Juxtapose Landscape

JU UXT UXT XTA TA

PO P OS O SE

jux·ta·pose to place close together or side by side for contrasting effect.

Kevin Lei Cal Poly Pomona Landscape Architecture Study Abroad Santa Chiara, Fall 2016 BRAVELY CURIOUS

contents PG 5-10

PG 11-16

Walkscapes

Francesco Careri

Gardens and the Larger Landscape David Leatherbarrow

PG 17-22

Grafting the Edelweiss Raaella Fabiani Giannetto

PG 23-28

Landscape Nostalgia

Raaella Fabiani Giannetto

PG 29-34

Defining Urban Sites

PG 35-40

Defining the Urbanistic Project

Andrea Kahn

Joan Busquets

London

Amsterdam

Paris

Geneva

Walkscapes

Copenhagen

Milan Venice Cinque Terre

Pisa F Fiesole Settignano

Pistoia

Flor Fl oren rence nce San Gimignano

A ezzo Ar

Siena

Castiglion Fiorentino

Pienza nz

Ca Ca Cas as sttig tiig iglio iglio lliiione io one ed de e la llag ag a go

Ba Bag ag agna gna na a nai

Rome R Ro om me e Pompeii Almafi Coast

Castiglion Fiorentino Transurbance is the concept of roaming a place. Not knowing what that place holds, but walking to write a narrative. Castiglion Fiorentino was a place that was a complete blur to me in the beginning. At first glance, I saw a hilltop town with stone material that covered the mountain range. On my free time, I roamed the town. The hills of the town gave me an everlasting memory because I questioned how the locals could live with such steep hills; especially the older generation and the disabled. I learned that adaptation allowed the locals to tougher through the steep slopes. It allowed me to appreciate the hills because it is what gives an unique experience to the hilltop town; more like a “site specific” walking experience. The sore legs and sweat that I produced while trekking up those hills allowed me to leisurely walk and dissect the details of the city. Experiencing the stone walls and rambunctious vegetation that punctuated the narrow alley ways is an aesthetics that one can only experience in Italy. With such narrow alley ways though, ones’ sense of orientation is lost but by walking out into open spaces is when one is able to relocate their orientation. This nomadic form of art can really expand one’s view and knowledge of Castiglion Fiorentino’s exclusive spaces.

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WALKSCAPES DETAIL MAPPING 1. Steep hills 2. Stone wall vegetation 3. Views from La Posta 4. Stone facade tower 5. Dense olive trees

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WALKSCAPES DETAIL MAPPING 1. “hip” bars and coffee shops 2. Vibrant graffiti art 3. Modern shipping containers 4. Soccer fields 5. Vintage lifestyles 6. The “TOO EXPENSIVE!” area

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London Traveling to a foreign country always begin with an experiential blur. The culture and the streets can be bewildering. But to truly write a narrative about a place, one must force themselves to walk and experience every aspect of that place.

I referred to the idea of “force” because London is an English speaking city. To read and speak English is an asset to navigate oneself through the city; but hidden details might not be dissected while in transurbance. Forcing yourself to divert away from your main path can lead you into new experiential spaces where new details can be dissected. London has districts with distinct cultures where it can be dissected through the facades of the sedentary spaces, or the nomadic spaces behind the walls. Shoreditch, for example, is an inner city district in the historic East End of London. While walking through Shoreditch, the warm brown brick walls covered in vibrant local graffiti art is the aesthetics of the place. When diverting your path away from Kingsland Road and into the secondary streets, one can find themselves in transurbance into local vintage markets and street food vendors. When walking into new spaces and interacting with the locals,one will be able to grasp the identity of the place.

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London

Amsterdam

Paris

Geneva

Gardens and the Larger Landscape

Copenhagen

Milan Venice Cinque Terre

Pisa F Fiesole Settignano

Pistoia

Flor Fl orrence ence en ce San Gi Gimig migna na an an no o

Arez Ar rezzzzo o

Sien S Sie na a

Castiglion Fiorentino

Pie P i n nza za a

Ca C Cas asttig iglli li ne lio e de de lag lag go

Ba Bag B a ag agnai gnai naia na a

Rome Pompeii Almafi Coast

Castiglion Fiorentino Distance is a strong medium when it comes to landscape architecture due to interplay of the types of distances in a landscape. There are four types of distances which include: vertical, horizontal, geographical, and technological. Castiglion Fiorentino acquires all four distances, weather it is viewed from within the city or from afar. To begin with, vertical distance is the concept of contained gardens. These contained gardens include roof top gardens and balcony planting due to the limited horizontal space. Castiglion F.no is clustered with vertical, narrow structures and in order to provide for personal planting, the locals have to adapt to vertical ways of planting design. Vertical distance can also be seen within the stone walls around the city. Rambunctious vegetation grow through the cracks of the stone, providing a new type of structural aesthetics. The concept of horizontal distance is all about the greater landscape. Standing at the highest point of the hill top town and looking out, one can experience the horizontal blend of the agricultural mosaics, urban, and suburban culture.

Geographical distance is the idea of drawing from preexisting concepts that tend to be foreign from the vicinity of the project location. Roman inuences can be noticed through the interior and exterior of the city by the arches and stone wall facades that make up the city. Lastly, technological distance is the idea of materials used within the city. Although the materials within Castiglion F.no is not site speciďŹ c, the way it is used in order to keep with the aesthetics of the hilltop town is what gives the city an unique identity.

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Rome Rome has a strong punctuation of landscape distance interplay. Through hardscape and softscape, the measurable distances define how the city is structured and laid out. Unlike Castiglion F.no’s concept of vertical distance as contained gardens, Rome’s interpretation of this concept is more public. Street trees line the sidewalks, providing shade for pedestrian and cars as well as a certain type of aesthetics for the streetscape.

Since Rome is a dense city with agricultural fields on the outskirts of town, this idea of horizontal distance isn’t much of the “greater mosaic landscape”. It is rather the hardscape piazzas that are structured within the city.

These horizontal gathering spaces also play with multiple scales; ranging from intimate scale to granular scale.

Rome is one of Europe’s oldest occupied cities with its history spanning over two and a half millenniums. The concept of geographical distance in the sense of Rome’s history is rather turned around. Rather than Romans being influenced by preexisting concepts, surrounding regional cities are instead influenced by the Roman society. But this geographical distance isn’t only contained within Italy, other European countries like France, Spain, England, et cetera have structural existence of the Roman influence. The idea of technological distances within Rome varies throughout the city. Materials play a huge role in how the Romans built their structure as well as piazzas and sculptures. In the ancient part of Rome where the forum and other free-standing architecture are located at, the use of stone and marble columns are apparent. Juxtaposed to the ancient part of town is the Baroque style of the city. This idea is rather grand in scale as well as materials used. Marble and limestone are the two main materials used in order to showcase Rome’s technological advancements.

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London

Amsterdam

Paris

Grafting the Edelweiss Geneva

Copenhagen

Milan Venice Cinque Terre

Pisa F Fiesole Settignano

Pistoia

Flllor F orre oren en nce ce Sa S San an a nG Giim mig ig gna nan n an a no

Arrezzo ezzo ez zo

Sie S Si iiena na

Castiglion Fiorentino

Pie Pi P iie enza nzza a

Ca Cas as a stig tigllio liio on ne ed de e lla lag ag a g go o

Bag Ba Bag agn na nai aiia a

Rome R Ro om me e Pompeii Almafi Coast

the composition of the mosaic landscape

Castiglion Fiorentino Castiglion Fiorentio holds true to its old traditions and customs; this is what gives value to the city. It is challenging to keep up with these values due to modern exterior influences that is changing the city gradually. The younger generation is moving out to bigger cities and some may come back. But by returning home, they may bring new modern influences into the town. The city already faces such by housing developments on the base of the town. When viewed from a panoramic perspective, it is visible how the suburban develops into the rural. What there is now is already good enough. The older generation doesn’t want any more changes; they believe that if there is to be too much change, Castiglion F.no would not look like who it actually is. It won’t have any qualities of a hilltop town punctuating the Val Di Chio with its light brown stone walls. The boisterous towers that intimidate you when walking towards the city, the cars that essentially grazes your shoulder when driving past you, either physically or just by the wind created by the motion. Most importantly, the mosaic landscape of the agricultural fields; it is sort as the “national identity” of Castiglion F.no. Compared to bigger cities, one won’t be able to see these mosaics with high rises covering the horizon. Such view is unique to the town because there are not any public gardens within Castiglion Fiorentino. That is why the mosaic landscape acts as the “national garden” for the city. These are the qualities that make the people who live here call it home. It is rather the IDENTITY of the city.

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Milan

Milan is the most modernized city in Italy. Unlike Castiglion Fiorentino, F Milan’s old traditions and customs might have been lost due to due to the bombings of WW2. After the bombings, Milan was deep in rubles; its sense of identity was lost. But due to the rapid urban sprawl, building b on top of pre-existing history is what modernized Milan. Its modernization is rather the new identity identit of this place. The article explained how by changing too much, there might be no sense of place. But Milan Mila is a thriving capital built upon fashion, art, design, entertainment, et cetera. I believe that Milan thrives off o change but with the idea of globalization, Milan did lose its “national identity”. A typical Italian town wi withholds its identity from the past. The use of materials throughout the city is consistent as well as providing views v out of the city. Piazzas are determined by the way the city is laid out, providing asymmetrical gathering gatherin spaces for the community. In Milan, views out of the city are now blocked by high rise buildings and the ide ideas of piazza have become modernized with no connections to historical significant. Materials are not as co consistently used in comparison to Castiglion F.no. Unlike Castiglion F.no’s mosaic agricultural fields, Milan has h more “wealth” in the gardens. There are also a mixture of contemporary landscape projects as well. The differences with Milanis what makesit a unique type of city in Italy.

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London

Amsterdam

Paris

Geneva

Landscape Nostalgia

Copenhagen

Milan Venice Cinque Terre

Pisa F Fiesole Settignano

Pistoia

Flo Fl orren rence ence en ce Sa S San an Gi an Gim miig mig ign nan na ano an

Arrrez A ezzzo e ezzo zo

Siena

Castiglion Fiorentino

Piiienza Pie P ie en nz nza za za

Cas Cas sttig ig iglli lio iio on ne ed de e lag lag go go

Bag B Ba ag a gn nai na aia

Rome R Ro om me e Pompeii Almafi Coast

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Castiglion Fiorentino L Landscape Nostalgia is a powerful tool when it comes to design because one would be abl able to mimic a certain place. This idea can be either good or bad because by re-creating a pla place, a hypothetical question that comes to mind is: Is it the same? Castiglion Fiorentino is unique in its own way through the materials used in the facades as well as the city lay layout. The big contrast to this hilltop town is at the base of hill where all the suburbs are located at. The conflict of this contrast is the lack of similarities to the historical part of to town. But is this a bad thing? I believe not because if we were to re-create the historical tow town at the base of the hill, it won’t be the same. The lifestyles would definitely change by ha having to live vertically rather than horizontally. Horizontally meaning owning land versus living vertically in apartment buildings. Also with nostalgic feelings to the hilltop towns, str streets would be narrow which will affect the amount of cars on a daily that drive through the area. The elements of constructions in order to accommodate large amount of homes for ffamilies could also be an issue when it comes to constructing the homes. There is one thing that could be powerful in connecting these two communities though through the idea of n nostalgia, and that is with materials for minimal designs such as pedestrian pavements as well as stone retaining walls. But definitely the idea of rambunctious vegetation growing between the cracks of the walls is very nostalgic to the city of Castiglion Fiorentino.

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Siena Medieval towns like Siena has been keeping its nostalgia as a way to construct its identity. The idea of it being apart of the medieval age gives the city resemblance to other medieval cities within Italy as well as other parts of Europe. In the reading, it states how each element in a garden builds up to the identity of the garden as a whole. In relation to the Siena, what builds up the city as a whole is the use of materials throughout the town. Warm siena colored brick walls fill the facades of each store front as it creeps into the paving of Piazza del Campo. This image of the town can really bring nostalgic feelings to someone visiting the town. To re-create Siena at a different location is impossible because although it may seem related, the ambiance would definitely not. One would not be able to experience the amalgam of pigeons and people in the Piazza del Campo while eating a €2.50 slice of pizza. Or even witness framed views into the valley outside of the medieval city. Siena is a very unique city in that the colors and material as well as the people of the city is what constructs its identity.

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London

Amsterdam

Paris

Geneva

Defining Urban Sites

Copenhagen

Milan Venice Cinque Terre

Pisa F Fiesole Settignano

Pistoia

Fllo F lor oren ence ce

San Gimignano

Arre ezzzo zo

Sie iena ie ena a

Castiglion Fiorentino

Pie Pi P ie i nza n

Ca C astig ig glio one ne d de e lag ag a go go

Bag gnai na a

Rome Rome me Pompeii Almafi Coast

Castiglion Fiorentino The idea of enclosed spaces gives off the impression that boundaries are ownership of the space. According to the article, Kahn talks about two types of plans that define an urban site. The first plan is the Palmanuova Plan in which the complexity of the plan defines real constituted spaces. The second plan is a view of Milan by Da Vinci in which his plan shows the fluidity of the city. By having swirly lines and unconnected strokes, the plan encourages designers to ponder on permeable limits within a site. Castiglion Fiorentino has the combination of both plans in that the city was once built behind walls, but over time development reached beyond the limits. These developments allowed for interactions between agricultural and commercial businesses that generate Castiglion F.no’s economy.

One must understand though that sites may change beyond human control. Having permeable limits, site systems can change dramatically due to cultural influences. The mosaic landscape of the Val di Chio may one day die off due to soil changes; or even the stone walls of the city may be modernized by the new settlers of the future. This is why the idea of setting boundaries can maintain a space, but opening it up may allow for new interpretation.

Balance is the key to defining an urban space because a design should meet a common ground rather than being too boring or too intense.

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Palmanuova plan concept

Da Vinci’s “View of Milan” plan concept

San Gimignano San Gimignano is a medium sized medieval town east of Castiglion Firoentino. Its urban layout has some resemblance to Castiglion F.no through the pre-existing walled city limits. During the medieval times when invasion and conquering happened, the city walls and towers of San Gimignano kept the city safe. It is through this concept of “boundaries as ownership” where it preserved the history and identity of the hilltop town. Modern day San Gimignano now thrives through the fluidity urban layout. It welcomes tourists to experience the history as well as provide exterior views out into the valley. Also, through the fluidity the town has extended down the hill due to agriculture and suburbia. There is one regulation that this town emphasizes on and it is through building limits. One must not build outside of what there now exists in order to preserve the identity of the city as well as the mosaic landscape. The idea of having permeable limits can eventually get out of control and completely change the identity of the town and so by implementing this intangible limit, it can prevent such change.

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Palmanuova plan concept

Da Vinci’s “View of Milan” plan concept

London

(Shoreditch)

Amsterdam

Paris

Geneva

Defining the

Urbanistic Project

Copenhagen

Milan Venice Cinque Terre

Pisa F Fiesole Settignano

Pistoia

Florence c San Gimig Sa San Giim G mig ig i n nan na an a no

Arez Ar ezzo zo

Siie Sie iena na

Castiglion Fiorentino

Pie P ie enza nz n zza a

Cas C as asti tig tig iglio iio on ne e de d lag lag la go

Ba B Bag ag gnai gnai na n aia

Rome Ro R ome om me Pompeii Almafi Coast

Castiglion Fiorentino In Joan Busquets’s reading, he delineates 10 strategies to foster change within a city. Out of those 10 strategies though, Castiglion Fiorentino focuses on only 2 of those strategies. They include: traditional views, and core retrofitting.

The main concept of retrofitting is how Castiglion F.no’s city layout came to be. Remains of Roman ruins where discovered throughout the city but with the planning of a new town, the city had to build on top of the old in order to retro fit to a workable layout. Another example of retrofitting is at Piazza Garibaldi. Once used as a gathering ground for the community, the idea of circulation and parking led to the city changing this space into a parking lot for the community mixed in with a road to lead you to certain parts of the town. When retrofitting a space, the idea of traditional views must come into play in order to keep the composition of the space the same.This strategy states how things don’t have to seem new or modern. Rather, new ideas can be brought back to old architecture. When planning the city over the Roman Ruins, Castiglion F.no withheld the aesthetics of its local context. Maybe this was due to the time frame and the lack technological advancements; but even today, we can see that new development in Castiglion F.no doesn’t resemble pieces by Renzo Piano or Roberto Burle Marx. It is rather the traditional views of Tuscany.

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Castiglion F.no Spatial Typologies Retrofit Typology

Castiglion Fiorentino

Piazza Garibaldi

Old vs. New

Piazza once occupied as a gathering space. Poised for more opportunity.

Retrofitted to accommodate transportation. parking lot, bus stop, and traďŹƒc street.

Traces of Roman ruins found within the city.

Retrofitted to accommodate town growth. New building were built on top of existing ruins.

Traditional View Typology Protect and preserve old traditional views. New can always be brought back to the old.

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London (Shoreditch) Shoreditch, London is a creative-based district in the historic East End of London. The ideas of retrofitting, reconfigured surfaces, and traditional views are present within this community in order to establish its identity. The way this neighborhood retrofits its facades, recreational spaces, and commercial spaces presents new archetypes of the city.

Traditional vs. modern, interstitial vs. occupied; these are the juxtaposing typological concepts that presents itself while walking through the neighborhood. To give an example, the juxtaposition of traditional vs. modern is apparent through the commercial spaces that align the streets. The warm brownish yellow brick facades may seem like one is in 1800s London, but with the modernized retrofitting of the interior, it provides a new archetype of building types. Another example is Box Park, an area of commercial space and food vendors that utilizes shipping containers. This idea of a modernized architecture juxtaposed by the traditional bricked façade back drop adds a new type of punctuated composition to the space. Interstitial vs. occupied is apparent throughout this neighborhood with creative ways of utilizing space. One example is at the PUMP gas station; what was once an interstitial dead space has now turned into a place where local food vendors can display their own unique foods.

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Shoreditch Spatial Typologies

Lucozade Powerleague

Pump Gas Station

Interstitial vs. Occupied

Abandoned gas station provide interstitial potential for the neighborhood. Canopy remains functional.

Neighborhood utilized the space for a communal street-food market. DIY wooden shacks where created to provide for local aesthetics.

Interstitial space adjacent to Shoreditch High Street Overground line that is poised for neighborhood recreational space.

Neighborhood utilized the interstitial space for recreational purposes, providing the community with series of soccer fields.

Box Park

Commercial Space

Traditional vs. Modern

Commercial spaces are retrofitted to a traditional exterior but a modernized interior.

Shipping containers at Box Park provide a punctuated composition, juxtaposing the traditional brick walls

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ESOP

ATXUJ