional resting point, that collects rain water and filtrates it as the ancient vetian pounds; an adaptable and replicatable structure. Also, it provides the individual a sheltered rest point from which he can see light entering.
Modern architecture: functionality and universalization
9. Sanctuary arriving to the plain, the landmark lies on the last elevated topography, from where one can see the National Sanctuary. The symetric eliptical form represents the endless interior journey a pilgrim will forever confront.
Post-modern theory: phenomenology 57
“The greatest and possibly most important experience one can have of architecture is the feeling of being in a unique place. Part of this intense sense of place is always the impression of something sacred.� Pallasmaa, 1986
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Location of multi-functional building complex
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07 MIXED USE SOCIAL HOUSING IN JARDIM BOTANICO Architecture studio, spring 2015 Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná. Curitiba, Brazil. Authors: Karoline Fischer and Mayara Campos Professors: Armando Ito and Thais Saboia VIEW FULL PROJECT AT: www.behance.net/gallery/66735941/Mixed-Use-Social-Housing-(univ-project)
The project was developed during the 6th Architectural Project Studio course and the program consisted in: 250 units of social housing for diversified age groups, a medical assistance center, a daycare center, commercial points, cultural spaces, a co-working building, and sports facilities. The terrain is located in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood, that is in the transition of the biggest favela in Curitiba, Vila Torres, and a middle-class income residential area. It is an abandoned area, delimitated on East by the most visited park of the city, Jardim Botânico park; on North, by the North-South structural axis and BRT corridor and on West and south, by low-density residential housing.
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In order to create visuals, gathering spaces and walkable connections at ground level, the conceptualization of the project was designed from the definition of a transversal axis, translated into pedestrian permeability and from where the building’s functions are accessible. The distribution of functions was decided in the base of their compatibility with each other and other functions in the surrounding areas. The public functions were faced to the streets and the inner paths, which also creates a community atmosphere and urban life. The residential buildings, as well as the co-working one, were inserted in the terrain according to the topography, allowing some underpasses at ground level, connecting every fabric and corner of the terrain.
Conceptual model administration building
street parking
social area
cultural space
co-working building and cafe
commerce
residential buildings
public nursery
sports facilities assistence to families
Uses proposed
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medical care centre
Housing typologies
The residential buildings have one central foot-bridge that distribute flows arriving from the circulation towers on the edges, for economic purpose and they are ventilated by voids, which also create vertical visual permeability. Each housing typology was though accordantly to different users necessities, following an optimized structural modulation and at the same time, providing light and ventilation qualities.
Composing residential buildings faรงade
1. Structure module: 5,8 x 5,8m
2. Housing typologies volumetry
4. Study of void rithm 63
3. Mixing typologies and volumes
Residential building: north faรงade detail
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Multi-functional public spaces
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08 CURITIBA’S METROWAY LINEAR PARK Work developed during internship in urban planing, 2015-2016 Instituto de Pesquisa e Planejamento Urbano de Curitiba (IPPUC) Municipality of Curitiba, Brazil. Chief Architects: Daniela Tahira and Fernando Popp Collaborators: Karoline Fischer, Ariane Jasinski, Flavia Mattos, Luca Fischer, Bruna Brasil Reference contact: Daniela Tahira, dtahira@ippuc.org.br
At the Institute, I had the fortuned opportunity to work and learn from some of Curitiba’s most influent urban planners, that dedicated their professional lives to the construction of an ‘ecological’ city. All projects developed with the team were guided by a strategical and integrated vision of urban planning and the belief that our work was to provide people with quality urban spaces and architecture that fulfill their needs and bring people together. As part of the city’s Mobility Plan, the landscape project for the metropolitan North-South line envisioned a linear park that connected two extremes of the city through multi-functional public spaces and created a new character to this structural urban axis, that today is where the most used BRT line runs.
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Once the BRT line gives space to a metro corridor, the surface area will be transformed into a linear park, offering the citizens an 18 km green space that connects the north and south neighborhoods of the city and provides leisure and culture infrastructure. Apart from designing the new metro stations and integrated bus terminals, the project transforms all car streets into shared lanes, where pedestrians, cars, and bicycles can transit in peace and low gear. The existing green areas, such as parks and squares, were integrated into the new spaces, establishing an expanded green system and giving the community new opportunities to gather and develop new activities.
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Several public spaces were designed along the axis that responds to local needs and are corresponding to the adjacent building functions. Communitary vegetable garden
Children’s playground area
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Photos by Giancarlo Leone, during the showroom construction
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09 CINI & NILS SHOWROOM Developed during internship at Studio Bettonica Leone, 2014 Milan, Italy Authors: Giancarlo Leone and Karoline Fischer VIEW FULL PROJECT AT: https://www.behance.net/gallery/66736541/Showroom-project
Cini&nils’ light design factory showroom needed to be a distinguished and flexible space. Therefore, the exhibiting areas are the walls themselves, designed as MDF doors to hide the cables and allow the display to change whenever wanted at the same time they frame the pieces with elegancy. The ceiling lamps are displayed in suspended blocks that produce architectonical perspectives and light depth in the room. Also, this display guarantees an open space in the middle of the showroom, that can be changed in a reunion room when convenient.
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K A R OL INE F IS CHER
Architecture. Landscape Urbanism. Urban and Territorial Planning.