Diary - Diploma in Architecture - Belmonte Calabro

IDS Diary Oliver Hester CASS School of Architecture and Design Diploma - Unit 6 Civic Assembly

Contents Integrated Design Study Process Diary

1.

Naming places Loughborough Junction - London 2.

Calabria Project Belmonte Calabro - Italy 3.

Bibliography

This document aims to integrate the key f ields of the Architecture profession within 2 projects, one based in Loughborough Junction in London and the other f inal project in Belmonte Calabro, Southern Italy.

Using the 4 parts of the syllabus the projects have investigated and built upon the given headings of; A. Cultural context and communication

B. Professional Context C. Environment and sustainable design D. Construction, structures and materials The headings have each been given a colour coded strip on each page so that at a glance it is easy to identify what part of the syllabus is relevant on each page. This is shown below.

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The Beginning The Great Hall, Holloway Rd

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TOP | Unit pitch, MAE “The deep block” BELOW | Trying to rate the units

Meeting for the f irst time in the Great Hall on Holloway road for market day to choose our units was an experience practiced the same time last year.

1. Initial project - Naming places - South London

Luckily 5th years normally get there f irst choice if not second. Unit 4 last year was brilliant but a change was needed! There are more of a range of units specialising in different areas this year, which was more appealing than the previous year in which the majority of the units offered specialised in housing.

3. Civic Assembly. - Italy - Calabria,

This years choice had seemingly a lot more pressure on it, as there was more familiarity with the units and tutors that were offered. A few disappointments were that there was no FREE unit, this could have been a blessing in disguise as this would of been a consideration.

Presentations that stood out, were the Takero Shimazaki presentation, and Assembles presentation.

Maurice Mitchell’s unit has always been of interest and is an area of work that would be great to pursue.

Maurice’s presentation and studio title of Civic assembly 1 was particularly interesting. The approach towards Architecture as an inclusive social practice as well as the building being in a state of f lux is an area that Architects in this country seem to oversee.

There is an option in this unit to do a variety of projects, all involving some form of Civic Assembly.

2. Bagmati Borderlands - Nepal

Putting Unit 6 with Maurice as f irst choice seems a natural progression, and will develop my Architectural ideas and push me further.

Meeting with Maurice and Jane the next day, we discussed the potential for the Italian - Calabria project. This was working in rural Southern Italy to integrate the current inf lux of a transient community into the area. This project had been worked on over the summer by a group of ex CASS Students.

The opportunity was only available to a small group of 5 students and so places were going to be very highly contested.

Optional modules were also chosen earlier on in the week. Nabil Ahmed gave an inspiring introduction into his module titled Interpretations and with a slant on Architecture and Justice. Last year seminars were held for his Forgetting of Air module and they were enjoyably broad in his way of teaching. So this year module will be challenging and engaging.

1 http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/faculties/the-cass/ studios/2016/professional-diploma-in-architecture-riba-part-ii/unit6/

Thoughts and observations The start to the year seems slow, but engaging.

Meeting new tutors and friends is always enjoyable.

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Brief

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Naming places South London

LEFT | Network and station names from brief

Working in South London, the unit all looks at Overground stations and proposing civic assemblies on or around them. The sites are in two locations, Loughborough junction and Camberwell. These two sites have a very different character. Initially observing sketching and recording the surrounding overground stations, Peckham Rye, Herne Hill and Elephant and Castle. We began to form different reactions to the surrounding areas. This began to inform the style of drawing and type of investigation we wanted to expose both of the main sites to.

The brief set by Maurice f irstly seemed methodical, the initial project has a ‘get to know the ropes’ feel. Drawing techniques and representation are being tested. The project is centred around a Civic Assembly, in the evolving city.

Camberwell a once bustling station, is no longer used.

During the f irst world war, it was not being used as much as it was prior to the war, and was forced to close.

The introductions of the electric trams to the area also reduced usage too. There are various sites in this area but Loughborough junction, has signif icantly

Producing a ‘memory map’ of Loughborough Junction proved an exciting exercise as capturing the feel of an area and its qualities in a drawing are diff icult.

The brief then mentions choosing 3 building forms, to draw and understand, this has been through sketching and analysing how these spaces are being used, each of these drawings is continually developing so that an in depth understanding of a certain typology of building is understood. These building forms then can be translated into a scheme that has tested and researched the relevant building forms of the area.

Testing and observing is then shown at a closer detail by looking at an ergonomic survey of a particular area of the site at 1:50. This also proved a cultural and open to interpretation stage of the brief, where input from residents, cafe owners, tramps, business people, and shop attendants impacted on the drawing.

Thoughts and observations Investigative drawing and recording takes a specific approach and can be thought of in many ways, the brief is challenging how one may think about recording space and place .

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The reaction to the brief saw the majority of students wanting to work in Camberwell. However a smaller group decided to work in Loughborough Junction.

more potential and existing infrastructure that could be enhanced.

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LEFT | Loughborough junction, creative start ups below the arches RIGHT | Scaffolding company, constructed a container supported by scaffold and squeezed between 2 train tracks

Meeting the local residents and users of the area opened up a conversation and discussion into what they feel the area needs and how it could be improved, mainly talking with people in Loughborough junction I began to form a project.

There were a mix of opinions, speaking to Will, from a company called The Edible Bus Stop he mentioned how there was no access to good quality low priced food, and the majority of the area was full of take aways and chicken shops. A homeless man mentioned how we wanted to get out of the cycle of selling the BIG Issue and sleeping rough. Speaking about a PIP grant Personal Independence Payment 1, he mentioned that he wasn’t able to be independent mainly due to 1

Accessed on 23/10/16 https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/financial-support/help-with-benefits/personal-independence-payment

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S i t e r e act i o n s

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LEFT | Mohammed, in Camberwell in front of his car mechanics business RIGHT | Elephant and Castle businesses under the archway

the fact that he did not have access to a kitchen. Walking to Camberwell and speaking with Mohammed under one of the railway arches he spoke how he ‘wants more money!’. After speaking to him for quite some time about various beliefs and opinions the day came to a close. Talking with a nearby shop owner on Coldharbour lane, he had owned the shop for 13 years and was originally from Afghanistan. Selling groceries he has ‘seen the area change around him’ business seemed diff icult as there are a couple of supermarkets within 2 minutes walk of his door.

EXPLORING SITE

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TOP | Crits take place in the first week BELOW | Initial memory map of Loughborough junction OPPOSITE | 1 of 3 Building forms drawn, a Lean to structure, Elevation and section

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3 Building forms

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Choosing 3 building forms made the process a more methodical method of recording. Choosing ‘Lean to, Inf ill, and Awning’ sketches were developed and certain

aspects of these forms were developed further in other drawings. Using sketching at different scales and styles it began to help to understand how such spaces are used and inhabited.

Loughborough Junction lacks a central gathering space and seems very confused and busy. Train lines being drawn over spaces creates a unique environment, to Loughborough Junction, mixed with a diverse range of residents. There is potential in this area, for all areas within the community.

Thoughts and observations Good to get the work on the wall, but seemed almost a bit too early to be starting to show our ideas, however it made us all work! Laying out and formatting are areas that needs work.

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Initial reactions to the site were brief and short as spending a day on site it became more of an orientation exercise other than a deeper cultural and social analyses. A pin up for the observations and drawings was organised, how people observed the sites in different ways was very interesting as everyone had a different slant on the areas they were observing.

OPPOSITE | Ivor De Wolf Italian Townscape book ABOVE | Glasgow school of Art Exhibition

These sketches have inf luenced the way I have been recording some elements of my project.

Visiting Glasgow for my fathers 60th birthday we went around parts of the city. Walking around the recently completed Stephen Holl building opposite the Glasgow school of Art they had an exhibition 1 DE WOLFE, I (1963). The Italian townscape. 16th ed.

London: Architectural Press.. -.

on the 3D scanning of the building post f ire. The f ire damaged the ornate and most famous part of the building, the library. Started by a foam cannister in the building 2 This structure was hugely damaged by the f ire and is having to be rebuilt in a timely and very meticulous way. The 3D scanning (Above) was particularly interesting as sections were created and they moved through the building as you watched the video.

Aspects of 3D scanning are very interesting and create detailed models including a range of materials and colours. These add to another method of recording a site, sadly they are very expensive pieces of technology but soon may become available to students!

2 Brooks, L. (2014). Glasgow School of Art fire caused by gases from foam canister, says report. Available: https://www. theguardian.com/education/2014/nov/26/glasgow-school-of-art-firefoam-canister-report. Last accessed 5th Nov 2016.

Thoughts and observations Analytical sketching is more applicable when trying to understand and interpret the area you are surveying. 3D scanning was a bit too late for the Glasgow School of Art but nevertheless a different method of interpreting a structure.

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Iver de Wolf in Italian townscapes (Left) 1 has an approach to sketching that is unique and also particularly investigative. The use of simple descriptive words really captures the scene or vista.

‘Side show’ and ‘Y-Trap’ alongside simple sketches seem to show a clear way of thinking about different parts of the townscape. The book also has a lot of humour in it with analysis of sculptures in the ‘softies’ and ‘Hardies’ as a comparison between sculptures in Italian squares.

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Iv e r d e w o l f, T h e Ital i a n t o w n s cap e ( B o o k ) a n d G la s g o w v i s i t

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Fluid Masterplan September 2016

Fluid design have been appointed to do a masterplan for Loughborough Junction and they have proposed a pedestrianised zone in the centre, creating a market square typology. Specif ic areas have been investigated and they had a workshop type afternoon in the community gardens in the top left hand side of the drawing above. Asking the local residents and users of the site what they thought of the ideas. They then submitted it to Lambeth city council for public consultation. The images opposite show how the proposal from Fluid Design changes the public realm by making it pedestrianised during certain times of the week, whilst making the area more of a public square and making Loughborough Junction a more appealing place.

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http://www.fluidoffice.com/walk-through-loughborough/ Last accessed on 05/11/16

ABOVE AND BOTTOM RIGHT PAGE | https://www.lambeth. gov.uk/sites/default/files/160907%20Consultation%20Boards%20 Sept%202016%20part%202_9.pdf OPPOSITE PAGE TOP | Screen shot from Google Maps

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L o ug h b o r o ug h j u n ct i o n - R e c e n t h i s t o r y

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The town centre boundary is also an area that has been challenged and is currently in discussion to be extended and altered. This shows how the area and the local council are trying to enhance and improve Loughborough junction.

My proposal should build upon these themes, after having had interesting conversations from 3 different people living, working and sleeping in the immediate area.

Thoughts and observations Loughborough Junction feels like it needs a centre as it has always been dominated by the ‘Junction’ typology. Breaking this mold is difficult in a very tight and confined area but it is currently being proposed and my scheme builds on these themes.

El e vat i o n a n al y s i s o v e r 1 0 0 y e ar s

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NO R T H A L ON G C O L DH A R B O U R L A NE

C OLDHARBOUR LANE T O W ARDS BRI X T ON

1905 - 2016

1905 - 2016

Analysis of the site I looked back at old photographs and historical maps, to see what the area used to be like and it was hugely noticeable that the street frontage has changed dramatically. Drawing this I accentuated the shop fronts and found how little curbside appeal Loughborough Junction currently has compared to how it was in 1905.

between Brixton and further stations to the West however this was removed as it was proving not prof itable and wasn’t used as much as anticipated particularly during the war. This link could potentially be re opened, with a new station at Loughborough Junction, linking Brixton to Loughborough Junction.

Coldharbour lane had an electric tram system running

Areas of the street frontage create small pockets of success

THIS PAGE TOP | Analysis of shop frontage Loughborough Junction 1905 MIDDLE | Google street view of current frontage BOTTOM | 1905 photographs of Loughborough Junction OPPOSITE PAGE TOP | Successful frontage (2016) OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM | Analysis with awnings and coverage of street

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El e vat i o n a n al y s i s a n d r e lat i o n s h i p t o t h e pla n o v e r t i m e

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Plan investigation

1905

2016

in Loughborough Junction as many of the businesses seem to thrive but are mainly tucked away and withdrawn from Loughborough Junctions streets, a proposal may suggest to coax out these trades to make them more approachable whilst combining both train lines in Loughborough Junction.

Looking further into the plan and speculating the fall out onto the street I began to consider a mix of these two typologies.

Thoughts and observations Mixing typologies and crossing paths of different citizens within the city is particularly relevant in Loughborugh Junction as it has such a rich depth to its make up. Alongside improving the street frontage I am considering working with LJAG to create a flexible civic space.

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P la n i n v e s t i gat i o n

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THIS PAGE | Sketch 3D proposals , (top) existing, (mid) proposal 1, (bottom) proposal 2.

OPPOSITE PAGE TOP | Changes to the town centre boundary highlighted to be investigated in the local plan review.

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D e s i g n i t e rat i o n s a n d s truggl e

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Removing and replacing a redundant factory building with a new station entrance that can facilitate a mix of uses, such as a gathering space after Loughborough Junctions weekly handball game. Various units would then be placed to break up the view up to the platform, just off the staircases moments of meeting are encouraged.

Network rail also has been rumoured to be wanting the units under the arches back within 2 years, so these spaces would give some of the businesses an opportunity to

continue the way they are working.

Various iterations were attempted and joining both platforms together with one single access point would improve Loughborough Junction on a range of different ways, whilst also creating a mixed use space that will be moulded by the forever changing civic mix of Loughborough Junction.

The plan above also conf irms how Loughborugh Junction is being discussed in the Local Plan, the shaded red area is a proposed extension to the Town Centre, in which the proposal encompasses. Whilst leaving the majority of the existing buildings with their current facilities, a proposed parasitical structure merges existing with proposed.

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Initial ideas were to make some form of structure or intervention at the entrance to Loughborough Junction station, however after surveying this area it was very tight and cramped. Developing the concept through different diagrams and conversations I began to formulate quite a radical approach.

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PERSPE C T IVE f r o m b o tt o m o f PROPOSAL

Food as a civic togetherness, this combines all people. Perhaps using a food hall typology, similar to a restaurant based in Vauxhall where the chef is changed regularly.

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FIN A L C R I T 2 7 / 1 1 / 1 6

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Thoughts and observations Zonal areas can change at different speeds, this is essential in Loughborough Junction as different uses spring up at very different stages in time.

Putting people into some of the drawings would help to scale the drawings. Schedule of conditions would be useful to know how much to demolish.

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TOP | Day time section BELOW | Evening elevation

The proposal has tested the current layout of Loughborough Junction and proposed a relatively radical structure that in some ways is unfeasible.

However the proposals challenges the layout of Loughborough Junction and suggests a new and fresh way of approaching the site, as previous ideas from various Urban designers and Architects seem to either be ignored or not proposed past a feasibility stage.

Assessing the current legislation and set up of awnings and informal eating structures would also benef it this scheme. Finding some precedent studies of informal and ad hoc civic food halls or gathering spaces would also be a great start to develop the ideas of food being a civic entity and congregation. Perhaps looking into some other cultural traditions such as African eating habits could prove benef icial.

Some critics mentioned how it would be a good idea to show how the stair cases are inhabited at a closer scale, also ideas of Flaneurs ( “stroller”, “lounger”, “saunterer”, or “loafer”) 1 were mentioned as specif ic points of the proposal includes moments and glimpses of movement.

Monads were also mentioned as a term that was developed by Leibinz a 17th philosopher, loosely, it is referring to a single point that has a geometric counterpart associated with it. 2 As a test / taster project the exercise has been fulf illing and has given me an insight into how Unit 6 works.

Looking forward to the rest of the year!

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flâneur last accessed on 6/11/16 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monad_(philosophy) last accessed on 6/11/16

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As always a range of drawings are always suggested at the end of a short 5 week project. A few that would be particularly benef icial would of been a schedule of conditions for the existing site. Knowing what was benef icial to keep and remove would of been a worthwhile practice in this case.

Travelling to Italy over these next few weeks, I will be using parts of the investigations I had on stair cases, making 5 different models of different stairs in different situations will hopefully start to help me form a conversation.

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C o n clu s i o n

TOP |

Independence day, Accra stadium, (Image courtesy of research group)

BELOW LEFT | Own photo of lecture at RIBA BELOW RIGHT | Shop in communal courtyard area (Image courtesy of research group)

P e r s p e ct i v e s o n arc h i t e ctur e ( r i ba l e ctur e 1 8 - 1 0 - 1 6 )

The presentation was mainly auditory, with clips played from the research compiled. This was the research groups main method of recording the site in which they were exploring.

The group titled the research as,Echoes of Accra.

Located in Ghana, West Africa. They began by walking the city and recording in the ‘traditional’ methods an Architect would use, photography and sketching. They then found that the vibrant and rich culture of the Ghanian people could not be captured in such a simple and linear way of recording.

However a huge variety of immigrants and refugees are living in Accra. Their ideas of mixed communities living all within a single courtyard seems to work very effectively, this model is yet to be developed in the Western city, a communal living arrangement according to the researchers seems to be very well used, and enjoyed by the residents.

1 https://www.architecture.com/WhatsOn/October2016/ PerspectivesOnArchitectureEchoesOfAccra.aspx 2 https://2016ghana.wordpress.com

Thoughts and observations The concept of recording a ‘soundscape’ through a city seems appealing but may be hard to represent in a submission, however very useful as an alternative method of recording. The communal courtyard aspect is an old typology and idea but could be an area to look further into.

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They then used a sound recording device in which they conducted a series of walks through the city, capturing the ‘urban soundscape’ Their website can be found here 2.

They then interviewed a few different people and spoke with them about different things in the city, what worked and what didn’t and what they would like to change. A topic of the ‘Western City’ was also mentioned in a few conversations, some aspects of our development models from the Western civilisation were carried through to the development of Accra.

This was questioned if it was benef icial and when the nation became independent a grand plan was set out for the allocation of green space and this has not been followed and now the city has (according to the group of researchers) become over crowded and is very cramped.

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Attending this lecture by a group of ex students was eye opening to the type of research and recording that different people have conducted, in the f ield. 1 The event at the top of the RIBA at Portland Place, had been presented in a novel way.

EXHIBITION, MIGRATING HISTORIES MOVING IDENTITIES

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Thoughts and observations The art work was great but slightly lacked a purpose, parts of the exhibition began to delve into more difficult topics but it in some ways seemed to overlook the current situation.

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Exhibition thread of connection map, (below) Panorama of Exhibition

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The exhibition seems at f irst engaging with a range of topics, After seeing it advertised online it seemed a perfect match to some of the topics we were addressing in the brief.

Arriving at the exhibition it was clear that it seemed to have an abstract approach to the current situation. It was curated by Reedah El-Saie alongside the bakarat trust,

under the umbrella of the Nour Festival of arts 1. It was an interesting exhibition but did not challenge some areas that would of been expected.

1 https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/nour/events/migrating-historiesmoving-identities Last accessed on 13/11/16

IMAGES | Losty, JP (2008). The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India’s Great Epic . London: British Library.

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T h e ramava n a i n d i a n m i n i atur e s

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This method of drawing and representing would be benef icial for our workshops and trip to Calabria as it 1 Losty, JP (2008). The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India’s Great Epic . London: British Library.

would allow us to communicate an idea quickly and clearly to somebody with no experience in reading specif ic types of drawings.

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The distorted section / perspective drawings shown in this book 1 have a very specif ic drawing style that is very basic and tends to be easily observed, with no understanding of reading a plan, section or elevation.

Calabria & Sicily FIELD TRIP Southern Italy

P al e rm o An urban introduction to Italy Palermo located on the Northern coast of Sicily, is a mixed and diverse city with a rich culture and a turbulent history. The city has been under many different empires.

Greek, Roman, Arabic, Byzantine. This mix creates an intriguing Architecture. Buildings in Palermo take up this continuously shifting political landscape. The city lies in a basin surrounded by hills, it seems the cultural and social centre of Sicily.

Previously the island was a shipping and nautical heart to the Mediterranean.

The city today is slow paced compared to other European cities and the weather is temperate all year round, getting hot in the summer months and mild in the winter.

Various buildings were pointed out to us, we then spent three days in the city visiting various locations, with a continuous reminder of the current refugee situation in Southern Italy.

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CITY EXPLORATION AND PALLAZZO CHIARAMONTE - SCARPA

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Street frontages was a theme that in the previous project I had developed, and visiting Palermo it became increasingly evident how engaging their frontages and elevations are to the street. Initially recording these sites with photographs and sketches it became evident that these were quite f lat and did not capture what was going on, so a series of short f ilm clips were taken and montaged together to create a ‘lookbook’ type short f ilm.

This specif ic building is Pallazo Chiaramonte, with some internal modif ications by Carlo Scarpa. The building was previously a residence for a powerful lord named Manfredi Chiamonte 3 rd. The pallazzo outside is a highlight and the way in which the spaces break off this is

of particular interest.

The building is now a museum with dungeon type cells, which were previously used in medieval times. There is also a phenomenal painted ceiling by Gattuso, the modern painter. In the Great Hall. These aspects all enhance the Architecture of the building and create a visually stimulating experience whilst having the pure and natural aesthetics of a successful building.

Carlo Scarpa’s intervention with a stair case at what was previously the main entrance is subtle but with clear and bold design intentions. The manner in which he joins existing stone material to the new f loor is sensitive in its detailing, shadow gaps and clever material choices that match the existing slightly but at closer inspection are different. These choices really make this a very special project.

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Tying in areas from our previous studio project a theme of tiered urban landscapes emerged. Deciding to focus on stairs and level changes in Palermo became an interest that I wanted to develop further.

The list below was given to us, f inding these places however was more diff icult than we originally had thought!

Sketching the city it became evident that the square has a range of privacy from the centre to the periphery.

This was particularly relevant in Piazza Pretoria.

Piazza Pretoria is surrounded by different buildings, some off icial government buildings, a church, a road and a derelict building. It also marks the historical centre of the city of Palermo. The government building looking out over the square had protest banners on it. Sicily being the home to the commonly known ‘Maf ia’, this aspect is still very present in their day to day life.

The sketch opposite (below) shows how the stairs up to the fountain are surrounded by a fence, with only one entrance, this was perhaps for security reasons but the structure could of been accessed by all angles.

This focal piece of the square had ornate statues, carved out of marble, however it had a different history to the normal statue. This structure was intended for Florence but was purchased, for the square. A range of buildings and structures had to be dismantled to make way for the new construction.

The one sided left open has a wide open stair case leading down to one of the main streets in Palermo Via Marqueda.

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Sta i r s a n d P i a z z a s

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Location

Carlo Scarpa

Palazzo Chiaramonte

Old City quarter of la Kalsa

Matteo Carnelivari

Galleria Regionale della Sicilia

Via Alloro, 4, in the Old City quarter of la Kalsa

Mixed

Ballaro Market

Old City quarter of Albergheria

Walter Ophamil

Cattedrale

Old City quarter of Capo

Angiolo Mazzoni c.1920

Palazzo delle Poste di Palermo

Via Roma, Castellammare

Mixed

Vucciria

North west quarter of the Old Town

Giovanni Battista Filippo Basile (1874– 1880)

San Giuseppe dei Teatini

Via Vittorio Emanuele

Thoughts and observations Interesting buildings, initially seem detached from the project brief, however in many instances refugees and migrants were coming to Palermo to live. These structures are initial starting points to consider when designing.

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Architect / Conceiver!

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STAIR OBSERVATIONS

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Thoughts and observations Creating typologies of stairs I began to understand how they serve the city. Categorising them from being fully open to enclosed and various levels between I started to see how certain stair cases were used and how they were located. Residential stairs tended to be narrower with more areas enclosed. Public stairs to the main tourist sites tended to be open and wide without hand rails.

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St a i r c a s e m o d e l s

Modelling the stair cases at 1:20 before my arrival I tried to think of different types of stair cases that I would encounter.

Not having any idea of what I was going to come across, I took these models out with me!

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Sta i r m o d e l s a n d p h o t o grap h s

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P h oto s a n d sta i rs

A series of photographs were taken a step away from the foot of many of the stairs that we walked up or past.

This provided a small series of photographs to compare different stair cases. However the link between this and the current project is tenuous and distant. Perhaps an avenue that may be pursued at another time.

The modelled stair cases do have some resemblance to the photographs taken however they are somewhat detached from the actual photographed staircases.

Str e e t f r o n tag e s

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M e rcat o vucc i r i a

V i a V i t r o Em a n u e l e

Via del pontichello

Market

Main street

Side street

Enclosed streets with products all over the street, packed away at night and used as a residential area.

Main artery East to West across main area of city, large buildings wide streets and a popular tourist route

Out of the main footfall side streets become the main thoroughfare in the city.

V u cc i r i a

Via cavour

Open areas in side streets

New area

Retail zone

Y junctions frame somewhat ordinary buildings that would normally blend into the city scape.

Centred around a market area the buildings seem more informal,a the areas characteristics are modern and low rise

The wide and open streets in the retail area seem aff luent and somewhat vacant.

S e ct i o n w a l k Kalsa district Taking indicative sections during a walk from the West of the centre of the city to the Eastern edge where the sea meets the land, it was made clear how the streets varied in width.

The layout of these streets in some areas is gridded perhaps to benef it from the sun path and for ease of construction.

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Via judica

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Wide streets, open clearings and engaging frontages

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The merging of cultures over time is Palermo’s’ point of main interest for our brief. It has a particular blend of culture and history of migration. This is mainly from its location as a port in the centre of the Mediterranean sea, nautical dominance was previously a dominant asset to have as a nation.

However in modern times, this dominance is not needed in such locations.

The Architecture of interest tends to be where old meets new and there is a mix between existing buildings and new interventions. Joined with a range of interesting civic activities it becomes a valuable starter point from which to base our brief.

A diary was also kept during the study trip. Visiting the majority of the requested buildings we also found ourselves wondering around, often lost but discovering some of the more hidden and interesting parts of the city.

Highlights were the two market areas of Ballaro and Vucciria, walking around the botanical garden, the weather and arranchini (a traditional Sicilian snack of risotto rice deep fried and f illed with any f illing).

Aspects of this city are very relevant to our current project and bits will be taken and adapted to f it the site that we will shortly be visiting.

Thoughts and observations An amazing city with a diverse range of inhabitants, the largest ethic group being Bangladeshi people. The city itself was explored however the surrounding areas I would like to go back and visit as these areas often show the real character of a city. Getting the train to Calabria we went through many of these suburbs and satellite towns which could hold more information and ideas of how to approach the brief in our current situation.

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P al e rm o s ummar y

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R i ac e First town that has attempted integration with refugees in Italy The town of Riace on the East coast at the toe of Southern Italy, is in many ways a role model of a town which has been inhabited with migrants. The town was one of the f irst in Italy to start these pioneering integration schemes. We travelled to the town to see what worked and what didn’t.

A small hill town settlement now provides homes for

many refugees. The town was somewhat falling derelict with many residents leaving to f ind jobs in other parts of the country, or in cities. The mix of refugees and the current local population has created an interesting model to consider towards our brief. 1 1 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/how-migrants-and-refugeesare-being-welcomed-in-one-tiny-italian-village/

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RIACE

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1 22/12/16

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12138404 last accessed

local residents in trades and skills, along with languages.

The majority of its residents however want to move on toward Northern Europe, where they either have other family members or see more opportunity, some stay and become more integrated in the community. The towns residents have different view points on the schemes proposed some embrace the change and others are not willing to take up the change.

Thoughts and observations What is sometimes portrayed in the media can sometimes be a glorified ideology of what happens in the field. Speaking with the refugees they in some cases were not happy with the situation they were in and wanted jobs and something to do to support their family.

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Villagio Globale - Global village, captures exactly what Riace is trying to achieve. Local residents living alongside migrants coming from all over the world. Mr Lucano the mayor of the town in 1998 accepted a small group of Kurds and hasn’t looked back since, naming his town “‘la Citta Futura’ or City of the Future.” 1. The town trains

Festa in Piazza Aittoeto

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An EU monetary benef it type system is put in place for the refugees, so that they can spend money in the local town, this money however can only be spent in the local town of Riace. When talking with one of the residents he specif ically was saying that it was racist giving this money to the refugees. They are also given their own money too, in Euros from the EU.

One evening whilst we were in the town there was a local festa going on to celebrate chestnuts and wine so we took part in the dancing and festival. It was evident that the refugees were not present at such an event, not certain as to why not, but many news stories have painted this town as a f lagship for integrating refugees and in some cases it didn’t seem fully believable.

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Riace in many cases is very successful 1. However on the ground some of the residents think differently about the situation. We began to speak to a Koulibali from the Ivory Coast about the situation, he was a freelance journalist and was living in Hamburg, visiting friends in Riace. A very conf ident guy who was happy to talk freely about his journey.

1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-37289713 last accessed on 26/11/16

This was really interesting to hear as he had had a diff icult time f inding his feet in Europe, visiting many different countries, to f inally settle in Hamburg.

A large group of migrants are currently living in a converted hotel in Riace Marina (opposite) which served as temporary accommodation for the residents.

This is located on the major road route on the way up the coast towards Cantanzaro. We met him there with an idea of seeing into one of his friends rooms, but his friend was out.

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The schemes introduced do create some form of integration such as the weaving school and the ability to send children to the local school. However they seem at a level that could do with some improvement.

Basic conditions are being met by providing housing and shelter for the migrant community but in many cases this is where the support then f inishes.

Therefore missing the crucial stage of integration into the existing community around them.

Above are two photographs sent to me by Florian Siegel a volunteer with the local NGO who is based out in Italy working on these types of integration

projects (more to follow later), on the left a van delivery of African food and on the right the currency in which they use to purchase such food. ‘NO RAZZISMO’ is printed on the notes meaning ‘NO TO RACISM’. However this is clearly being racist in the very nature it is presenting the currency to only be used by migrants.

Riace is full of these contrasts and although it is leading the f ield in this type of intervention the model still has a lot of improvements to be made.

Efforts have been made in other villages to adopt a similar model to varying success.

In some cases the host community in Riace has come under scrutiny from the local Maf ia. The ‘Ndràngheta have reacted violently in some cases shooting at the mayors door in protest of losing their control of the area. This in the mayors eyes proves he is being successful at the project he has set up.

Thoughts and observations Riace is of particular note as being the initial adopter of the integration of the migrant to a rural hill side town in Italy. The opportunity spotted by the local mayor has been pioneering, and is not a new phenomenon the Greeks previously had undertaken similar journeys and so the welcoming nature of the mayor is an age old idea that has been consistent for centuries.

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Riace as a case study is very relevant to the current brief. It includes refugees into a society that could of fallen apart and would then have become a derelict village, like other Italian villages in the region. The injection of these inhabitants has been attempted by the mayor, and in being the f irst to attempt this scheme it has caused a lot of media attention and popularity.

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R i ac e s ummar y

A ma n t e a a n d B e lm o n t e Site introduction Having visited a range of differing scenarios before arriving to the immediate site area we visited one of the local ‘centres’ or ‘camps’ before getting to the main site. This was mainly for logistical reasons.

AMANTEA Proximity of the town of Amantea to Belmonte Calabro

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The town of amantea

The local town is lively and is a centre for many of the surrounding towns. The town is also a host to a group of refugees living in an old hotel. There are a range of different options when you become a refugee once you have arrived. These will be covered on the next page.

Amantea has many of the typical characteristics a coastal Italian town of this size has. A small train station a major road passing through it, with the beach then next to the main through road. The town is laid out in a hap hazard

manner with varying styles and street layouts. This creates an interesting and sometimes confusing street layout.

These towns are becoming homes for the majority of the migrants crossing the Mediterranean. Although these towns often act as stepping stones for the refugee community they can often be living there sometimes up to 3 years, whilst waiting for papers, to be able to progress on.

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A ma n t e a t o w n s cap e a n d la y o ut

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As a refugee the town of Amantea may not be the desired location when leaving their home country, however often these towns are becoming involved in the process of movement and are having to adapt. Amantea is a typical town where this is happening.

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Thoughts and observations

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Arriving here from our f irst port of call we managed to go straight to the centre or camp which is the image on the left, an old hotel. This hotel is a residence for the migrant community. There are approximately 300 inhabitants from many different countries.

There are 4 different types of housing when you arrive as a migrant to Italy. These are the off icial channels of dwelling that you are more than likely to experience.

Cas - Emergency centre government funded (e.g.

Amantea centre) association approaches hotel owner and then they can be housed there. Can easily get closed down as they are often small and not well managed. They are not obliged to give more service than shelter. Specif ic under 18 application €45 per person if under 18. If they have small numbers they struggle.

Cara - Very negative, Maf ia style people smuggling business (Extremely prof itable) 1800 people. €35 per day per person. Government indirectly supporting it by funding individual refugees who then pay to stay in such locations.

Cie - Prison type accommodation model. People in Italy are unaware of this model and want to know what’s going on.

Generally these 4 models are found throughout Italy, but take these forms. There may be some more informal arrangements but the majority of the refugees living in Italy awaiting papers and documents are living in these ways.

Thoughts and observations Legislation governs what everyone can do, but for the refugee this is even more restrictive. The country they are fleeing from is often in a very bad situation. However in some cases some people are fleeing for more opportunities.

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Beginning with the process of arrival the migrants are processed and they then are allocated to go to a specif ic region in Italy. Each region has different amounts of migrants it takes and they often tend to be in the Southern parts of the country. This is for various reasons but mainly as they are most accepting and the various political authorities are more willing to give refuge to the migrants.

Spra - Government housing allocation (Eg. Riace village) Seems the best model. First month emergency housing, then open up village to help those people.

Only a few municipalities applied. Less than half applied to take this model. The refugee can def ine what type of area they go to.

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A ma n t e a s ummar y

Wa i t i n g o n pap e r s a n d t h e s e t up

Documentation is the single most important asset to the refugee, at this stage in their journey.

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The majority of refugees when arriving in Italy are waiting for papers to then progress on toward other things, such as bigger cities with the potential for more jobs and money.

Beginning to put a matters of concern plan into sketch books the brief for the project began to take form.

Staying at Rita’s house we were introduced to the project in a very loose and free way, over food. La Revoluzione del Sieppe (The revolution of the

squid). Is an NGO that was set up by a group of CASS students. The objective was to try and bridge the gap between the local Italian community and the newly arriving refugee community. This had previously been achieved by various workshops over the summer and activities set up in the local towns and villages.

The project was to start researching and f inding new ways of integrating both sides of the community together, in a productive way.

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B E L M ON T E C A L A B R O The area is built up in 3 distinct parts. On the coast is the Marina, then the old town followed by the new town and dispersed around are the fractions

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BELMONTE INTRODUCTION

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are relatively remote but connected with bus transport links. The region is generally a low income area, and at f irst impressions it could seem like a developing country.

However previous history in the region has shown that it is was once very prosperous with a range of industry and skills.

Thoughts and observations The section from the sea to the hill frazioni’s has a typical layout to a Southern coastal Italian town. The region however is particularly low in income and job opportunities are low if not non existent. The region is in desperate need of an incentive and purpose, as all the residents are very passionate about what they are doing!

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Belmonte Calabro is a region within Calabria, it is made up of a collection of towns and small villages. Travelling from the sea inland, the Marina is the f irst town you will travel through, then moving up the one two way minor road you arrive at the Old town, perched on the edge of a rocky outcrop. Travelling on a small road you then pass into the new town, further on from this you have the frazioni. These are satellite villages, that

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BELMONTE CALABRO SITE

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would be a small intervention, perhaps an exhibition or music performance and then over time a phased style of development would benef it the entire community. If the proposed intervention was a f inal building, within this context it would struggle as it is such a social and political issue, it needs to be approached from a social stance and a permanent rigid built form is not a solution in this instance.

Thoughts and observations The Old town immediately drew my attention as it seems that it is almost marooned in between two inhabited areas. This resource could be developed on, as many of the locals admire and cherish the Old town for its beauty and charm Architecturally.

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The application of an intervention on the site initially seemed detached from the current situation. Amantea, hosting the refugees and a bustling town seemed the more natural area to locate the project, however with further investigation it became apparent where the potential gaps and areas could be improved or enhanced. The proposal needs to be centred around the local people f irst and then with the refugees second. The start of the project

Meeting Jo and Samuel on the beach as ex pats from the UK, having moved to Calabria originally on a sabbatical they then continued to stay out there and have brought a family up. They enjoy the life but there is a limited number of jobs to do, they live in Longobardi, a town with a very similar layout to Belmonte. There main concern was in leaving the EU what implications does that have on them, as residents in Italy.

Talking with Paula and Stefano, Paula mentioned how different farms, have refugees arriving and farmers say they don’t have jobs for themselves. Young people are also losing interest and are leaving the area. The

Conversazione al Bar. The immigration minster made it very clear that the region had plans to develop some connections in this area with funding of €30.000.

He wanted to merge some regions and make them into a single area, in this way perhaps it would make it more manageable and quicker to get things done.

Conversation with Jane alongside the mayor.

The current system is not working in regard to the refugees being welcomed and money is being wasted, by spending money on projects that are not helping the local area at all. Money is being spent in areas without any thought, for example a scheme to improve the existing infrastructure of the water mills to improve tourism, however they are hugely detached from the town and not involved socially at any stage

Thoughts and observations Often such situations need to be addressed quickly, and in some of these cases this has been done and money has been spent on projects. However these projects may struggle to engage the various aspects of the community it was appealing towards.

This is crucial to the success of the project. Socially if the proposed project does not work then it will struggle to exist in a harsh political climate.

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A few conversations that stood out.

Architectural heritage is also being abandoned and falling into disrepair, this is something that should be preserved and enjoyed as part of their town.

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Conversations began with different people who use Belmonte Calabro, these conversations have led to many alleyways that once pursued, seem to lead nowhere. However in some cases they have proven to be useful, and perhaps provided leadings on to other parts that may be developed, to form the brief.

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Sketching exercise

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To interpret the area on a quick and informal way did a series of sketches from memory. Picking out highlights of a walk we did earlier in the day we sketched specif ic moments from memory. This exercise proved interesting as we often remembered parts of the site that we were in that you would not think you would remember. For example noticing how many windows were outside one of the balconies on a street frontage.

We did this exercise with one of the guys from the centre it was great, to see how each of us observed where we were and how we would represent that in either 5 seconds, 10 seconds, a minute or 5 minutes. Giving more time often made the sketch less immersive in my case and the shorter timed sketches captured more of an atmosphere.

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Main opening to the church square

Breaking the site down into more manageable chunks, building typologies started to become more clear. This is the main entrance square to the Old town. Often the main entrance points had this open nature and feel to them. Creating a wide and approachable entrance.

The approaches were often characterised by either civic buildings or large buildings with a range of uses, for instance in the western edge of the town there are a range of buildings when you begin to enter into the Old town. These were public buildings, a church, a derelict and a privately owned Aristocratic building that would of employed some of the community when functioning.

These main entrance ways characterised the Old town, it then breaks off into a series of narrow pathways with a few squares breaking the hap hazard nature of the pathways.

The town was once surrounded by a large wall and this kept all the structures conf ined to a small footprint, so the buildings are often tall, some 8 storeys.

Materials for the traditional buildings are mainly locally sourced, concrete a later addition is seen to extend the existing structure. A form of concrete was also made by heating rocks up and then melding them together and then creating a powder, which in the towns early years formed some of the structures.

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Ol d t o w n

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Thoughts and observations The Old Town has a range of conditions of buildings, some are in a very bad state of condition with others currently occupied and in good tenure. The town has a very informal feel to building and has been added to over time with very little consideration to planning and layout. A mix of materials from modern day to old creates a great visual affect with an interesting architectural composition.

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Traditional buildings fishing dwellings

The Southern edge of the village was previously occupied by local f ishermen. They would f ish down at the bottom of the valley, in the sea and then make there way up to the edge of the hill, in the old town. These traditional structures often had agricultural uses to them too, storing grains or processing olives they would have a mixed use. The current uses for these buildings is either holiday rental houses for tourists or some are occupied but they tend to be seasonally active. Becoming more inhabited during the summer months. The small holes on the exterior of the building were placed to be used as a scaffolding support system as the builder would ascend the building whilst constructing it. Rendered in a pastel type colour they ref lect the surrounding landscape.

In the present day there seems to be some differences between the Southern part of the town and the Northern.

This was made clear when we went to a ‘festa’ in the Southern part of the square and some of the inhabitants of the North part of the Old town did not attend. These structures were built on the Southerly most tip of the village, and shaded the internal courtyards on the inside.

Controlling the sun as it gets very hot during the summer months, also being made from stone and rock, the houses would take a long time to heat up and cool down. Perfect to maintain a constant pleasant temperature in this climate.

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Ol d t o w n - f i s h i n g v i llag e

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Thoughts and observations Structures of this age seem to be typical in many of Italy’s Southern regions. The material choices and positioning of the buildings in relation to the sun at first seem a coincidence but with further investigation there is a tendency to position tall elevations interrupting the sun path.

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Concrete frame = modern lifestyle

Belmonte Marina as it is informally known is next to the coast. The more modern structures hugging the coast line has a long pattern in history. Originally the main trade route along the Western edge of Calabria. The town developed after the war and many Italian families wanted to chase the American metropolitan dream. This was achieved by living near to the coast and having transport links to and from the bigger cities.

This led to a fast method of construction with an open

layout between streets. The majority of these houses are now viewed as the most desirable locations for Calabrian people. Often they have a mixed use of a shop, store, restaurant or factory below them.

The Marina, does not actually have a marina as you would assume but a small collection of boats are kept at the end of the beach front. The Marina is characterised by the transport links f lowing through it, to and from Cosenza and Lamezia.

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M ar i n a

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The spread out nature of the Marina gives the town a very different feel to the tow other areas in the site. A suburban quality is felt, where a range of different people live but may not interact as much as if they were living in a more traditionally laid out village setting.

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Thoughts and observations

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R u r a l v i l l a g e s s c a tt e r i n g t h e v a l l e y

Vadi, this small collection of houses and agricultural buildings has a very detached and separate character to all the other areas previously mentioned. The pace of life here is very slow, with farming being the main activity.

Walking up the valley it was clear that many of the buildings in these small hamlets (fractions) out here had not been occupied for a long time. Often the rural nature of these villages has deterred any potential residents from moving there, and a high number of people move away

from these towns to f ind more opportunities elsewhere.

In larger towns or cities. The transport links are very limited with small tar mac roads being the only method of access. A bus service is thought to serve them but this was rarely seen running.

These villages continue to run in a traditional manner, but in modern times they have become a different entity with what seems to be a model that is becoming extinct, as many of the residents are either passing away or leaving.

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Surr o u n d i n g v i llag e s ( f ra z i o n i )

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These towns sadly are becoming removed from the modern world, mentalities are changing and traditions are being lost such as the basket weaving skill found in some nearby villages.

These towns are faced with a crisis where they may need to reinvent themselves very quickly before they become entirely vacant and extinct.

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Thoughts and observations

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1. Typical concrete framed apartment block in the Marina

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2. The Old Towns ad hoc and informal building layout

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3. Unusual new housing developments in the outer fringes of Belmonte

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Physical summary

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From the sea to the hill top towns there is a vast difference in character. Building styles change and layout is always adjusting to f it to its environment. This is evident in comparing the Old town to the Marina. Stand alone buildings in the marina characterise the area and in contrast the Old town has a very cramped and developed feel. Buildings are lose together and are of varying styles.

The difference in physical form and cultural identity make it a very interesting site. Culturally the area is also seeing a large amount of refugees arriving from across the Mediterranean. Migration has been happening for centuries but there is now a need and an opportunity to combine the local people and the existing community.

The event was set up at a cafe/bar during our visit to Calabria.

A range of the community were invited and all different people turned up. This was to begin a conversation between us, the refugees and the various people living and governing Belmonte Calabro.

The event was well attended with maybe 40 people. The mayor and some off icials from the town hall were present, along with the EU immigration off icer for the region. The conversation was noted down as follows.

Immigration guy is writing the current Calabria hospitality programme. The movement of immigrants not planned and is like disintegration.

Matching skills in different areas, that can be only seasonal, but could be supplemented with ICT or something?

Example, group of people formed to look after the people that have arrived, give support.

Belmonte mayor assistant - if we want to go into agriculture, what type of territory needs what. Ref lect needs of what is needed where? Water issues, typology, types of product etc.

Water issue - bad organised, creation of new sources of water.

Make hybrid skills, farming with computer skills.

Two types of irrigation, f lowing water lose 70% because of f low. New system makes you not lose 70%.

EU guy - Plan of region - join 2 municipalities, maybe split up by a road. Potential to develop the good and bad characteristics.

Project to be able to re discover traditions

Mario - another big resource with tourism is agriculture.

Tomato is special to Belmonte. Attraction to see those specif ic products. Agro tourism.

Mediator - looking to employ to help with social conf licts Do it before April, prepare the towns

Mayor and assistant - tomato is never as good as it is was In Santa Barbara donated in 13th century

120m € to invest in Calabria. Mix of projects, schools, universities, housing.

Paula - 2 things.

2. Architectural heritage is being abandoned and Could you give these spaces to us to help us work through these ideas (mayor)?

Two lines, humanitarian corridors 500 people, 1. Schooled from primary school to secondary.

Mayor - missing element. Give services in territory

2. Take 250 over 18 opportunity to study at uni, bursary given, then option given to stay in Italy or go back to home country.

3. Buildings in different areas, that are owned by Maf ia that are now seized. Then used as a cooperative.

Experiments done, but now frozen and not good, locals react in a different way. Need to be able to build community and family where the new people go to live, otherwise it doesn’t work.

European Commission - Why poorest region are offering so much resource for someone who is not local?

Create a plan to educate locals to be part of the project, long term process

How does Belmonte be competitive? €3 per kg for tomato €.99 per kg Precious - thank you, hope we can change the ideas. Sees a future for Belmonte. Happy for the conversation to happen.

EU guy - Important job that we are doing, it’s like taking a picture of something from his point of view. Focus on the picture if we use photographic idea. Making some areas alive, children screaming, clothes on the line...

Re study potential. Eg. Contradiction of the region. 100km of shore line, but smallest amount of f ishing import 70%. Be inventive with resources reopen the f inding industry.

Thoughts and observations These conversations, were for me the starter of the project. Especially words from the EU immigration guy, as it shows how there are areas that have funding and have no plan.

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Create diplomatic links between countries

1. Different farms, refugees arriving and farmers say they don’t have jobs. Losing interest and young people

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C o n v e r s at i o n s at t h e bar

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Projects always start with a conversation, in this situation this is more present than ever. The local photographer started these discussions by pointing out the wealth of history and culture currently in the region.

The regions people are very proud of the area in which they live, the general feel is that they all want the best for the area but nobody has a solution that will please everyone. The main issue for all of the different people is that they don’t have jobs. This was made clear when talking to different people in these cultural engagements.

The cultural activity we did with the local school in the new town in Belmonte was brilliant, the school children were at f irst quite timid to meet the refugee guys but after some time they started talking to each other and some common ground was found between them. Often this was with sport or technology.

Conversations in the lecture hall started to inform the brief for our projects and gave us ideas that we could take away and consider.

Thoughts and observations Jobs seem to be the main problem, a large amount of people leave the area to go to cities and other surrounding towns creating a fall in the population. The cultural activities we did highlighted the needs of the residents and users of Belmonte Calabro.

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Meeting the mayor in the town hall / municipality building was also an interesting experience. The mayor seemed passive in the situation and maybe not fully engaged with the situation but the it is inevitable that the refugee presence will be felt in the towns that he is mayor for. Paulo tried to provoke him slightly when asking if we (the students) could have a space set aside for our projects or ideas. The reception of this idea was not taken fully into consideration and was slightly brushed off. Attending all of these activities with a small number of the refugee guys from the centre in Amantea also put a lot of it into perspective, as they were the people that would be directly affected by these decisions.

Visiting the areas largest employer was an eye opening experience, a f ig factory in the Marina. This factory employed approximately 60 people and no longer used f igs from the local area. This came as a shock as the region used to grow f igs locally and they were then processed in the factory, but now they are not grown locally they are imported processed and then sent out. This is also a seasonal activity for 4 months of the year.

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C ultural e n gag e m e n t s

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Belmonte Calabro at f irst seems a very picturesque, successful and vibrant collection of villages, but underneath the initial impression there is an unstable and fragile collection of villages that are struggling to exist in an ever changing modern world. Previously the area was a very popular place to live and work.

This has changed somewhat with modern lifestyles and demands for jobs in urban locations.

The topography in the region also shapes the relationships between settlements. This is typical to the province of Calabria and so in approaching this layout of settlement a system could be proposed to combat a wider situation.

The town has grown informally over time and has not been governed by conventional methods of planning as we know it in the UK. This has been monumental and stunted the areas progress. Sadly the area now lacks a purpose and needs to be approached sensitively, beginning with the locals.

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The area has many positives and if approached correctly with an innovative solution backed by all the stakeholders on the site then there is potential for the project to be successful. There have been aspects of previous case studies, such as Riace and Aqua Formosa (a hill top village integrating refugees in a similar manner to Riace).

Environmentally the region experiences a consistent weather pattern from the Mediterranean sea. This climate has helped with agriculture over the regions development. EU regulations on crop management and farming on a mass scale has made the region unproductive in its existing farming techniques and methods.

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B e lm o n t e C alabr o s ummar y

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Y o utub e s tu d y tr i p v i d e o

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Making a short video clip was great to capture different feel of the site. Photographs can so often be lost with there two dimensional and static feel. Making a series of approx 4 second videos and merging them together, created a quick visual interpretation of the site, and surrounding areas.

This was played before our interim crit and seemed to be enjoyed!

Thoughts and observations Trying to capture the mood and feel of the site in this situation is difficult using video gave another element to the development of my brief and proposal.

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Click here for Youtube video (opens in web browser)

Calabria Project South Italy

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B r i e f & I n tr o d uct i o n

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information are encouraged in the brief and look like they will be challenging!

Focusing on industry, the research tended to be looking at regional maps and f inding what they used to do and what they currently do. Looking through books and photographs the character of the town started to become more familiar.

This research could of been drawn in a better way, but as we were going about putting it together, we were also focusing on our London projects which made the Calabria research suffer, slightly.

A great decision was made to represent the drawings at a range of scales all involving 5. 1:50,000 down to 1:50 these were printed off and taken with us to Italy.

Alternative methods of drawing and representing

Thoughts and observations The brief seems a little underdeveloped but this seems intentional as we could then interpret it in any way that we could like creating our own project from our own research.

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This brief was set prior to arriving in Calabria this was good as we could start to work on the brief before we arrived in Calabria. However as it was collaborative research some areas that we wanted to look into didn’t get researched as different members of the group split up and worked on different parts of the project.

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L e ctur e

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W h o car e s s e r i e s - e x pl o r i n g h uma n i tar i a n i s m

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Sachibondu Hospital project. She gave an introduction on how Orkidstudio work and I gave an example of volunteering on one of their projects. This was alongside a lady called Sof ia de Sousa who describes her work as ‘a London-based charity working to connect designers with people in to order to make great places a reality for everyone.’ The series has been brilliant so far and there are still a few more to go!

Thoughts and observations Conversation seems to be the beginning to many different projects and bring about change, this lecture series provides a platform in which people can become part of this.

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The lecture series from last year has been carried forward to this year by Corina, the lecture series is a great way of creating a discussion between different Architects and professionals that work in the built environment. The presentations can sometimes be a little bit dull, however the following discussion is always very passionate and thought provoking. I was also approached to talk about my time volunteering last summer, in Zambia. Working with Orkidstudio, this was alongside Anna Webster who also works for Orkidstudio but didn’t come on the

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Arriving back from Calabria we were faced with a mountain of information and research that needed processing. Gathering all of this was diff icult and making it apply to the proposed ideas is going to be even more diff icult. Placing all the information on the table made it evident how much information was available and obtained.

Developing a brief at this stage seems impossible as there is such a range of information but getting a lot of information and ideas to begin with helps on focusing the idea. The main conclusions I made from these conversations was that the project has to start with the locals f irst and create a viable sense of employment for them and then consider the refugee population.

Thoughts and observations Trying to focus down onto an area of interest feels difficult but in attempting it, you work out to see if it is a potential idea.

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Annotated maps and plans were key to developing our briefs, one from the school workshop was also brilliant. Children drew and wrote what there favourite place was and what there favourite memory of that place was on the image on the left you can see how there was a range of different things that they drew. This again started to formulate our briefs.

Particularly interesting was the images of technology and music, these themes I would like to bring together in Belmonte.

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B r i e f & I n tr o d uct i o n

IMAGES | Film screen shots

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F i r e at S e a ( F i lm )

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ad hoc manner.

A brief insight into a local Italian boys life was threaded very sensitively throughout the f ilm. It then was made very clear where the paths of the refugee crossed local residents. This was mainly shown when two children were interacting with parts of the migration process. Often in an immature and

Extended scenes with no cuts proved the most hard hitting in the f ilm, where the same scene was f ilmed created a hard hitting and personal relationship with the subjects f ilmed.

The f ilm also offers a rare glimpse into the method and processing of a large amount of people arriving to Italy. This has shown that these people are often treated poorly as they are seen to be part of a never ending stream of immigrants.

Thoughts and observations A concise film that questions and exposes many aspects of the migration process, this also humanizes the process which creates a personal relationship with the subjects, that is rarely seen in other films of this style.

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Throughout the project different elements and ways of representing this crisis were considered. This f ilm was brilliant, the scenes within it were so well captured and the tension and anxiety associated with a migrant was particularly well thought through. Set in Southern Italy the f ilm has few words and is in a documentary style format.

C A L A B R I A WI T HIN T HE M EDI T E R R A NE A N

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Province of Calabria Calabria is said to be on the toe of the boot at the foot of Italy. It has a relatively low density and the area is quite arid as well as hot. There are three main cities, Reggio Calabria, Lamezia Terme and Cosenza. The region is south from the popular holiday destination of the Amalf i coast and North of Sicily.

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C A L A B R I A ’ S T O P O G R A P HY

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Topography The Calabrian arc plate has tectonically formed this mountain ridge that runs through all of the region, coastal f lat lands with mountainous interiors is a seem through all of the region. Calabria sees many earthquakes and is in a volcanically active area, with volcanoes on Sicily being relatively active.

P o pulat i o n c h a n g e

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Key Percentage Population change

The general trend is that the population is declining and coastal areas are some of the hardest affected

-5% / year -2% / year -1.5% / year -1% / year -0.5% / year 0% / year 1% / year 1.5% / year 2% / year 2.5% / year 3% / year 4% / year 5% / year 10% / year 15% / year 20% / year 30 % / year Undef ined

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P o pulat i o n c h a n g e

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Age 65+

The Northern areas have more of an elderly population, with a younger population located in the South.

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Belmonte Calabro can be categorised as a collection of villages and settlements along a coastal strip in the ‘boot’ of Italy. Above are a few of the building types that you see whilst walking along the strip from the coastline to the hill top villages.

Interestingly, the differing building types are very close together and there is a signif icant difference between them.

A view from the sea up towards the hill top villages, gives a sense of the landscape in which we are working within. This landscape is geologically active with various fault lines and volcanic activity becoming a day to day part of life.

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E x h i b i t i o n - M ap s a n d t h e 2 0 t h c e n tur y : d ra w i n g t h e l i n e

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The exhibition had so many ways of representing information, from traditional cartography to digital mapping with GPS systems all different types of representation were put together. A very clear theme was that all the maps had a political position, stance and reason. These maps were often created at times

of un rest or when political decisions had been made and needed representing. A shocking example of this is an American tourist map of Hiroshima 2 years after they had detonated the atomic bomb The exhibition showcased some of the best ways of representing ideas and this topographical map above I would like to try and re create in our modelling month.

1 http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/illustration/seemaps-of-war-social-movement-middle-earth-from-british-librarysnew-exhibition/

Thoughts and observations Drawing from these ideas I would like to create a simple migration map of a few different refugees coming from different parts of the world. I would draw these quite abstractly to be able to communicate feelings and emotions in the path of migration.

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This exhibition on at the British library was brilliant at showing information clearly in a map form. The map above 1 is of the trenches in the second World War. They are highly detailed and cut by hand, they were also marked with red lines to mark out where the enemies trenches were. This was to help the war effort.

ABOVE | Screen shots from Bamako Film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKrGJRv1_ BY&t=3252s

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F i lm : B ama k o

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asylum seekers from developing countries. Calabria is one of those locations that can be seen in this way at times. The refugee is put into a situation that they are not fully aware of what is happening, this makes it very diff icult for them to progress there application to then move on to a city. They are often caught in a waiting game for papers and documents.

The global off icials being part of the dynamic of the day to day life creates a very diff icult situation at times. The f ilm tends to highlight how developing nations are mistreated and how they also become targets for international blame.

Themes in these court cases are often seen in European cities when considering the mass migration and

Thoughts and observations Bamako just highlights some of the hardships that a large proportion of the worlds population is going through. This detachment is no longer so far detached, people from all around the world are seeking refuge in our communities. This is a positive thing and should be approached in a positive way. However with continuing prejudices in modern day Europe, the continent is becoming less welcoming than it should be, as these roles can easily be reversed.

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Set in Mali the f ilm depicts a court trial where two sides argue if the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are guided by special interest of developed nations, or if it is an issue held with the specif ic country and its internal mismanagement.

The f ilm is set in a courtyard arrangement with the continuing on goings of the day to day life in Bamako, the capital of Mali.

Site 1 Castello The castello ‘castle’ was a site of particular interest for many reasons. Firstly the Old Town in Belmonte is an underused resource in between two more active settlements, (the Marina and the New Town). The majority of the Old Town is either derelict, abandoned or seasonally used. The majority of the occupied buildings are located at the entrance points to the Old Town, and the Castle is located at the side of one of the main

entrance points to the town.

The Castle was previously used as a site for an intervention where acting and small scale exhibitions had been held.

The site is abandoned and is in poor condition, and the locals think of it as the main point of The Old Town. It is also located on the North facing slope, which benef its the programme that I am proposing later on.

Actors on si te

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These 4 actors initially on the site will help me to develop the brief. Paulo and Stefano (Top left) currently run a small tourist accommodation venue and they also have a direct involvement with the community, living there permanently. (Top right) Franco a local photographer has a vast collection of the areas photographic history.

He would be involved at the initial stages of the project.

Helping to develop the brief it would have to be phased over time as a direct building has been proven to not

work, an example of this is the renovation of a water mill near to the Marina. The main reason why it failed to be part of the community was how it was detached from the community in its conception.

The mayor would also need to be involved (Bottom left) as he would be crucial to develop various funds and frameworks that are currently being proposed by the EU. Meeting the EU minister for Calabria it was clear there was funding available for a small scale intervention.

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Area for intervention

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Proposing a phased system over a short period of time was going to be crucial to this project being successful. Starting with Franco an exhibition

to commemorate the Old Town and its history would be had, a celebration of culture, music and the general area would be had with all members of the community. Then a programme led by locals of developing existing buildings whilst teaching refugees skills that they could then carry on to there f inal destination is introduced. The proposal then becomes more radical with links down to the Marina with a cable car type system, with EU funding. The agricultural traditions of the area will be capitalised on with a Lavender farm.

Thoughts and observations Ideas were quickly generated and tested on the site, at a very loose and free level. The majority of these ideas would need significant backing but initially it is important that a small amount of capital is needed to start this kind of project.

Then when successful further funding would be easier to achieve.

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Choosing the site initially was a very rushed process, as within one day we had to have an idea of where we want to survey and develop our ideas. The Castle seemed to be an interesting part of the Old town to investigate. Finding that the castle had a steep bank leading down to the road made it an even more interesting proposition.

Surveying

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Measuring up this site was diff icult, an open area with little reference points made it hard to survey in the traditional way. Using a laser measurer it was slightly easier but a lot of distances had to be estimated. The site also had a steep level change, this would not be ideal for building large buildings but small scale interventions it would be f ine.

Sensitivity in this site is essential, as it is the oldest building in the Old Town. So no intervention would actually be directly associated to the existing structure of the Castle, it would only act as a parasitic type structure, using the site as an exhibition and gathering space.

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The Old Town’s ruined Castle

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The steep gradient on the site conf ines where you are able to build. The level ground is quite limited but as the level ground is on the lowest part of the site makes access easy and the approach is using an existing walkway.

The site is also very over grown with trees and vegetation, this would not be moved as the proposal doesn’t go too far up the steep gradient.

The views down towards the marina town and out over the Mediterranean sea are brilliant and this would act as a perfect location for the initial stages of the proposal.

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1:500 model

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This acted as a turning point in the development of my project. Questions of the site being too culturally sensitive to build on were raised, there are many more locations with a similar layout and location, but just without the castle typology on them.

work up for the end of term review.

However testing these different ideas in different locations has shown how they can be limited by the topography. The hilly nature of the site is a lot more restraining than what is observed when visiting the Old Town.

This became increasingly evident when pinning the

Thoughts and observations Issues with the location of the site have arisen a few times and I have tried to deal with these in a sensitive manner, however there are more opportunities in other areas of the Old Town. These areas could give me a better project that could become a reality at some stage. So these issues are beneficial to have at this stage and not further down the line

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Modelling the site quickly showed that the site was more conf ined than initially expected, and the f irst phase of the proposal would have to be a lot smaller than originally thought.

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TOP LEFT AND RIGHT | Indian miniatures BELOW LEFT AND RIGHT | Joseph Cornell’s boxes RIGHT | Model of Calabrian memories

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Indian miniature vs Cornell box

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The group were encouraged to represent their ideas in different ways, the idea of a f lat perspective from the Indian series of books previously mentioned was continued. Looking at Joseph Cornell helped to develop this idea further, making a small model with items found in the area, a representation of our trip was put into a small box. When talking about the area it is sometimes easier to represent it in other ways other than the traditional

plan, section, elevation and series of photographs. These methods often create a blank and two dimensional image that may not represent the environment that is trying to be shown.

Thoughts and observations Traditional methods of drawing are always needed to show certain aspects within Architecture, but alternative methods are also needed to communicate different feelings.

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Sketch proposals

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Sketching over in wireframe a proposal was roughly put together with bold ideas that would be phased over time. Having some fun and being radical, left the ideas open to criticism. This was benef icial but can also be slightly degrading, when a lot of work is shown and then lots of the ideas are not fully considered because the site is not quite to the critiques liking!

This is a good discussion to be having now and not in April, where it would be a lot of work to correct. The proposals seemingly radical will be phased in over time and so will not seem like a huge intervention, more of a progression from the previous idea.

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Crit pre Xmas

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Comments were also mentioned that the majority of the people represented in my drawings were men around the

same age as me. This may seem a narrow minded point of view but generally the only refugees we saw whilst in Italy were around my age and the majority male. There were other positive comments on printing everything out big but then that also left me exposed to lots of comments.

All comments were positive and gave me lots of areas to think about.

The main area that was not represented was the journey of the refugees to the area, which needs developing to further understand the situation we are working in

Thoughts and observations Crits are great, ideas are encouraged but occasionally they can feel a bit like a step backward in the development of your project, but to progress the idea in the best way its crucial that some roads lead to nowhere (metaphorically speaking). This will create a more well rounded project in the long run.

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Adding and re-purposing are two main themes that carry throughout the project, where an Old town lays vacant, knocking down buildings is not the best approach and only costs more money and is not the best way to progress a sensitive topic. This was shown in the review however the general idea was approved but just not in the current site. There are many other areas that could be developed and in choosing the castle site it was commented that it was limiting my ideas.

Home

Dessert crossing 1 month

TIMELINE

Agadez town 2 weeks

Tripoli 2 weeks / 3 years?

Boat 48 h

Permanent

1. Abuja, Nigeria

2. Tenere desert, Niger

3. Agadez, Niger

4. Tripoli, Libya

5. The crossing, Me

Street

Road

The ‘Safe’ House

Embarking

The boat

Lacking ambition, dwellings, garden

Solitary, hot, dry, uncomfortable , arid

Hidden, secluded, detached

Cold, unprepared, lack of direction

Cold, wet, cramped, windy

Opportunity and belonging

Survival and thirst

Certainty and worry

Escape and safety

Apprehension and relief

Meeting like minded people and hearing about other friends who have made the journey, successfully.

Travel across desert with a range of transports, not knowing what exactly is going on.

Meeting the ‘Agent’ to continue the journey further, illegally. Staying in a village not sure when you are able to depart.

Forced to work in Tripoli and attempt to save money to pay for the crossing, then you run from the work. A smaller boat then takes you out to a larger boat to begin the crossing.

Nervously travelling across in a boat.

TIMELINE Key 24 hours

Resources •

1 week

•

Needs

Energy

•

Belonging

Skills

•

Acceptance

1 month

138

?

Unkown

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The Journey Experience : Crossing Africa - Crossing the sea

Amantea, Italy - CAS emergency centre, Unknown time 3 months to 3 years

Rome, Unknown 1 week or 1 year

?

?

1. Amantea

TIMELINE

Train travel 72 hours

Hamburg suburb

?

2. Rome, Suburb

3. Train to Germany

4. Hamburg

Old hotel, The ‘Centre’ or ‘Camp’

A friends house

The last leg

Shared house

Boredom, worthlessness, dependency, loneliness

Homeliness, welcoming, acceptance, homesick

Worried, lost, fear,

Occasional employment, Success, Controlled by system, racism, unwelcome

Boredom and solitude

Excitement

Opportunity

Worry

Waiting for documents to continue journey, takes a long time in some cases to process them.

Potential for moving on seems closer, once papers have been obtained. Staying in a friends house, makes the process quicker.

The beginning of a new life seems in sight. Many unknowns are still to come.

Sharing a house in a suburb in Hamburg with a group of migrants, you search for work but prospects are informal and sporadic.

Money earned is spent to live and also sent back home

4.

Resources • •

TIMELINE Key

Needs

Flexibility Skills

•

To f it in

•

Acceptance

•

Happiness

3.

24 hours

?

Unkown

2.

The future - Ambition : Italy - Germany

1.

TIMELINE

Tripoli 2 weeks / 3 years?

Boat 48 hours

Arrival in Italy 2 weeks

Transferral 3 years +

?

4. Tripoli, Libya

6. Pozzallo, Italy

5. The crossing, Mediterranean sea

7. Amantea, Calabria, Italy

Embarking

The boat

Arrival port

Transferral, The Hotel waiting game

Cold, unprepared, lack of direction

Cold, wet, cramped, windy

Apprehensive, excited, lack of identity

Unkown destination, desire for progress, boredom, skills available but not used

Escape and safety

Apprehension and relief

Fear and unknown

Awareness and problems

Forced to work in Tripoli and attempt to save money to pay for the crossing, then you run from the work. A smaller boat then takes you out to a larger boat to begin the crossing.

Nervously travelling across in a boat.

Processing and allocation to the area that you will be sent.

Most likely Southern Italy. Skills are ignored!

Transferral to Italian host town / city. An unknown wait for papers and documents to continue the journey. Skills available but not used!

7.

Resources • •

6.

5.

4.

Needs

Energy

•

Belonging

Skills

•

Acceptance

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Interim Portfolio hand in

3.

2.

1.

The interim hand in, is very much at an interim stage in the design process. This was reflected in what was submitted. Including everything that I have drawn this year may not have been a worthwhile process as it distracted the critiques away from the main idea.

This idea has not been fully represented in the portfolio and personally feel a bit disappointed with the way that I have represented some of the ideas.

A lot of the drawings were not opinionated and had a blank feel to them, which can be worked on, but the ideas still feel in their infancy. Representing such complex stories and ideas is difficult and trying to form a project out of these ideas feels even harder!

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Thoughts and observations

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140

Site 2 Piazza del Giudice, Chisea del Purgatorio and an Old Aristocratic building The castello ‘castle’ was a site of particular interest for many reasons. Firstly the Old Town in Belmonte is an underused resource in between two more active settlements, (the Marina and the New Town). The majority of the Old Town is either derelict, abandoned or seasonally used. The majority of the occupied buildings are located at the entrance points to the Old Town, and the Castle is located at the side of one of the main

entrance points to the town.

The Castle was previously used as a site for an intervention where acting and small scale exhibitions had been held.

The site is abandoned and is in poor condition, and the locals think of it as the main point of The Old Town. It is also located on the North facing slope, which benef its the programme that I am proposing later on.

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Area for intervention

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This site f its my proposal better, a larger open space at the side of the nose on the entrance to the Old Town. The site is an open garden area, an existing old aristocratic building and then a small derelict church.

been considered in the f irst instance did not f it my proposal as well as challenge me Architecturally.

The site overlooks the coastline and also has a piazza that is not visible in this image. The site that has

Thoughts and observations The decision to use this site has been beneficial to moving my project further. This area has quite a few buildings that are in disrepair and also a large area that is available to be used. These are components that I can develop a system from.

N

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2. Building proposal Preserving the frontage of the aristocratic building jutting into the square, is key to the quality of the square.

The proposal then address the old facade whilst proposing a building that can be inserted sensitively to the facade.

1. Eat and meet Quick set up and use of the existing squares and open spaces encouraging a share of culture

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PSARC2: Prof.Dip.Arch (RIBA Part 2) – 5 Year

INTERIM STUDIO ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK YR 5 One copy of form for: Course Leader/Student

Student Oliver Hester

General issues

(areas of concern are marked with a cross)

The CASS 2016-­‐17

Unit 6

Date 2 February 2017

Interim Assessment (by module)

nd

(G-­‐Good Pass/P-­‐Pass/B-­‐Borderline/F-­‐Fail)

Creative & Personal Development

AR7P24

P

Intellectual Engagement

AR7P25

B

Attendance

x

Communication

Overall Performance

OVERALL FEEDBACK

Preliminary project: Site plan and titles would be very helpful. Your sketches appear a little rough as the line weight is very thick. Consider smaller sketches. You have presented a solution without fully explaining the issues relating to trains and access. You need to communicate the implications and make a case for the demolition of buildings to create public space.

Italy: At the beginning, some of the sheets are confusing and your intention unclear. You have tried to show us a complete picture of the place which you have visited which is a great intention, but we are not clear why this is important to you. Perhaps select less stuff, but give us a deeper picture with more detail.

Module Code: AR7P24

Module Title: Design Thesis Project: Specialisation and Proposition

Module Code: AR7P25

Fail

3 4 5

Devise and manage a self directed program of appropriate research Develop a well grounded and detailed project brief and outline design proposition for a coherent Construct a well judged and rigorous design process Work effectively with the skills and knowledge involved in an area of specialisation Collate and document the critical design development process to a professional standard of presentation

Borderline

1 2

Pass

Good Pass

Learning Outcomes

x x

x

x

x

Module Title: Design Thesis Project: Resolution

Good Pass

Pass

Borderline

Fail

Learning Outcomes

x

x

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 st

1 marker/Chair____________

Proposing to keep an existing facade that fronts the square and then to have a skill workshop and gathering space behind, is the proposed idea. Thinking further the derelict church to the west of the facade would also be converted into a gateway to the garden area behind.

Proposing phased ideas is a major part of the scheme, so initially you have a ‘Meet and Eat’ proposal, where the street and square becomes an outdoor eating venue.

A range of food is cooked from all over the world and shared in a gathering. Then a proposed building to harbour skill exchange is built on the garden square.

nd

x x x x x

2 marker/Panel _________________________(initials)

The old town is used as an apprenticeship testing site, by renovating existing buildings, in turn encouraging visitors, and furthering the ambitions of the arriving residents.

These ideas did not come across in the interim submission and I was disappointed with the work produced, it has not been justif ied in a way that read as a clear idea. Lacking opinion they come across like they are a geography project and not involved in the setting we are working in.

Thoughts and observations Proposing something in such a fragile and fragmented community is difficult. However as the idea is phased over time it becomes more involved in the site and therefore gains more traction and significance.

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Propose a role for the practice of architecture within a specific and well described political, economic, social and professional framework Advocate a coherent architectural design that responds convincingly to complex cultural conditions Construct a coherent architectural design that is explicit about how it may be realised technically, politically, economically Integrate an advanced knowledge understanding and ability of design, environment and sustainability, construction, materials and structures, cultural context and management, practice and law into a well resolved coherent architectural design Understand the influence of budget on the design process Propose a coherent architectural design that navigates a route through ethical issues: environmental, cultural or economic Present and communicate a complex architectural design efficiently

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I n t e r i m f e e d bac k - ‘ m e e t a n d e at ’ / s k i ll r e c o g n i t i o n

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Facadism - Good or bad?

147

The above images show street settings in London where a similar built presence is needed to maintain the street scape. These methods of framing could help inform my proposal, as what is behind these façades then is given a different purpose. By maintaining and preserving the frontage, the character and feel of the square is maintained.

1 http://spitalfieldslife.com/2016/02/02/the-creeping-plagueof-ghastly-facadism/

The drawing above seems very observant of the square/courtyard environment. This is of particular note as breaking site lines through the existing structures could begin to connect the old town to its surrounding landscape. Carving site lines through these existing buildings starts to inform the proposals behind.

The structures are mainly constructed from stone, so light and site lines through these structures are often not associated with the traditional methods of construction. Environmentally these buildings are constructed from the resources that are found on the site. They are mainly constructed from stone and timber. Fitting relatively well with the environmental conditions in Calabria.

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These images found on a Spitalf ields blog 1 were particularly interesting. When looking at the old town in Italy. The image below on the left shows the existing facade in the square. This is an important frame to the courtyard and the facade is the main element that keeps that together.

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M o d e ll i n g m o n t h - a s e r i e s o f pr o bl e m s

149

The above images show street settings in London where a similar built presence is needed to maintain the street scape.

These methods of framing could help inform my proposal, as what is behind these façades then is given a different purpose.

By maintaing and preserving the frontage, the character and feel of the square is maintained.

The drawing above seems very observant of the square/courtyard 1 http://spitalfieldslife.com/2016/02/02/the-creeping-plague-of-ghastlyfacadism/

environment. This is of particular note as breaking site lines through the existing structures could begin to connect the old town to its surrounding landscape. Carving site lines through these existing buildings starts to inform the proposals behind.

The structures are mainly constructed from stone, so light and site lines through these structures are often not associated with the traditional methods of construction. Environmentally these buildings are constructed from the resources that are found on the site. They are mainly constructed from stone and timber.

Fitting relatively well with the environmental conditions in Calabria.

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These images found on a Spitalf ields blog 1 were particularly interesting. When looking at the old town in Italy. The image below on the left shows the existing facade in the square. This is an important frame to the courtyard and the facade is the main element that keeps that together.

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1 : 2 5 0 M ODE L DE V E L O P M EN T

151

Developing the models in parallel benef ited the overall understanding of the site the topography is extremely steep and modelling this in a traditional ‘Architectural’ model would be expensive, as well as time consuming.

An abstracted dowel type structure was thought up. To get around this problem, showing the extent of the topography was more successful

Sketching over the model photographs helped to form a design conversation, this then led into different areas whilst developing my ideas. Themes that were not particularly relevant in drawings became more clear in the models we created.

Scarpa

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152

Carlo Scarpas drawings 1 seemed to have qualities and ideas that captured his intentions with his buildings.

These methods of representation continue to impact the design project throughout the process. This particular example of the Banco Popolare in Verona, shows how a simple detailing of the facade can really impact the way a building fronts the street.

drawing on the right 2 of the Ottolengi Villa shows how these drawings were used as a method of working out and not a f inal product, which is essential in developing any Architectural solution.

The preserving aspects of his work are simple and relatively straight forward. For example in this case large windows are set back from the new concrete facade and are in-cased behind on the old preserved facade. The

1 Albertini, Bianca (1988). Carlo Scarpa : architecture in details / Bianca Albertini, Sandro Bagnoli ; foreword by Stefan Buzas ; introduction

by Maria Antonietta Crippa ; English translation by Donald Mills.

Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

2 https://www.architectural-review.com/ pictures/2000x2000fit/6/0/6/1285606_02_Ottolenghi-Plan_RT.jpg Last accessed 24th March 2017

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Supporting existing structures

153

1 https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiw9s-Pm4_ SAhVqK8AKHQmKCZgQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fpulse%2Fswallow-hall-university-missouri-falgun-surani-pe&psig=AFQjC NGN01YA40Cs3ll5T01pxU0w_PXsUA&ust=1487148796905515

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Crudely this facade in America at a University building in Missouri 1 has simply been propped up with scaffolding whilst construction work continues behind and around the preserved wall. This phased demolition is an area of interest and as a concept will be developed further, as this ties into funding and how the project may be procured if constructed.

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C A S E S T U D Y - T H E WA L L A S A R O O M - C I S N D I E C A S T L E , R O M A N I A

155

considered. 1 This wall in the case study would of had a very high specif ic heat capacity, holding in both hot and cold. A large thermal mass in Italy in many areas of the site is benef icial for cooling and heating the proposed structures.

1 http://socks-studio.com/2013/11/21/walls-as-rooms-2-fortifiedchurches-in-transylvania/

Thoughts and observations Using existing infrastructure in many cases can be expensive, however in Belmonte a sense of pride and historical significance is seen in their buildings that is not seen all over the world, so preserving and working with the existing infrastructure seems the way to develop this project.

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The walls of this castle in Romania have an inclusive feel, within the castles grounds. The Old Town in Belmonte also was once surrounded by a large wall, to protect it from various invasions. This wall however was not inhabited in the way that this case study is. Using existing infrastructure could be a challenging direction to take this project, as there is such a range of existing buildings however the conditions vary greatly. Looking at re-purposing some of the wall directly on the site could provide an element to the scheme that was not previously

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The site

157

Thoughts and observations In some ways the Old Town’s mindset for preserving these buildings has struggled. A new outlook may help them appreciate the built environment. Many of the residents feel like they are struggling economically and perhaps in some ways this is routed at the unwillingness to adapt and change to the current climate.

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Drawing the crumbly and broken feel of the Old Town has previously been diff icult but drawing it in pencil helped show the layering and texture of the site. Many of the structures have been left and have fallen into disrepair, this is mainly due to the population decline, funding and the will to not interrupt with the existing buildings as they are in some cases deemed too precious. This preciousness has actually been detrimental to the town and its construction and development is somewhat shaped by the cautious nature to not touch or disturb the historical buildings.

Development sketches looking at retaining the facade

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158

Sensitive interventions such as the example opposite would be needed to preserve the current facade as the majority of it is in a very bad state of repair. The general idea is to place concrete columns to hold the facade up.

This helps to support the facade whilst giving a new area at the back to be developed.

Thoughts and observations A study into facadism shows that it can often not be as successful as it is originally intended.

This would use these projects and have a better approach, such as Astley Castle (opposite)

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Astley Castle - Case Study

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Astley Castle by Witherford Watson Mann is particularly interesting in this project as they use a sensitive palette of materials to f it out and re-purpose an existing structure. The building still has a large amount of exposed original surfaces and the material choices of the additions were heavily researched and considered when designing the building.

and the most appropriate way to approach the project.

Timbers properties of f lexibility and adaptability are in this case key to prevent invasive and overbearing construction detailing. Masonry construction is also used in different areas of the project, but this is done in an additional manner and not a replacement.

A very precise survey would of needed to be done to fully understand the existing structure. This then begins to inform the Architects on what can be done

Thoughts and observations Addition against replacement, this theme runs throughout my project and instead of creating a vast amount of new buildings, a re-purposing and renovating method is considered.

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LEFT BELOW | Email from Rita explaining the start of the 2017 projects BELOW | 1:250 Model photograph

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LEFT TOP | A meal at Jane’s

161

Thoughts and observations This project fortunately has a grounding in reality that is in some ways quite rare at Diploma level, perhaps concepts and ideas may actually become reality. So working on this project may in some ways be a way of progressing my Architectural ideas and work.

Conversations at Jane’s house we spoke about trying to put an exhibition together with all different people living in Italy and the idea of a comic book came up, so this could begin the start of my intervention and project.

EXIS T IN G C H U R C H F A C A DE - C h i e s a d e l P urgat o r i o

1.

2.

3.

4.

Modelling an existing church facade in the square helped to understand the masonry and construction of these buildings.

A range of materials are used together, this join of materials helped to understand the detailing of the structures in the Old Town. Timber at f irst site doesn’t seem to feature that much, but behind these structures a timber frame is needed to support the roof and is used to span, creating f loors. This seems obvious now but previously was not that apparent.

Analysing the facade it became clear that there was a running thread throughout the Old Town of Church Facade layouts.

This was made clear by the various materials and proportions that are found in the church frontages. Colour was more surprising as the bright yellow tint seemed to be quite a popular choice, rather than a muted stone colour.

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2. Spanning

3. Facade colour

4. Stone build up

163

1. Roof ing

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164

ABOVE, AND RIGHT | CULTURAL AND MUNICIPAL CENTRE 2B ARCHITECTS. http://divisare.com/projects/2798142b-architectes-nb-arch-thomas-jantscher-la-tuffiere-cultural-andmunicipal-centre

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CASE STUDY - CULTURAL AND MUN ICIPAL CENTRE 2B ARCHITECTS

165 | I D S di a r y | c a l a b r i a |

2B Architects in Switzerland 1 have used this exposed stone work on the facade of their building. Although this is not the local stone that is available in Italy, the qualities seem very appealing and would be appropriate for Belmonte. The stone seems worn and in this instance 1 2B ARCHITECTES, NB.ARCH LA TUFFIÈRE CULTURAL AND MUNICIPAL CENTRE Found here http://divisare.com/projects/279814-2b-architectes-nb-archthomas-jantscher-la-tuffiere-cultural-and-municipal-centre

stands alone in the centre of a relatively open site. In Belmonte the stone would be used to mix and f it with the existing fabric surrounding the site. The use of stone and what you are able to see from the square is key to the development of the proposal. These material choices will benef it the visual approach to the square as well as help with heating and cooling during the seasonal weather in Italy.

Thoughts and observations What the building looks like is often important!

However how it performs and the conditions within the structures proposed is also a very important aspect. These are considered with every decision

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Option 1

Thoughts and observations Leaving the facade of one of the existing buildings seemed logical but, restricted my ambition for the nose of the Old Town

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Thoughts and observations A bold move to take out the existing facade but a new identity and purpose would be created from such an intervention.

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Option 2

Option 1

Option 2

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Outcomes of ‘Modelling Month’

169

Thoughts and observations Big decisions often involve bold moves, this approach at first seems like a huge upheaval the Town need a project of this scale to re ignite the pride the community have of their Town. The detailing and method of phased construction slowly nurtures the impact on the town, and its funding structure and involvement of all members of the community makes the project more feasible.

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Two clear options came together and through modelling and sketching, a decision to remove the existing crumbling facade was made. Although this spine of the existing facade was very important to the piazza the current function of the square was being cramped by cars and acts as a passing place, not to be celebrated. The opening up of the piazza encourages a range of uses and transforms the front of the Old Town from a passing place which has inherent character but with little recognition, to a place of celebration and integration.

PRECEDENTS

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170

ABOVE | Stephen Taylor’s Barn, Shatwell Farm BELOW | MUFF Architects wall, Barking Town Centre RIGHT | Carlo Scarpa Drawing

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C A S E S T U D Y - T H E WA L L A S A R O O M - C I S N D I E C A S T L E , R O M A N I A

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Precedent studies inform the design, and help to visualise aspects of the proposal. Scarpas drawing (above) 1 shows how a rough and new palette of materials may go together. This marrying of old and new is a theme that runs throughout the project. The properties of the 1 Albertini, Bianca (1988). Carlo Scarpa : architecture in details / Bianca Albertini, Sandro Bagnoli ; foreword by Stefan Buzas ; introduction

by Maria Antonietta Crippa ; English translation by Donald Mills.

Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

materials too is also signif icant when considering what type of construction is to be proposed. A lightweight timber structure meeting a heavyweight stone structure seems appropriate not only for practical reasons (cost, ease of construction etc) but also seems appropriate for all end users of the building. Many of the new residents in this area are coming from lightweight constructed buildings and these aspects should continue to inform the Architecture proposed.

Thoughts and observations Dealing with such sensitive issues with an ‘Architectural’ response would seem one dimensional from the outside, but if approached sensitively an Architectural proposition instigates a social act.

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ABOVE | Still frame from Incoming, 2015–2016. Three screen video installation by Richard Mosse in collaboration with Trevor Tweeten and Ben Frost. Courtesy of the artist, Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, and carlier | gebauer, Berlin. Last accessed 25th March 2017 https://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=19949

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EXHIBITION - RICHARD MOSSE - INCOMING

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Mosse’s f ilm 1 exposes elements of the various journeys and lives of different people involved in the refugee crisis.

Two screens create a shocking and vivid recollection of different peoples lives. The f ilm is captured on a military grade camera that is able to see up to 30km with high

detail. This exposes a very personal and attached f ilm that shows areas that are not so well documented in the modern day press. The ill treatment and issues that are exposed makes for a very uncomfortable and diff icult viewing.

1 Exhibition / Film - Richard Mosse: Incoming The Curve, Barbican Centre. 15th February – 23rd April 2017

Thoughts and observations Film can in many ways capture a warped perspective on how things really are, but in this case it is used to show the actual conditions experienced. This makes it very powerful as a means of communication in such a time of despair and violations of human rights.

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ABOVE, AND RIGHT | Cappella Sant’Anna, / Saint Anna’s Chapel, Studio Galantini. https://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/06/ santannas-chapel-recovery-by-studio-galantini/

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C A S E S T U D Y - C appella S ant ’ A nna , / S aint A nna ’ s C hapel

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Studio Galantini transformed an unused chapel as it was deemed unsafe into a simple A frame timber structure.

1 The simple use of an open layout on the sides is also key to the function of this church, as it holds theatre performances and other performance related activities in it. Making the structure more of a coverage area than an enclosed building creates this informal and quite open 1 Last accessed 25th March 2017 https://www.dezeen. com/2014/01/06/santannas-chapel-recovery-by-studio-galantini/

nature to its design.

Steel joints hold the timber structure together and many of the materials used are re-purposed from the previous building.

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ABOVE | Aerial view of Micelangelo’s Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome.

RIGHT | Pikionis paving, Acropolis, Athens

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C A S E S T U D Y - M I C E L A N G E L O P iazza del C ampidoglio - R O M E & P I K I O N I S P AV I N G - A C R O P O L I S A T H E N S

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The project that is being developed is looking at ways of paving Firstly Pikionis’s 1 paving (above ) on the approach to the acropolis in Athens uses amazing large slabs with a stippled affect, probably to help with grip when wet, to create a grand walkway up the hill towards the Acropolis.

1 Last accessed 21st March 2017 https://divisare.com/ projects/313234-dimitris-pikionis-helene-binet-landscaping-of-theacropolis-surrounding-area-1957

The second study (left) is into the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome 2. This gradual staircase upwards creates this theatrical element to the oval shaped piazza with a grand building overlooking. There is a warped perspective when entering the piazza and the frontages of the buildings make the place have purpose and pride. This is achieved by the grand and bold façades but by the orientation of the façades, they slightly funnel the sight line creating a false perspective of the buildings around the piazza.

2 Last accessed 25th March 2017 https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/ building/piazza-del-campidoglio/

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ABOVE | Sketches from a tutorial about detailing the colonnade RIGHT | Cover page of Building regulation document for Cosenza a nearby city.

COMMON BUILDING REGULATION

(Adopted by the City Council of Cosenza at the sitting of May 22, 1995, No. 31 and approved by Decree of the President of the Calabria Regional Council No. 299 of 8 June 1996)

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DETAILING CONVERSATION AND COSENZA PLANNING DOCUMENT

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Conversations of detailing happened throughout the design process. This was mainly towards the end, and so tightening up the dimensional f it of the building adjusted my design slightly. Alterations to balustrades and surfaces became a useful guide to the design process and ref ined the idea further.

set of design parameters we would normally work with for example in the UK. However some rough guidelines have been adhered to, such as the distances left for sidewalks and squares of 1.2m.

The document is particularly vague and does not have a

Thoughts and observations Design guidelines are in many ways contentious as some of the more interesting and inspiring places have developed with little adherence to rules and regulations, rural Italian towns are examples of some of these places.

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IDS Presenta tion

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Plans and sections were annotated with rough diagrams and colour to show how different parts of the design reacted to various environmental conditions. This felt rushed but also in doing these quick diagrams the scheme developed at various scales.

The funding structure was not presented in a clear way and this highlighted where a drawing was needed, to explain the structure of the project and how it would be funded over a gradual timeline.

Thoughts and observations The feedback was beneficial for the crit, towards the structuring and layout of the IDS Report, however a lot of the time was spent discussing the project in a general manner. The design was changing a lot at this stage, the feedback also helped move the project on to a more developed stage.

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The design of the project was continuously developing at this stage so it was a perfect time to be able to adjust the design to f it the site more coherently.

Roofing detailing issues

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Starting with a sketch and then ref ining this sketch to a digital drawing and then sketching it again helps develop these awkward junctions where existing meets new.

Starting with this detail above,there were some fundamental issues with it. For example the rafters would hit into the sloping gutter, as the section runs away from you. This obviously is not an ideal situation, so detailing this differently was needed. The purlin is also at an unusual angle as trying to draw this I wasn’t sure how the rafter and purlin would meet.

The joint of the steel shoe to the existing stone wall also needs something to sit on, and this has to be considered

LEFT | Key section identifying area of concern RIGHT | Initial sketch detail

also.

The desired internal f inish would be to see the structure from the inside, like a traditional Italian church, the external f inish would look exactly the same as the tile roofs surrounding the structure, so it would blend between them.

The soff it beneath the structure would also need to be specif ically detailed as this would then show to the occupants in the church and would look ugly.

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Roof detai li ng resolutions

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F IRS T T RY

RE F INED A T T E M P T

Understanding the basic principles

Running into dimensioning issues

Developing ideas

The top sketch shows a typical conf iguration of Italian tiles. These are detailing quite differently to English tiles and so a conscious effort has been had to make each of these details more applicable to the local surrounding.

The main issue with where the rafter comes down to the wall is that there is not enough room for the gutter to fall down. This meant a different approach was needed. Detailing the battons as they would be seen was also a conscious decision to make them more chunky and have more of a purpose on the inside. This was mainly to show the structure from below.

Small aspects of the tiling detailing need a feathered piece of timber to lift up the end tile so that water cannot get in. The soff it for the gutter is also detailed minimally which helps with the internal f inish of the structure.

A simple diagram of the roof structure build up in plan.

A truss with a slight overhang and a stone wall.

A padstone is placed on the inside of the structure, with a similar construction as a ring beam, it would be cast into the stone wall, this gives the structure something for it to rest onto.

LEFT | Principles of construction and detailing MIDDLE | Issues with the clearance underneath the gutter RIGHT | Becoming more developed

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BASI C PRIN C IPLES

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T h e la s t cr i t !

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Some general comments were that the project could do with some clear diagrams to explain the complexity of the system, as it diff icult to explain through traditional Architectural drawing methods.

The system has also been a little underdeveloped in the scheme. This left me open to different interpretations from the critics. This was to be worked on over Easter. The church element to my project in my presentation was not touched on as much as it should of been, this was picked up in the comments and could of been celebrated more in

the drawings and presentation. Italians have a very traditional set up in the church, in contrast to a forward thinking new style of church where you have yoga classes and various community activities.

Drawing the procession also is a key point to my proposal, what was presented did not have as much of the procession as it needed to represent the idea, and this civic quality needed to be expanded on.

There was a scale issue with the proposal, simply I needed to draw it at a closer scale. Generally the crit went well and gave me many different things to work on and develop my idea further.

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A slightly alternative method of presentation was attempted, the building was introduced and then the process of getting to it was explained. This method felt very unfamiliar and was the f irst time I had ever tried it! However it seemed to be relatively well received, but the project needed to explained more through the design instead of quickly moving on to how I got there. The First image presented would of been very useful to sell the scheme in one view, this would of been more convincing to show my design.

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Collaging the various users and clients of the proposal helps to show who is involved and in what way. This drawing is currently being worked on. A simple tree network diagram could be useful to map out how each of these people are connected and at what stage they are introduced in the project.

Thoughts and observations The human scale has throughout the project been a guiding factor however it has not been represented in the drawings. This aspect has to be shown through the drawings.

2.

3.

8.

8.

4.

5.

6.

7.

9.

10.

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Who is involved?

9.

1.

1. Ivory Coast refugee 2. Syrian refugee 3. Mali Refuge 4. Local ECO Belmonte resident 5. Nigerian refugee 6. Mayor of Belmonte 7. EU representative for Calabrian development 8. Paulo and Stefano, local residents and managers of small tourist accommodation 9. Local children 10. Rita, local resident and NGO founder 11. Historian, Local resident and photographer

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Identif ication key

8.

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EXHI B I T ION - C O M I C M U SE U M C OSENZ A , I T A L Y - C U R A T ED B Y R I T A

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P r o j e ct d r a w i n g s

Rita gave our studio an opportunity to have some of our work shown in an exhibition at a Comic Museum in Cosenza a nearby city in Calabria. The exhibition also acted as a small workshop with Henry a Nigerian who has aspirations to be a fashion designer and has experience with making clothes. Giving him access to a sewing

machine to be able to make some clothes. The exhibition mixed local residents with the refugees.

Thoughts and observations Creative exhibitions often help bridge the gap between refugees and local residents. These activities help to start a process of integrating the two groups of people.

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Population change

The general trend is that the population is declining and coastal areas are some of the hardest affected

Percentage Population change

Key Undef ined 30 % / year 20% / year 15% / year 10% / year 5% / year 4% / year 3% / year 2.5% / year 2% / year 1.5% / year 1% / year 0% / year -0.5% / year -1% / year -1.5% / year -2% / year -5% / year

Provinces of interest

Coastal settlements are the only ones considered in the study.

Arieta

Papasidero

Orsomarso

Orsomarso

Verbicaro Grisolia

Verbicaro Grisolia

Buonvicino

Buonvicino

San Benedetto Ullano

Fiumefreddo Bruzio Lago Belmonte Calabro

San Benedetto Ullano

Fiumefreddo Bruzio Lago Belmonte Calabro

Montegiordano

Amendolara

Amendolara

Albidona

Albidona

Cerchiara di Calabria

Cerchiara di Calabria

San Giorgio Albanese

San Giorgio Albanese

Paludi

Paludi

Pietrapaola Scala Coeli

Pietrapaola Scala Coeli

Crucoli

Crucoli

Cirò

Cirò

Aiello Calabro

Aiello Calabro

Scandale

Scandale

Cleto San Mango d'Aquino

Cleto San Mango d'Aquino

Zagarise

Zagarise

Zagarise

Zagarise

Soveria Simeri

Soveria Simeri

Cortale

Cortale

Palermiti

Palermiti

Petrizzi

Petrizzi

San Pietro a Maida

San Pietro a Maida

Francavilla Angitola

Francavilla Angitola

Monterosso Calabro Zambrone Sant’Onofrio Zaccanopoli Cessaniti Joppolo Rombiolo

Monterosso Calabro Zambrone Sant’Onofrio Zaccanopoli Cessaniti Joppolo Rombiolo

Varapodio Seminara Melicuccà

Varapodio Seminara Melicuccà

Sinopoli

Sinopoli

San Roberto

San Roberto

San Lorenzo

San Lorenzo

Sant'Andrea Apostolo dello Ionio Sant'Andrea Apostolo dello Ionio Badolato

Badolato

Stilo Placanica

Stilo Placanica

Grotteria

Grotteria

Gerace Antonimina

Gerace Antonimina

Careri

Careri

Africo Bruzzano Ze���rio

Africo Bruzzano Ze���rio

Brancaleone

Brancaleone

Population rule

A selection of settlements is chosen with a rule, this rule only includes settlements with a population greater than 1,000 inhabitants but fewer than 4,000.

It has been evident from researching the hill towns around the Mediterranean that a majority of them are in a similar situation. The population is reducing and employment prospects are being reduced, due to the population shift.

help with obtaining a suitable sized town. The system has been designed in a way that it can loosely start an initiative within these towns but can also be applicable around the European coastline of the Mediterranean sea.

Developing a system to address these towns has been developed alongside the proposals for the old town in Belmonte. Taking a portion of Calabria the system ref ines what areas it is more concerned with this is done by f irstly catching only provinces that have a coastline. The next step in the system is to f ind which regions have a negative population shift, this begins to narrow down such a large area. The next part of the rule is to select populations that have more than 1,000 permanent inhabitants but fewer than 4,000 permanent inhabitants. These f igures

This mapping information was obtained from Citypopulation.de 1 and is based on information obtained in 2010, so it is somewhat old information now the systems principles in the current day are the same.

1 https://www.citypopulation.de/php/italy-calabria.php last accessed on 20th May 2017.

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Negative population

Only considering settlements that have a negative population change are used from -0.5% to -5% / year.

Arieta

Papasidero

Montegiordano

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A SYSTEM FOR MEDITERRANEAN HILL TOWNS

COMPONENTS FOR SYSTEM

RUIN

FRINGE OPEN SPACE

PIAZZA Within 30m proximity

Within 75m proximity of both Piazza and ruin 9m

7m

9m

7m 12 m 25 m

25m 25m

10m

Piazza Minimum 150m2

Derelict ruined building - Overlooking piazza A large building positioned overlooking a square with a minimum of 150m2 begins the system.

12 m 25 m 25 m

Key Large open space Small private piazza Existing derelict church building Piazza next to church building

30m

75m

Catchment zones

10m

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Small private piazza Piazza 20m2 minimum

Level vacant land 700 m2 minimum

75m catchment

30m catchment

2.

1.

3.

Key 4.

1. Existing derelict building 2. Piazza next to derelict building

4. Large open space Sketching generic layouts of traditional hill towns around the Mediterranean it was clear that three main components were very common.

1. Ruined building A derelict structure often in a more public place.

2. Piazza These derelict buildings in many cases overlook piazzas and in some cases are of considerable size, often over 150m 2.

3. Small private piazza Due to these villages sizes and layouts it was very easy to

f ind a smaller more private piazza that had a 20m 2 within 30m of the larger piazza.

4. Fringe open space.

This was the more challenging element to the system this is found in many of the towns, however topography is diff icult to estimate, and so the idea could be more diff icult in practicality than in theory.

However expanding on this there were some areas that could of potentially worked and so the 700m 2 area was proposed.

Each of these elements has to be within a 75m catchment radius and the smaller piazza has to be within 35m radius of the existing derelict building and adjacent piazza.

Thoughts and observations Transposing an idea to a clear and simple system is difficult.

Communicating this idea has also been testing as trying to fit a flexible system into any town around the European Mediterranean coastline has meant the system has needed to adjust considerably.

This idea is purely flexible and starts to suggest alternatives for reviving these dispersed settlements, that are in troublesome times.

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3. Small private piazza

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DIAGRAM FOR THE SYSTEM

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Pietrapaola

Scala Coeli

An annual festival of music and dance is celebrated in Pietrapaola.

A religious procession with a Maradonna, occurs through Scala Coeli. This is traditional in Italian villages.

Pietrapaloa Scala Coeli Belmonte Calabro

Melicuccà

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APPLICATION OF THE SYSTEM

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Belmonte Calabro

Figure heads are annually walked through a series of villages, Melicuccà is along this route.

Figure heads are annually walked past the old town for a celebration that culminates in Amantea a nearby town.

Implementing the system onto 4 specif ic locations was the next part of the experimentation. Finding these towns it became apparent that they also have different cultural events in most cases linked to them. In all cases they had festivals and sagres occasions.

These cultural events are crucial to the success in the system as these events often act as the glue for uniting quite dispersed and fragmented communities.

These events are becoming more of a key factor in the proposals. Initially the procession was part of the scheme, however it is now acting as the initial intervention and then is an annual celebration that physically walks through the scheme. The workshop shed can also be used a yard to build these f igure heads, which can then be displayed in the more open and celebrated piazza.

Thoughts and observations Celebration and festival when visiting Belmonte Calabro seem to be a small and low key series of events. Only with further research is it clear that such events are of great importance socially and culturally. The scheme builds on these existing themes starting with the local residents and then expanding out encompassing, different groups of people acting on the site.

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Melicuccà

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ABOVE | Outside of the Botanic Garden RIGHT | Various shots of the Botanic garden and Tufa stone on the bottom left

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R o y al b o ta n i c gar d e n s , E d i n burg h - E d w ar d cull i n a n

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The building has an open feel on the ground f loor and has a gridshell roof type structure over the entire footprint of the building. The main structure has timber columns, this leaves the walls and partitions to be non structural and more playful.

Stacked slate stone is used around the outside of the building leading you out towards the gardens and towards

the entrance of the building. The use of timber and stone together in this instance is well thought through and is particularly sensitively designed.

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ABOVE | Aldo Rossi drawing http://www. archivitamins.com/drawings-aldo-rossi/#.WQW75rR7CxI RIGHT | Carlo Scarpa Museo del Castelvecchiohttps://divisare.com/projects/332703-carloscarpa-federico-puggioni-museo-di-castelvecchio

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CASE STUDI ES - CARLO SCARPA MUSEO DI CASTELVECCHIO & ALDO ROSSI DRAWING

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Carlo Scarpa’s Castelvechhio 1 is particularly famous in the Architectural world, however the building has many 1 https://divisare.com/projects/332703-carlo-scarpa-federicopuggioni-museo-di-castelvecchio

elements that I had not been aware of. Such as the different detailing decisions with various stair cases and balustrades. Scarpa is excellent in merging the traditional vernacular with the intervention. This mix is a desired affect

Thoughts and observations Merging and offering up various new materials to traditional buildings can be done in a bold and forced manner, Scarpa is the opposite to this. I am looking to achieve a blend between old and new as the proposed should mix the varying culture on the site.

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HISTORICAL PROCESSION AND CELEBRATION ROUTES - BELMONTE CALABRO

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ABOVE | Maradonna procession past my site

The festival calendar is very busy with many different activities happening throughout most of the year.

However as the population has declined these activities are becoming seemingly less popular, although they are still well attended by the residents, as there are fewer of them the celebration seems less popular.

has a great way of uniting groups from different parts of the town.

Elements of unity and identity resonate throughout my proposals and these aspects are at the centre of my idea.

These events capture a range of emotions and festivities ranging from food harvest celebrations to religious ceremonies to cultural gatherings.

These events have given the town an identity and a purpose, with a simple act of festival.

The assembly of all members of the community to achieve a common goal of say for example a street party with food

Thoughts and observations The historical significance of the villages procession, festival and celebration are the glue that holds many of these fractured and disparate settlements together. Building upon these themes my project aims to engage on a cultural level initially then with a physical proposal.

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OPPOSITE | Various photographs on site from a local historian highlighting procession and celebration

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CARNIVALE DI AMANTEA

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ABOVE | Fabrication of one of the ‘Floats’

Stumbling upon this video had a direct impact on the design thesis. The excitement and passion for this celebration is shown clearly in the video. The craft and time put into making these f igure heads is clear and here is a large assembly of people in the nearby town of Amantea.

This would act as the start to my proposal, instigating a cultural change through a series of workshops and festivities.

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OPPOSITE | Photographs from a youtube video from the Carnivale di Amantea 2015

CALABRIA FESTIVAL CALENDAR

J anuary

March

April

May

July

Corigliano Calabro: Orange Festival and Procession (January).

S an Giovanni in Fiore:

St. Francis of Paola Day Festivities (April 22).

Cutro: Crucif ixion Procession (May).

Maida: St. Francis of Paola Day Festivities (f irst Sunday in July).

Easter Procession (Good Friday).

Montalto Uffugo: Easter Procession (Good Friday).

Caccuri: Procession Friday).

Easter (Good

Catanzaro: Procession Friday).

Easter (Good

San Basile: Albanian Folklore Festival (Tuesday after Pentecost).

Laureana di Borrello: Madonna del Carmine Festivities (third Sunday in July).

Bagnara: Swordf ish Festival (July).

Laureana di Borrello: Madonna del Carmine Festivities (third Sunday in July).

Maida: St. Francis of Paola Day Festivities (f irst Sunday in July).

Vibo Valentia (church of the Modonella): Pasta Festival (July).

CALABRIA FESTIVAL CALENDAR

August

September

October

December

Girifalco: St. Rocco Festivities (August 16).

Soverato Superiore: Eggplant Festival (September 15).

Camigliatello Silano: Wild Mushroom Festival (October).

Diamante: Saint’s Day Festivities (December).

Joppolo: St. Sixtus Festivities (August).

Diamante: Hot Pepper Festival (2nd weekend in September).

Calanna: Festival of Madonna del Rosario (f irst Sunday in October).

Spilinga: Sausage Festival (August).

Capo Vaticano (from Santa Maria to Santa Domenica): Procession of Boats and Swimmers (August).

Villaggio Mancuso: Calabrian Folklore Festival (September).

Torre di Ruggiero: Festival of Madonna delle Grazie (September).

Fagnano Castello: Chestnut Festival (last week of October).

Seminara: Parade of the Faithful and the Tambourine Players (August).

Lido di Palmi: Maritime Procession of the Madonna (August).

Praia a Mare: Festival of Madonna della Grotta (August).

Festival as described earlier is a huge part to these communities. It has taken centuries of tradition and effort to continue these efforts but they are vital to the set up socially in these regions.

These festivals are a condensed list as there are thousands

of festvials celebrated all over Calabria throughout the year. these are the more notable and larger festivals. The scheme sits within this timetable and is guided by when certain festivals are taking place.

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ABOVE | Migration routes into Europe BELOW | Refugee population in Europe 2015 OPPOSITE | Screen shots from short documentary, All images from National Geographic Article October 2016

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - THE NEW EUROPEANS VOICES FROM A CHANGING CONTINENT

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The National Geographic article 1 relatively recently has shown how many of the local residents are becoming 1 http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/10/ europe-immigration-muslim-refugees-portraits/

more open to refugees arriving and integrating into their community. There is a short video clip where a family has given many opportunities to a guy from Sierra Leone, where he is helping with building projects.

Thoughts and observations The current scenario in Italy needs a system and these small interventions are happening from the ground up, however these small scale interventions have started to instigate larger scale government policies at the higher level. This is where my thesis builds its development from.

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SUPER STUDIO DRAWING STYLE - CAPTURING THE FEEL WITH COLLAGE

209

Drawing in the traditional architectural style in sometimes you can lose the feel and atmospheric quality you are trying to communicate with a drawing. Superstudio collage in a quick and clear way. Easily communicating an idea with a simple graphical concept, one is able to read

the relationship between the collaged objects. Having drawn some views of the proposal I want to experiment with some quick and sketchy collaged textures to easily show an idea

Thoughts and observations Communicating an idea is what the architectural industry can be condensed into, if it is reduced down to its most simple elements.

This is most clearly shown in some of these collage images.

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ABOVE | First phase of procession

The thesis project draws on many themes throughout the year. Filtering and selecting these themes to inform my design has been the most challenging aspect to the f inal year. A range of opinions some forceful and bold others subtle and quiet have been considered and have in turn informed my design. Selecting and guiding the project myself has, throughout the Architectural education become increasingly more self guided and independent, whilst acting as a mediator between various forces on a given site.

A phased approach in this case is needed and a heavy emphasis has been placed on the locals, this has become a major guiding factor in the f inal proposals.

Alongside the proposed design project for this site, a system booklet titled “2 Squares, 2 sheds, 1 Colonnade, 1 Tower” with a subtitle of “A step by step manual for Mediterranean hill towns to adjust

to population shifts” has been completed. This is a visual guide suggesting how a seemingly failing town can adjust and benef it from the trend of population shifts from rural coastal towns.

A system in most cases is deemed to fail, but this approach begins a process in which the local residents can begin to guide the system to f it there own needs.

The system where applicable acts as an initiator, to start a positive and collaborative approach to the inhabited environment.

| C U L T U R A L | P r o f e s s i o n al | EN V I R ON M EN T A L | C ONS T R U C T ION |

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B i bl i o grap h y

Books

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Losty, JP (2008). The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India’s Great Epic . London: British Library.

Chimirri, Rosario (2007). Architettura popolare del Tirreno cosentino / Rosario Chimirri ; prefazione di Franco Rossi. Catanzaro: Soveria Mannelli Rubbettino.

Albertini, Bianca (1988). Carlo Scarpa : architecture in details / Bianca Albertini, Sandro Bagnoli ; foreword by Stefan Buzas ; introduction by Maria Antonietta Crippa ; English translation by Donald Mills. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

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Littlef ield D (2008). Metric Handbook: Planning and Design Data. 3rd ed. London: Architectural.

Architects pocket book

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/

Deplazes, A (2005). Constructing Architecture: Materials, Processes, Structures. 2nd ed. -: Springer Science & Business Media.

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Iano, J. Allen, E (2003). Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods. 4th ed.

London: Wiley.Baden-Powell, Hetreed & Ross (2008). Architect’s Pocket Book. 3rd ed:Architectural Press.

https://www.barbican.org.uk/

Films Fire at Sea, Gianfranco Rossi, Stemal Entertainment, 21 Unof ilm, Cinecittà Luce, 2011. DVD Bamako found online here Last accessed 12/03/17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1tjoAOfeD0 Exhibition / Film - Richard Mosse: Incoming The Curve, Barbican Centre (15th February – 23rd April 2017) Last accessed 12/03/17 https://www.barbican. org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=19949

Websites

http://socks-studio.com/

http://divisare.com/

https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/