Design report - Belmonte Old Town as a Stage

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

1 |窶オDS REPORT窶ポ窶オNTRODUCTION窶ポ

Contents Integrated Design Study Design Report

1. Introduction

p. 09 - 19

Belmonte Calabro as a platform Belmonte Calabro and its Characteristics Locating the area of study - Italy and the Mediterranean Identifying site

2. Cultural Context and Communication

p. 01

Cultural engagement guiding design Political framework The current political climate Social, political, economic and professional context Italy’s facts Physical landscape and political territories Population trends Histories, Theories and Urban Design Three main zones of investigation 2 main building types Case study :Riace an inspiring example SPRAR System in action with varying success Participation forming design Workshops, meetings, gatherings The basis of the project Employment and cultural similarities

p. 01

Architectural responses Relationships informing design Political context scenario - Refugee reception system Site orientation and planning Building control Structure,earthquakes and health and safety Fire safety Access and circulation Acoustics The role of the Architect and forward thinking organisational structures The procurement approach to a loose f it arrangement

4.Environmental and sustainable design

p. 01

Forming an environment The following section will discuss: Sustainable design and relevance of design from the local to the global Environmental conditions on site Visual, thermal and acoustic principles informing design Orientation climate and day light Integration of building technologies Embodied energy, design life and adaptability

5. Construction materials and structures

p. 01

Materiality and form The following section will discuss: Structural and construction strategy Construction processes and health and safety Construction techniques informing design Building services Physical properties of the built form

6. Details

p. 01

1:20 details 1:10 Key junction details

Bibliography

p. 01

| IDS REPORT | INTRODUCTION |

3. Professional context

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Introduction Belmonte Calabro

Belmonte Calabro as a platform

The following section will discuss: Belmonte Calabro and its Characteristics

Locating the area of study - italy and the meditteranean

Identifying site

| IDS REPORT | INTRODUCTION |

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TOP | View looking down the valley from an outer Fraction

THE DESIGN THESIS - CIVIC ASSEMBLY

BELMONTE CALABRO AS A PLATFORM T H E P R OJ E C T A D D R E S S E S T H E A R C H I T E C T U RA L A N D C U LT U RA L S I T U AT I O N I N B E L M O N T E CALABRO, AND REACTS TO THESE RESOURCES

Unit 6 has an overarching theme of Architecture of Rapid Change and Scarce Resources (ARCSR). The project brief has been developed along these themes.

A continuous narrative of ARCSR is used and tested against to develop a civic assembly that loosely f its with the site.

Calabria is the region the site sits on the edge of the West coast informally known as the ‘toe’ of Italy.

This region has seen a population shift that no other region in Europe has seen in recent times. Increasing numbers of refugees and a decreasing population has created a diverse population. Belmonte Calabro is the collective name of 4 inhabited areas. The Marina, The Old Town, The New Town, and The Frazioni.

The brief is to incorporate all members of the community by improving, rejuvenating and validating the various actors on the site.

This is achieved through a series of 5 phased proposals; 1. Procession An existing festival procession is encouraged through the Old Town, reigniting the passion and mixing all members of the community. Through a series of workshops, run with a Local NGO. 2. Shed A large workshop area is built acting as a base in the Old Town. This begins to repair the existing derelict and blighted buildings, a skill exchange between skilled refugees and local builders occurs. These buildings are to be used by tourists on holiday and

3. Church A progressive church encompasses the many religions on the site. This also acts as a base for the existing ECO Belmonte. ECO Belmonte is a group formed from a government initiative with a term named ‘Albergo Diffuso’ meaning ‘Widespread hotel’ the idea of this group is to transform traditional unoccupied buildings that are often in a state of disrepair and turn them into tourist accommodation.

4. Link and Tower Due to the sites topography a tower, stair case and colonnade are needed to link the shed and church together. The colonnade acts as a classroom to help refugees validate their existing skills for the European job market, enabling them to continue their journey towards the desired location of Northern Europe.

5. Accommodation A mix of refugee and tourist accommodation is distributed in the Old Town, some refugees want to stay on a more long term basis, but others see this accommodation as a stepping stone on their journey to Northern Europe. This mix of tourists and refugees occurs in shared accommodation throughout the Old Town.

The project addresses a range of matters of concern, and in doing so a phased proposal is necessary.

7 | IDS REPORT | INTRODUCTION |

My brief uses the idea of a Civic assembly as a core, to then develop a phased proposal which is applicable to the past, present and future of the Architectural and cultural landscape.

refugees in the SPRAR emergency housing system.

The SPRAR System is where refugees are given accommodation in the local town supported by the government. The shed is also used as a workshop seasonally to build the various processional props, and festival apparatus. It also has some small seasonal accommodation for 2 people.

LO C AT I N G T H E A R E A O F ST U DY - I TA LY A N D T H E M E D I TT E RA N E A N

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THIS PAGE | Italy map (not to scale) OPPOSITE TOP | Amantea and Belmonte Calabro (not to scale) OPPOSITE BOTTOM | Aerial view of Amantea and Belmonte Calabro (image obtained from local historian)

Italy has been part of the European Union since 1953 as it was one of the founding members. Calabria in the South is one of 20 regions within Italy. Calabria has 5 provinces and the site is in Catanzaro. Calabria has one of the lowest GDP’s in Italy and is ranked very low generally in Europe. The majority of Italy’s wealth and commerce is in the North, with cities such as Milan, Venice and Turin.

Rome is an exception in this, being the capital.

Calabria’s population density is particularly low, with 2 major cities. Reggio Calabria and Catanzaro, the

administrative capital of Calabria.

Geographically Calabria sits in an active tectonic landscape. The Calabrian Arc is a small plate that is shifting from West to East. This is creating an active environment with volcanoes nearby and frequent earthquakes. Belmonte Calabro is to the North of the of its nearest town, Amantea. Historically Amantea has been crucial to Belmonte, Amantea was the central market area for the surrounding villages and is now a small town of

Amantea and Belmonte Calabro

Belmonte Calabro

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Amantea

| IDS REPORT | INTRODUCTION |

Belmonte Calabro

Amantea

approximately 13,000 taken in 2011 1. The two towns have been linked socially and economically throughout their existence. There have been various population shifts in Calabria’s modern day history. Migration to the U.S was common. This migration has been coined ‘The Calabrian Diaspora’. Starting from the unif ication of Italy in the late 19th century through to the great depression in 1930, with spikes in immigration during both of the World Wars. Eastern Europeans initially started coming to Italy when The European Union was set up. In the present 1

The Italian National Institute of Statistics

day Calabria is at the forefront of a population shift.

The surge of arrivals from various countries across the Mediterranean is continually increasing and Italy is one of the f irst areas that they arrive to.

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IDENTIFYING SITE - 4 PARTS TO BELMONTE CALABRO

11 | IDS REPORT | INTRODUCTION |

TOP LEFT | Sketch looking from the Sea inland BELOW LEFT | 1:2500 Site model (not to scale) THIS PAGE | Site plan (not to scale) identifying 4 key zones (not to scale).

Marina - 1960’s concrete frames

Mixed construction techniques and histories

Render - Modern

Stone

ruins Century

18th

MARINA - OLD TOWN - NEW TOWN - FRACTIONS (FRAZIONI)

The marina on the Western coast line is predominantly 1960’s concrete framed housing, and is relatively occupied.

The Old Town is a typical hill town with a mix of old and new buildings, it is perched on the edge of an outcrop of land, and is seasonally occupied with few year round inhabitants. The New Town is only concrete framed buildings and has a mix of occupancy rates, this area also has many of the services, such as schools and a small shop. The Fractions are spread out across the valleys, in

the nearby area, these are relatively poorly connected with small roads servicing them. Generally the area is constructed out of concrete and stone, timber is used in the traditional buildings, not in modern buildings.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

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Public, Private Public civic Mixed use public Private

A mix of private and public areas are found across the site. Public and private are mixed evenly across the area and there are few clusters of private or public areas.

TRANSPORT LINKS

13 |窶オDS REPORT窶ポ窶オNTRODUCTION窶ポ

Access Train line Main road Minor road Bus route Footpath

Sitting on the Western coast of the Ionian Sea Belmonte Calabro is connected mainly on the more level ground at the coast line. A major A road passes through the marina town with smaller roads breaking off of this to service the more isolated villages and fractions in the surrounding hills. There is a train line passing directly through the marina town, and there is a platform but the train does not stop at the station as there is a lack of demand. There is also a bus service from the old town to the marina. The bus service is informally run and mainly transports school children to and from the nearby schools. The old town also has a traditional donkey trail with a steep gradient linking the old town to the marina by foot. Generally the areas are not well connected with little access to public transport, having a car to access these areas is in some ways essential.

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15 | IDS REPORT | INTRODUCTION | SPREAD | Photograph showing site.

| IDS REPORT | INTRODUCTION |

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A.

ABOVE | Site plan 1:500 OPPOSITE | Panorama taken from point A. marked above in square

IDENTIFYING SITE - THE NOSE OF THE OLD TOWN

Visiting the site and spending 10 days recording various surveys, both physical and cultural, an initial site was chosen. This after various design attempts did not f it my ideas and aspirations for the site.

The chosen site is located on the North Western edge of the Old Town. The site currently has a small derelict church, a large Aristocratic building and an open garden outdoor area. It has a square that acts as the current main access point into the Old Town. It is currently the one of two points you can drive a car to in the Old Town, the streets then become too narrow to f it a car through.

The site is dictated by the sheer gradient of the land with 3 clear level changes, each of these level changes has a retaining wall. One is naturally occurring and the others are man made masonry structures. The site

Removing the existing buildings on the site, is a sensitive issue, especially when working with an existing church. Replacing these buildings with a benef icial addition to The Old Town is a major priority, The Old Town would benef it from these proposals and where possible materials from the demolished buildings are re used to continue the traditional vernacular.

The current square is mainly used as a car parking area, but is occasionally used for religious activities and community gatherings. It has a rich history as a civic hub. The project aims to draw out this history through celebration and integration.

17 |窶オDS REPORT窶ポ窶オNTRODUCTION窶ポ

Changing my site for a more challenging and better f it for my ideas was benef icial both for the scheme and for me to be able to develop as a student of Architecture.

is very steep and this impacts my design considerably.

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Cultural Context and Communi ca tion Belmonte Calabro

Cultural engagement guiding design The following section will discuss:

Political framework • The current political climate

Social, political, economic and professional context • Italy’s facts

Physical landscape and political territories • Population trends

Histories, Theories and Urban Design

Three main zones of investigation • 2 main building types

Case study :Riace an inspiring example • SPRAR System in action with varying success

Participation forming design • Workshops, meetings, gatherings

The basis of the project • Employment and cultural similarities

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TOP | ‘Conversazione al Bar’ Community meeting in Suzy’s cafe

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH AND DESIGN INSIGHT

CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT GUIDING DESIGN INITIATING CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS ACTORS ON THE SITE,INITIALLY INFORMS AND FORMULATES THE DESIGN

Unit 6 has a unique approach in the way it approaches a site. Getting to know the various cultural tectonics and make up of a place is often overlooked in traditional Architectural Design. Spending 10 days on site recording and analysing the various uses and characteristics is fundamental in the development of the brief.

The brief has been formulated from conversations with all actors on the site with 2 main clients standing out with varying matters of concern The two clients are the local residents of Belmonte and the refugee population arriving from across the Mediterranean.

These two clients have three similar matters of concern.

1. Lack of employment and opportunity Employment rates are continually falling in Calabria.

Speaking to the locals, job opportunities and work is always mentioned. The average GDP in The South of Italy is â‚Ź17,200 per inhabitant where GDP per inhabitant in The North Western region is â‚Ź33,500.

This shows the lack of opportunity and engagement the South has with the North.

2. Recognition and validation for skills and trade

The inhabitants have a wealth of knowledge in many dying arts, and these techniques and traditions are being lost.

3. Population decline Due to the two previous matters of concern a net migration to larger cities, is seen. Many children studying in schools are not able to f ind work when they grow up. So they have to move to nearby towns and cities. Providing a population decline in the more rural and less accessible areas, such as The Old Town in Belmonte.

My ambition is to address these issues with a phased proposal that addresses each of the matters of concern, in an informal loose f it system from a short term reaction to a long term change.

The project is phased over time, and so there are a network of clients, that change with what stage the project is at.

Firstly a local NGO set up by a CASS Student instigates a workshop with the outcome of a local procession through the Old Town into the nearby town of Amantea. At this stage the client is loosely the residents of the old town and the refugees. The next client would be ECO Belmonte a hospitality group renovating derelict buildings in the Old Town for tourists accommodation. Giving them a base to renovate derelict buildings is needed. This begins to bring an economy into the Old Town that it currently lacks.

The third and important client in the proposal is the Church. Removing an existing church and then re building it with parts of its facade in the frontage facing the newly created piazza is a bold move. The existing church was in a poor condition and this addition to the piazza creates a forward thinking and pioneering attitude not often seen in a traditional religious Italian scenario. This encourages a cultural exchange between refugees and the local community in a common ground, of religion and belief.

The f inal two clients are government off icials, initially on a local level with the town mayor and then with a collaboration between the Italian government and the Italian Tourism board. The mayor would be the client at the f irst of these two stages, supporting and facilitating a link between the shed and the church. The two f inal clients, the Italian tourism Board and the Italian government create a mixed system of shared accommodation between refugees and tourists. Semi permanent accommodation for refugees already exists in Italy the system is called SPRAR.

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POLITICAL FRAMEWORK European Leader - Donald Tusk Previously the prime minister in Poland and now head of the European council

Italian prime ministers - (past Matteo Renzi) and Paolo Gentiloni Matteo Renzi resigned in December 2016 after his constitutional reform and Gentiloni is the current prime minister.

Calabria region head - Mario Oliverio The Southern region of Calabria is governed by the same democratic party and has been headed by Oliverio since 2014.

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Francesco Antonio Lacucci President of the province of Cosenza, in which Belmonte Calabro is located.

Francesco Bruno The mayor of Belmonte, including the New Town, Old Town and Marina.

THIS PAGE | Images from various online sources OPPOSITE LEFT AND MIDDLE | Mapping from the Italian national census 2011 OPPOSITE RIGHT | Migration routes from National geographic http://news. nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150919-data-pointsrefugees-migrants-maps-human-migrations-syriaworld/ last accessed 24th May 2017

SOCIAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT

Per Capita GDP

Unemployment rate

Migration routes

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SITE AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

Italy has historically been a centre point to Europe. Its modern history has seen a unif ication in 1861 and has had a turbulent history. A mass exodus of her people, and f ighting in 2 world wars to name a few major events.

Italy has become a major player in the European climate with Italian goods and services being some of the best in the world. Italy continues to be a popular tourist destination. It was one of the founding members of the European community, however it has had a troublesome

time with various political parties. The Italian mindset however seems unchanged with an enjoyment of life and experiencing it to the most. There is an obvious difference between the North and South economically.

This is shown in the maps above, and a range of factors have impacted this economic landscape. Italy is now a democracy and has now become for many the f irst European port of call when arriving from Africa.

P O P U L AT I O N O F I TA LY = 6 0 M REFUGEE ARRIVALS BY SEA IN 2016 159,328 A P P R OX I M AT E LY 1 I TA L I A N R E S I D E N T P E R 3 7 5 R E F U G E E A R R I VA L S ASYLUM APPLICATIONS 123,370 %21 NIGERIAN ARRIVALS OVERALL %85 MALE - 15% WOMEN

PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE AND POLITICAL TERRITORIES

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Topography

Regions

The hall acts as a base for ECO Belmonte and The Squid, This encourages tourists and a shared experience of celebration, with exhibition and food. (image stitched from a series of online images https:// www.citypopulation.de/php/italy-calabria.php)

Calabria is split into 5 regions, each region has a specif ic characteristic. Cosenza is the capital of Calabria, Reggio Calabria is famous for the Bergamot Orange, Catanzaro has a major transport hub Lamezia Terme, Crotone is historically a centre for tourism, Vibo Valentia is the least populated mountainous region.

POPULATION TRENDS

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-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

Key

Age 65+

Percentage Population change

Key

Population change

Age population

The general trend is that the population is declining and coastal areas are some of the hardest affected (data obtained from 2011 census and found online here https://www.citypopulation.de/php/italy-calabria. php last accessed 24th May 2017)

The Northern areas have more of an elderly population, with a younger population located in the South. (data obtained from 2011 census and found online here https://www.citypopulation.de/php/ italy-calabria.php last accessed 24th May 2017)

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

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HISTORIES, THEORIES AND URBAN DESIGN

Belmonte Calabro as we know it today was founded in 1270, a castle was constructed to provide resistance to various groups before the unif ication of Italy.

Various wars and clashes between different political parties and groups happened and Belmonte Calabro was one of the castles to withstand these events.

of access and infrastructural links. This area has been used for farming as it is easier than farming on the steep slopes of the Appenine mountains. It currently is more occupied than the Old Town of Belmonte, it is more spread out and has a grid like road layout with individual apartment buildings.

There was a wall built around the settlement of Belmonte and remnants of this can still be seen today.

This wall encompassed the more level ground that surrounded the castle. This then later became the inhabited area of Belmonte that is built on today.

The external periphery towns, known as the Frazioni (Fractions) have small populations and are dispersed throughout the landscape.

Historically these fractions each had specif ic trades.

The layout of the Old Town has a typical typology of a hill town in Southern Italy, an ad hoc and informal layout with narrow alleyways and small piazzas with varying heights of buildings. The layout seems to have been added to over time, and the buildings seem to have been carved into and formed out of the rock that it stands on.

The surrounding settlements in Belmonte Calabro have developed at different rates, with the Marina area being developed at a later date, with the introduction of the coastal railway and transport links. This marina area grew more rapidly than the more isolated hill towns, it is more spread out over the relatively f lat coastal planes, and from the 1960’s onwards has been more occupied than the internal villages and hill towns. This is mainly due to the ease

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These settlements would traditionally of all gathered in Amantea a nearby town on market days, to sell their various produce and wares. The market tradition is now fading out, but is still done on a smaller scale.

The site has been subject to historical changes and these changes have affected the urban design and layout of the place. These traditional layouts have informed my design, such as the use of piazzas and informal markets, or the use of the church and its procession.

OPPOSITE TOP | Image 1 - The Old Town, Belmonte Calabro approx 1783 OPPOSITE MIDDLE | Image 2 - Maradonna procession Belmonte old town OPPOSITE BOTTOM | Image 3 - The Marina approx 1925 THIS PAGE TOP | A local villager walks his donkey to Amantea market (all historical photographs obtained from local historian) THIS PAGE BOTTOM | Key plan showing photograph locations

3.

2.

1.

THREE MAIN ZONES OF INVESTIGATION

3.

1.

2.

N

1:5 0

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Marina - 1960’s Concrete frame structures

Old Town - Traditional hill top layout and local materials used

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New Town - Concrete frame structures

1 :2 0

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0

1 : 0

1 0

1:5

1. Modern apartments - Generous and conservative

2. Old / modern dwellings - Informally pieced together

3. Traditional homestead - Ruin

Desired homes in the area, offering large rooms.

A hap hazard method to building and extending, addition occurs over a long period of time.

Sitting on a new road system with pavements and street lights but without buildings the structure stands vacant

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2

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1 : 50

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1 : 50,0 0

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1 : 0

1 : 0

2 MAIN BUILDING TYPES

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Old Town - Informal ad hoc development

Marina - Rigid layout and construction method

This area is mainly unoccupied throughout the entire year and is mainly seasonally occupied. The Italian residents prefer to live in Modern buildings, traditional buildings are not preferred.

These modern buildings are now desired to live in, as they have better access and culturally the local Italian people prefer them. These mindsets begin to guide my design particularly with the choice of materials and layout.

CASE STUDY - RIACE - AN INSPIRING EXAMPLE

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THIS PAGE | Riace’s location in southern Italy(not to scale) OPPOSITE TOP | Riace map showing relationship to coast line (not to scale) OPPOSITE BOTTOM | Left photograph from a festival, and right entrance to part of the town

Visiting Riace was an eye opening experience as many of us thought it was the best solution to the current refugee accommodation, issue that the government are currently dealing with. Talking to different residents in the village a mixed review was heard.

The Mayor in Riace in 1998 set up a pioneering system that was funded by the Italian government, where refugees are given accommodation, in the form of abandoned apartments. They are then given training in various skills. This scheme is supposedly helping

rebuild the towns economy whilst helping the refugee population with housing. In some cases when speaking with refugees and locals they agreed with the news stories and said the scheme was benef iting the areas in the way that it was initially intended to do so. However on many other occasions when talking to the residents they had many issues that were not being considered.

Money problems such as the allowance given by the government in some cases is not enough and in other cases it can only be spent on certain things. Job opportunities

SPRAR System in action with varying success

Riace old town

Riace marina

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in these small towns are almost non existent even prior to the new refugee population arriving, so f inding work for the arriving community is diff icult. These issues are routed in the quality of being part of a community, with simple integration techniques to begin the process a hugely positive outcome could be seen and my project aims to instigate these changes.

This system put in place has the basis to being a very strong and positive system but sadly due to its rapid implementation the project isn’t as positive as it could be.

Riace had to rapidly accommodate new coming residents and in its haste has brought about a new way of dealing with this issue but has highlighted how it could also be achieved in a more effective way. This has shown how a phased proposal is the best approach to this issue. Slowly instigating a change by a common ground of festival and religion brings a common understanding between all actors on the site and instigates a more sustainable and long term thorough approach.

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THIS PAGE TOP | Summer workshop in Italy 2016 (Rita Adamo) THIS PAGE BELOW LEFT AND RIGHT | Various community engagement activities (Photographs obtained from Rivulsione delle sieppe’s facebook group accessed on 21st May 2017) THIS PAGE BELOW LEFT | Fashion show in Amantea THIS PAGE BELOW RIGHT | Drawing workshop, drawing by Precious OPPOSITE LEFT | Student, refugee and NGO meeting with the Mayor of Belmonte Calabro OPPOSITE RIGHT | Student, drawing and making workshop in the Centre in Amantea.

PARTICIPATION FORMING DESIGN

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WORKSHOPS - MEETINGS - GATHERINGS

Rita Adamo, set up an NGO named Rivoluzione delle Seppie, last summer (2016) this started to create a creative dialogue between the local residents and the refugees.

Over the summer they instigated various projects, one of the most notable was the fashion show in Amantea (opposite left).

The brief evolved after interacting with all aspects of the site, cultural and physical. The mindset of ‘Architect as detective’ was mentioned in a presentation prior to the site visit and this quality is an idea that is used in my

investigations on site. Refugees are currently living in an old hotel (Hotel Ninfa Marina) in Amantea. This was the f irst place that the group was introduced to.

A drawing and making workshop was completed with a theme of where the new residents had come from and what memories they had of home. This mainly showed us what kind of houses they lived in and the layouts of their streets. This gave us more insight into what they may expect in a new building in Italy, mainly lightweight materials such as timber and tin sheeting were common

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themes for the refugees, some others however drew more traditional earth dwellings. The next three parts of our cultural investigations we went to two different parts of the direct site. Firstly visiting the local school we asked the students who were approximately 8 years old where they lived and something they enjoyed doing. We then drew this on the a map print out of the entire site, and they wrote what their favourite memory was, on a post it note to the side of the map. This gave us an insight into the qualities that the children had of their home. Mainly sport, technology, and music were the favourite places.

Later that day we met with the Mayor in the Town Hall and asked him some questions on his receptiveness of refugees to Belmonte and he was very indifferent, towards the end of the day we visited a f ig factory, this was mainly to see the process of f ig preparation, but this showed us that the local residents want to work and they were happy to do factory work.

Another day we organised an event named Conversazione al Bar (Conversations in the Bar). The bar was a local cafe, on the edge of the Old Town, with the help of the

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OPPOSITE | School visit with participation map THIS PAGE TOP LEFT | Locals prepare figs in a fog processing factory TOP RIGHT | Children from the school take part in a theatrical workshop with CASS students MIDDLE LEFT | Conversazione al Bar local residents and various government representatives MIDDLE RIGHT AND LOWER | A sewing workshop in Cosenza a nearby city.

Rivulsione delle sieppe. This was a relatively well attended event and many of the residents voiced their opinions on the current scenario that Belmonte is facing. The general consensus was that something positive needed to be done to improve the area both for its long term inhabitants and its newcomers.

Leaving the site and returning to the UK projects instigated by the NGO continued to happen. One of these projects involved studio 3 the undergraduate studio. The studio ran a workshop with the local school children in

the Old town, and they created various performances , in the Old Town showing that the Old Town is an area that could be the starting point to a longer change.

A fashion exhibition was also set up in a comic museum in Cosenza a nearby city, this was to continue the dialogue between the refugees and the local residents.

Throughout the year these activities have been a grounding point to refer our ideas back to, these initial actions have formed a solid basis to be able to propose new interventions at different scales.

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Identif ication key 8.

4.

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1.

1. Ivory Coast refugee

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2. Syrian refugee 9.

8.

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

THIS PAGE  | Collage of people acting on site

T H E B A S I S O F T H E P R OJ E C T

This collage encompasses a moment of discussion and exchange between the various actors on the site. My project aims to mix these groups in an open and collaborative way. Prior to visiting the site, it was very diff icult to be able to formulate a project, as different people wanted different outcomes for the area. However two main outcomes and design ideas were clear from visiting the site.

1. Employment All actors on the site, the refugees, the working population, and children all expressed interest in job opportunities, and how little opportunity there is in The Old Town. One of the main issues is emigration from the region generally.

2. Cultural similarities Initially at a glance one would assume that the new arriving population would be very different culturally to the Italian residents. Religion is the main identif iable similarity, as well as some other modern day culture, such as football and music.

The design thesis has been created from a range of these factors and aims to form an assembly of people that can loosely f it on the site. The project is ongoing and opportunities to engage with the site after submission are currently being planned.

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Professional context Belmonte Calabro

Introduction The following section will discuss: Architectural responses Relationships informing design

Political context scenario - Refugee reception system

Site orientation and planning Building control

• Structure,earthquakes and health and safety • Fire safety • Access and circulation • Acoustics

The role of the Architect and forward thinking organisational structures

The procurement approach to a loose f it arrangement

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TOP | Conversations outside the cafe in the old town, Belmonte.

ARCHITECTURAL RESPONSES REACTING TO THE CURRENT SETTING AND FORMULATING A CONSIDERED ARCHITECTURAL PROPOSITION

Economically the project sits in a turbulent and volatile context, with rapidly changing political and economic situations. The site currently has mixed ownership, there are 3 main owners. Firstly 2 of the buildings on the site are in a state of disrepair. One of these buildings is a derelict church (Chiesa del Purgatorio) which can be assumed to be owned by the Catholic Church. The other is an Old Aristocratic building that is assumed to be owned by a connected family member this is also in a state of disrepair with only its facade standing. The third area of the site is a garden area. Currently maintained by a group of locals the ownership is not clear. An educated guess would suggest that these gardens were part of the Aristocratic building as this would of been traditional at the time of its construction in the 18th century. Currently there is no clear owner.

Building on the political introduction from earlier the political landscape in Italy dictates the use and fabrication of buildings in the country signif icantly more than in the majority of European countries.

The inherited historical importance and f luctuating population creates a rich and challenging climate to work within.

The government position on the built environment directly impacts my proposal. This is evident from their response to the refugee population, the provision of housing to the local residents and the governments initiatives to encourage tourism These points are expanded upon within this section.

Urban planning and regulations when working in a historically and culturally sensitive site are essential to be able to develop a coherent scheme.

The REGOLAMENTO EDILIZIO COMUNALE Translated as ‘The Common Building Regulation’ this regulation has been adopted by Cosenza a nearby city in 1996. This document lays out rules, guidelines,

regulations, and some building control measures that have in part guided my design. This document is specif ic to Calabria, and is discussed alongside my proposal, in this section. This document however does not have all relevant building regulations within it and so where necessary UK guidelines have been used and adapted to f it the site.

My role within the project is also contained within this section and an alternative organisational structure is proposed with a hands off approach, where the system is guided by its users, but is proposed through a framework of parts to be assembled.

The project is procured through a loose building contract where memorandums of understanding (MOU) is used and a more collaborative and cooperative approach is encouraged. These topics are touched upon throughout the document but are highlighted in this section.

The traditional professional approach to construction in certain scenarios f its with the environment it is being designed within. Calabria however is very different to these traditional environments. By bringing together different groups of differing statuses a common goal can be achieved. My project acts as a bridge between cultures.

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stage

action

1.

procession

2.

shed construction for eco belmonte to renovate existing buildings - and festival base

3.

demolish existing

client

funded

actors

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church amantea

rebuild new church centre

4.

5.

construct link + tower

mayor

Fit out existing buildings italy tourism + italian gov

THIS PAGE  | Relationships informing the design and structure of organisation within project

external NGO volunteer group / cathod

external NGO volunteer group

contracted out

RELATIONSHIPS INFORMING DESIGN

The funding diagram to the left shows at each stage what is happening, then the client is introduced, and the funding and then the various people on the ground that will act on the decisions made.

This diagram has tried to simplify down the project, as it is quite split between different areas.

Watching a You-tube video of the f loat procession in Amantea also helped inform the size and layout of the workshop shed. Designing this open outdoor covered area was needed both for moving the procession into the heart of the old town, making it a more civic activity, and to enable existing buildings to be renovated with a workshop close by.

At each stage the relationships between the people are the most important to continue with the project.

First hand research whilst talking with the refugees was that they had no where to work, and relax. Then with future conversations with the refugees they also hinted that they did not feel accepted into the community particularly with religion. This has recently begun to change as church services are being offered in English as well as in Italian in Amantea.

These conversations formed the brief to design the church.

Rita has also been very inf luential in the projects relationships with the local residents, by instigating art and creative workshops with all the members of the community it was clear that people needed somewhere to gather and be able to speak freely about whatever they please. These conversations were used to start the project, with the procession.

25

GOVERNMENT - SPRAR

GOVERNMENT - CAS

A housing allocation scheme. In the f irst month of arrival emergency housing in centres is given, then it is opened up vso that refugees can live in rural Italian villages.

Emergency centre, this is where an existing building owner offers there building to the Italian government and is paid to become an emergency reception centre for new-coming refugees. The refugees are then given €45 each. However they can often stay in these facilities for a long time, waiting for papers and documents to progress the journey.

26

?

GOVERNMENT - CIE

This is a government ran system which is similar to the penal system.

Housing refugees in large buildings and controlling their freedom of movement and violating terms of their human rights.

THIS PAGE | Top left, bottom left and opposite images obtained from Rapporto sulla protezione internazionale in Italia 2016 last accessed on 24th May 2017 (http:// www.ilsole24ore.com/pdf2010/Editrice/ILSOLE24ORE/ILSOLE24ORE/Online/_ Oggetti_Embedded/Documenti/2016/11/16/Rapporto_protezione_internazionale_2016. pdf) THIS PAGE | Top right Hotel Ninfa marina reception centre for refugees (image obtained from google maps street view last accessed 24th May 2017)

NON GOVERNMENT - CARA

Un regulated traff icking system where Maf ia bosses are prof iting from accommodating refugees who are naive and do not know the environment in which they are going to.

POLITICAL CONTEXT SCENARIO - REFUGEE RECEPTION SYSTEM

Upon arrival, asylum seekers and migrants may be placed in the following f irst reception centres: First Aid and Reception Centres (CPSA), created in 2006 for the purposes of f irst aid and identif ication before persons are transferred to other centres.

Collective centres: This includes the existing governmental centres for accommodation of asylum seekers (CARA) and accommodation centres (CDA).

Temporary Reception Centres (CAS), implemented

by Prefectures in case of unavailability of places in the f irst or second accommodation centres.

Once this has happened often the refugees or migrants then move on to other parts of Europe or go to the SPRAR set up where they are given accommodation but in rural locations and given a small amount of money to live in such areas.

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1.

2.

3.

4.

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Identif ication key 1. Community garden 2. Aristocratic building in dis repair 3. Chisea Del Purgatorio Church in disrepair 4. Existing piazza (Piazza del Giudice)

Site orientation and urban planning

1.

2.

3.

4.

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OPPOSITE TOP | Existing site plan 1:500 OPPOSITE BOTTOM BELOW | Site plan with demolition THIS PAGE | The existing site condition and proposed demolition

The site currently has 2 buildings on it in a state of disrepair. These two buildings once removed are re invigorated both in the physical form and cultural application of the proposed. Physically the proposal re uses parts of the demolished buildings in the facade and composition of the building, to maintain a visual language that is familiar with the setting. Culturally the proposal suggests an alternative approach to a religious venue and in so doing bringing a new life and heart to the Old Town, that is currently lacking.

The Urban planning guidance in this region in Italy is very broad and has some generalisations in its wording, the document is originally written in Italian and so translation has been restrictive in my understanding of specif ic policies. Using the ‘Common Building Regulation’ document from the city council of Cosenza

the project has been shaped and loosely guided.

The project has used where possible Italian regulations, however in some instances the UK building regulation has been considered and adjusted to f it the site. All projects need to be sent to the mayor off icially and he has control over what is built, according to the document.

Building control - Structure, earthquakes and health and safety

ABOVE AND LEFT | Details (not to scale) drawings showing roof structure

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BELOW | Simple construction techniques, (left) earthquake designed joints (right)truss structural diagram.

(Iano, J. Allen, E (2003). Fundamentals of Building Construction)

Focusing more into the detailing and structure of the church building the design has been developed further. In order from ceiling to external roof the structure in place is as follows. Firstly a timber truss with a series of metal shoes meet the surrounding re constructed stone wall.

Purlins are laid on top of this, then rafters at 90 degrees.

In between these rafters there is insulation boarded in with plasterboard. A lot of the structure is made visible by the depth of the rafter, this is to keep a visual reference to the structure and a give the space a church feel. On top of this are roof ing batons and then traditional Italian tiles. This is using traditional construction methods and adapting them slightly to the location. Another considerable factor is that the region is rarely hit by

earthquakes. However the design incorporates aspects of designing with earthquakes in mind. Steel joints are inside the wood and the overall layout of the proposed buildings are symmetrical, reducing seismic forces on one particular junction.

As this structure is to be built by a medium skilled workforce of volunteers and refugees that are familiar with the construction industry, health and safety regulations are adhered to during the construction process, and the design is not particularly challenging as a structure to build. .

Building control - Fire safety

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Access routes out of buildings 30 minute f ire door Fire compartment and restriction zone THIS PAGE LEFT | Section through colonnade showing fire compartments (not to scale) THIS PAGE RIGHT | Plan with fire escape routes and compartments (not to scale) THIS PAGE BOTTOM | Stair case access table for fire safety (Littlefield D (2008). Metric Handbook: Planning and Design Data. 3rd ed. London: Architectural association)

Fire safety in a rural location in Italy has some different characteristics from the typical urban location. This is mainly the speed in response times to rural locations for the f ire service. Making small compartments for the f ire to be contained within helps when dealing with this condition.

The building layout is relatively simple and access out towards the main piazza is encouraged in an event of a f ire.

The lift tower is not in use during f ires, the sizes of the stair cases serving the access between the two piazzas are wide enough to accommodate approximately 300 people.

Access for the disabled is mainly all on one level, with some steps normally accessed with a stair lift, however during an incident of a f ire these people are then carried out and directed to a f ire assembly point.

Building control - Access and Circulation.

3.

4.

5.

2.

1.

Identif ication key 1.

Internal stair accommodation above

to

8.

2. Service stair 32

6.

3. Lift channel 4. Spiral stair to balcony level 5. Stair up to church from piazza level

9.

6. Access to f irst f loor mezzanine above workshop 7. Large procession style staircase

10.

7.

13.

8. Access from lower road level 9. Service stair 10. Spiral stair to balcony 11. Stair into church from piazza

11.

12.

12. Stair lift 13. Back courtyard stair

The site is on a particularly steep gradient, and due to this it will challenges the typical building regulations used in the UK. Stair cases where possible are broken into manageable f lights of 13. The rise and goings are typical to that of an outdoor star case that at times can expect a high volume of people, such as those found at large public venues.

A lift is positioned to provide access from the lower piazza to the upper piazza as well as the balcony space above the

adaptable spaces. This has a control room and machine room at the top of the structure, as to not interrupt with the ground f loor activities. A stair lift is positioned in the outdoor top piazza to gain access to the church from the square.

Building control - Acoustics

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O = Organ C = Organ console P = People CH = Choir

OPPOSITE TOP | Section showing different areas of access and circulation (not to scale) OPPOSITE BOTTOM | Plan showing circulation stair cases (not to scale) THIS PAGE TOP LEFT | Plan of church (not to scale) THIS PAGE TOP RIGHT | Section through church (not to scale) THIS PAGE LEFT | Advised layout of internal church space (Littlefield D (2008). Metric Handbook: Planning and Design Data. 3rd ed. London: Architectural.)

M = Minister A = Altar The building is located in a communal area surrounded by residential communities, as the building is a gathering space for various village activities it is often used during night and at week ends. The structure has been designed to avoid nuisance and where possible sound separation layers are designed into the building.

The building has been orientated in such a way to have a sound hard surface between the residential buildings in close proximity. This is done with a stone wall. The surface treatment is traditionally quite hard in a church but having a herringbone structure on the ceiling helps to baff le the sound and diffuse it more than if it was a long

straight hard face. Attention has been given to shuttering and openings in the space and these are designed so that noise projects towards more open areas rather than to residential communities, living adjacent to the site.

Different layouts of the when drawing the plan of the building were considered in relation to sound. Looking into the metric handbook helped with the positioning of different elements in the design, such as the altar positioning and seating layouts.

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1. PROCESSION

The Procession departs towards Amantea, the meeting place of all the regions f loats. A celebration of this is staged in the piazza on the site.

This is planned alongside Rita and the NGO. A hands off approach is used and the locals steer the ideas and celebrations.

2. WORKSHOP SHED

3. HALL

The simple shed is built with help from the Italian Government and is alongside ECO Belmonte.

The hall acts as a base for ECO Belmonte and the NGO, This encourages tourists and a shared experience of celebration, with exhibition and food.

Renovating existing buildings for tourists and using the workshop to build props for the festival are the main uses of this structure.

A guided approach from the government is needed and it is clear that these initiatives are already there in Belmonte but they need a slight injection of capital and excitement. This project will feel as if something big is happening from a group perspective.

This is built after demolishing 2 buildings in the square. This is done in a volunteer based summer workshop, with CATHOD funding. These building projects happen slightly independently from the Architect, however the project is instigated and encouraged by introducing the relevant people.

The Role of the Architect and forward thinking Organisational structures

Refugee SPRAR accommodation Tourist temporary accommodation Shared communal area

4. LINKS AND TOWER

5. FIT OUT

Joining the lower piazza to the other creates an arc, connecting the two piazzas a new gateway is proposed for the entrance to The Old Town.

A mix between the SPRAR system and ECO Belmonte is proposed, ECO Belmonte renovate the existing buildings whilst training refugees.

The buildings then have two uses, a semi permanent accommodation for refugees under the SPRAR system, and seasonal accommodation for tourists.

This is achieved by showing that the previous success from both the buildings is evident, and feels like the most natural and convenient way of linking the two spaces.

The scheme starts getting media attention and a landmark type tower structure is built. Acting as a f igurehead for the new cooperative and integrated scheme.

This mix creates a diverse area and a good range of people using the facilities provided throughout the year.

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36

The procurement approach to a loose fit arrangement

THE EIGHT BUILDING IN CONTEXT TOOL KIT PRINCIPLES ARE: PRINCIPLE 1 A S U C C E S S F U L P R OJ E C T W I L L STA RT W I T H A N A S S E S S M E N T O F T H E VA L U E O F R E TA I N I N G WHAT IS THERE. PRINCIPLE 2 A S U C C E S S F U L P R OJ E C T W I L L R E L AT E TO T H E G E O G RA P H Y A N D H I STO RY O F T H E P L AC E AND LIE OF THE LAND. PRINCIPLE 3 A S U C C E S S F U L P R OJ E C T W I L L B E I N FO R M E D B Y I TS OW N S I G N I F I C A N C E S O T H AT I TS C H A R A C T E R A N D I D E N T I T Y W I L L B E A P P R O P R I A T E T O I T S U S E A N D C O N T E X T. PRINCIPLE 4 A S U C C E S S F U L P R OJ E C T W I L L S I T H A P P I LY I N T H E PATT E R N O F E X I ST I N G D E V E LO P M E N T A N D T H E R O U T E S T H R O U G H A N D A R O U N D I T. PRINCIPLE 5 A S U C C E S S F U L P R OJ E C T W I L L R E S P E C T I M P O RTA N T V I E W S .

PRINCIPLE 6 A S U C C E S S F U L P R OJ E C T W I L L R E S P E C T T H E S C A L E O F N E I G H B O U R I N G B U I L D I N G S .

PRINCIPLE 7 A S U C C E S S F U L P R OJ E C T W I L L U S E M AT E R I A L S A N D B U I L D I N G M E T H O D S W H I C H A R E A S HIGH QUALITY AS THOSE USED IN EXISTING BUILDINGS. PRINCIPLE 8 A S U C C E S S F U L P R OJ E C T W I L L C R E AT E N E W V I E W S A N D J U X TA P O S I T I O N S W H I C H A D D TO THE VARIETY AND TEXTURE OF THE SETTING.1

1 http://www.building-in-context.org/the-bic-toolkit/

The building contract in this case is very far from the traditional procurement route of a typical project.

They way in which the proposal is shaped and designed throughout the process makes it very diff icult to hold a single stakeholder liable. In short the project is being built by the people that will be using it, and so all measures are taken to complete the project without issues.

A Cooperative and communal approach is used and a series of Memorandums of understanding are set in place to try and a core group of people are there to make day by day decisions. If there are any larger decisions then a cooperatives meeting is initiated and the issue is

raised. This is more of a social approach to procuring a project and is very forward thinking and likely to fail in some ways, however the group that have formed the cooperative have it in their best interest for it to succeed.

As the current situation in Belmonte is one that many complain about.

Looking at the eight building in context principles helped to guide my design and show that the design is completely integral to the people that will be using it.

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38

Environmental and Sustainable Design Belmonte Calabro

Forming an environment The following section will discuss:

Sustainable design and relevance of design from the local to the global

Environmental conditions on site

Visual, thermal and acoustic principles informing design

Orientation climate and day light

Integration of building technologies

Embodied energy, design life and adaptability

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40

TOP | Stone and concrete construction in the old town

FORMING AN ENVIRONMENT ARCHITECTURAL RELATIONSHIPS TO THE SITUATION

The project in its very nature socially relates to the wider world, however it is not so evident how the built form relates environmentally to the global situation.

In this region in Italy there is a desire to often live in new concrete framed buildings, built on new plots of land, ignoring the many viable sites with derelict or decaying buildings on. This is obviously for a cost saving but the existing buildings hold value in there raw materials. This is often overlooked and the proposal seeks to utilise these resources Traditional methods of visual, thermal and acoustic principles are used in the design as many of these principles still apply today.

The proposal has been considered to adjust over time to different uses and such spaces can be used in different ways, without considerable alterations.

The construction industry is one of the most un environmentally friendly industries, by using on site demolition materials the proposal is being more environmentally sustainable than importing large amounts of materials.

The proposals have been orientated in a particular way to be able to harness the solar energy passively, using the simple theory of thermal mass and the idea of a trombe wall the project uses age old traditional methods of environmentally conscious design and adapts them with a modern twist. The unit deals in environments that are rapidly changing and have scarce resources. The proposals challenge the stereotype of architect as builder and more of an instigator.

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WEATHERING AND LANDSLIDES IN CALABRIA

107

42

D. CALCATERRA & M. PARISE Fig. 1. Geological sketch map of Calabria (modified after Nicotera 1959a).

TOP LEFT | Rock strata map Weathering in the crystalline rocks of Calabria, Italy, and relationships to landslides, Domenico Calcaterra, TOP RIGHT | The old town perched on tufa stone BOTTOM BELOW | Calabrian arc plate Weathering in the crystalline rocks of Calabria, Italy, and relationships to landslides, Domenico Calcaterra, OPPOSITE PAGE | The existing site condition and proposed demolition

Sustainable design and relevance of design from the local to the global

Church building to be preserved and moved

The photograph above shows the proposed area of complete demolition. The three story structure has little supporting it from behind and so an estimation can be made on the amount of reusable hardcore and rubble when it is demolished.

Approximately the walls are 300mm thick being stone and plaster. The frontage is approximately 30m in length and is 9m tall, meaning that 81 m 3 is theoretically standing material. The design has considered this amount of material available on site and has been designed accordingly. Moving the frontage of an existing church is a culturally sensitive move. This is done by removing the frontage by hand and then storing it on the site and re building it but by making it larger than it currently is by using parts of the aristocratic building. These building actions are undertaken by a series of locals, professionals , volunteers and refugees. This involvement promotes a

Aristocratic building to be demolished and re used in new construction

more knowledgeable and aware group of people, that can in the long term transfer these skills to another project.

The scheme highlights the wasteful nature in the construction industry and teaches the workers that there is value in preserving and re appropriating buildings, instead of simply knocking them down and disposing of them in landf ill.

The soil composition in this region in Italy are tertiary sedimentations, an example of this is limestone. This is where the majority of the traditional building materials came from. These materials are used in the construction of the proposed scheme and so have a low carbon footprint. The calabrian arc is also pushing in a south easterly direction and so the area is relatively active seismically.

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8am - 21st June

11am - 21st June

2pm - 21st June

5pm - 21st June

44

AM

PM

Wind f low on site

Environmental conditions on site

Temperature annual averages On average, the warmest month is July. On average, the coolest month is January.

Precipitation annual averages Most rainfall (rainy season) is seen in November and December November is the wettest month.

45

Humidity annual averages July is the driest month.

To be able to interpret the design and its relevant environmental conditions, a simple analysis of the regions climate and characteristics is needed.

At approximately 40 degrees north and 16 degrees east. The region is relatively close the equator and so the sun is high in the sky throughout the year. The area experiences typical coastal air f lows, breezes from the land to the sea in the morning and coastal winds in the afternoons. The temperature ranges between 0 Celsius and close to 30 degrees in the peak of summer.

There is an expected amount of rainfall in the region and humidity is often quite high. These conditions have set the context for me to be able to design within.

OPPOSITE TOP | Solar studies of the existing site (not to scale) OPPOSITE BOTTOM | Wind flow on the site (not to scale) THIS PAGE | The environmental conditions on site data obtained from (https://www.worldweatheronline.com/reggio-di-calabria-weather-averages/ calabria/it.aspx last accessed 24th May 2017)

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2.

1.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Ventilation Key Hot air f low

Cold Air f low

1.

Hot air f lows out of openings in lift opening. Roof surface is black encouraging hot air to create a draw effect

4.

A small fan creates cross ventilation between units

2.

Sun light heats up tower to create a stack effect of air f low

5.

Cold air is drawn up from prevailing coastal wind up the tower

3.

Hot air escapes through roof lights in individual units

6.

Cool air f lows across the workshop f loor in both directions

Visual, thermal and acoustic principles informing design

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Thermal mass key Thermal mass

Visually the scheme uses a range of materials to control the environmental conditions needed for the proposals.

The main concept that runs through these conditions visually is the thermally massive parts of the structure that act in a similar way to the trombe wall theory illustrated to the left. The f inishes are dark and are exposed to sun light causing a convection f low through the structure.

These thermally massive areas are also located on the southern side of the proposals to heat up during the day and keep warm over the night. This is achieved by using either concrete or stone with a low specif ic heat capacity, that can store heat over a long period of time.

Acoustically the proposal is laid out in a specif ic way to compartmentalise the sound into areas that are more manageable and suitable for the activities taking place.

The louder areas such as the outdoor workshop is placed away from residential areas and this is also sheltered by a steep stone bank. The church area is enclosed in a stone wall on 3 of its 4 sides. This helps shield the sound from the surrounding residential buildings. The layout of the church also has one side at the lower level open, this helps the sound spill out and not become contained within the structure.

OPPOSITE TOP | Ventilation flow in plan across proposals (not to scale) OPPOSITE BOTTOM | Ventilation section (not to scale) OPPOSITE BOTTOM RIGHT | Trombe wall diagram obtained from (Littlefield D (2008). Metric Handbook: Planning and Design Data. 3rd ed.

London: Architectural.)

ABOVE | Thermal mass diagram (not to scale)

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Light penetration Gradient of 2m light penetration

TOP | Light penetration (not to scale) BOTTOM | Solar shading options obtained from (Littlefield D (2008). Metric Handbook: Planning and Design Data. 3rd ed. London: Architectural.)

OPPOSITE | Perspective and plan sun paths (not to scale)

Orientation climate and day light

8 am

8 am

11 am

11 am

49

2 pm

2 pm

5 pm

5 pm

7 pm

7 pm

Designing for the Southern Mediterranean climate a major consideration has been given to orientation and the arrangement of programmes.

Placing the buildings around the edge of the square not only creates a large public open space but it also positions the buildings around the edge of the square facing south.

Facing south in many ways is benef icial and as the buildings are a workshop, a series of classrooms / adjustable spaces

and a church hall the southerly orientation does not impact the activity taking place inside the buildings. Day light is needed for most of these tasks and by shading the areas from direct sunlight for most of the day the spaces benef it from a diffuse and dappled light. In some cases this light can be controlled with roof lights with roller shutters, improving the comfort conditions inside the proposed

Integration of building technologies

Roof light with roller blind

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Belmonte Calabro is a rural village in a rural part of Southern Italy, and therefore has a limited palette of resources, and so the design harnesses traditional concepts of building technologies in favour of modern day advances to the built environment industry. Traditional building technologies such as blinds and shutters are located in areas that light is needing to be controlled.

The servicing of the building is also connected to the existing services in the old town. This is mainly to keep construction costs lower, as implementing a reed bed f iltration system may be applicable in this setting but the initial cost of such a system seems particularly expensive when an existing system exists.

Embodied energy, design life and adaptability

TOP | Potential adaptability diagram (not to scale) BOTTOM | Potential adaptability section (not to scale) OPPOSITE | Section through colonnade showing blind to control solar gain (not to scale)

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Key Adjustable spaces Potential expansion area

The proposal has a mix of materials in it mainly concrete, stone and timber. Each of these have a different embodied energy. Timber being the lowest, then stone and concrete. The largest structure is spanned with timber and this is sourced locally, concrete is used sparingly mainly as foundations but also as a poured concrete slab f loor. The poured concrete slab f irst f loor is needed as the colonnade needs to be partially covered to protect the rooms behind from being exposed to direct sun light.

Initially this area was to be timber but spanning 7m becomes diff icult and so concrete was chosen. Although concrete has a high embodied energy this is limited to the only parts of the proposal.

The proposal has been designed with an adaptable and

changeable layout to accommodate different uses over time. The colonnade is the main example of this however the workshop shed can also easily be adapted by either extending or changing its use. The church space has been a vital part of the Italian culture for centuries so this part of the proposal stays the same in terms of layout but could easily become more accommodating to alternative uses.

Focusing on the colonnade by adding to the concrete frame you are able to extend upward and outward, depending on what is needed. These could become shops or even small accommodation units

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Construction, Ma terials and Structures Belmonte Calabro

Materiality and form The following section will discuss: Structural and construction strategy

Construction processes and health and safety

Construction techniques informing design

Building services

Physical properties of the built form

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54

TOP | Unit pitch, MAE “The deep block”

MATERIALITY AND FORM WORKING IN AN AREA OF RAPID CHANGE AND SCARCE RESOURCES TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION AND STRUCTURE ARE USED AND APPROPRIATED FOR THE PLACE

The structural and constructional strategies employed by the design are very simple principles as many of the building tasks are undertaken by a low to medium skilled work force. This informs the design keeping it relatively simple, but at times challenging as to engage the workers. The meeting of old and new buildings is in many cases applicable to lots of other building projects.

The act of building becomes one of learning where skills are transferred between locals and refugees.

This skill transfer is a strategy that benef its both the local people the refugees and the site they are building on. Workshops are run alongside the building to make the workers aware of relevant health and safety regulations when working. These health and safety workshops can then be used if the workers want to move somewhere else to work.

Building services are currently existing in the old town and are not being heavily used, however there are some issues with the energy suppliers. This has been ongoing for quite some time and the proposal does not do anything drastic to enhance this area. As there are two main areas of buildings there are two plant rooms.

The physical properties and characteristics of the built form has developed alongside the layout and feel of the project. The overall approach to the buildings is to provide an addition to the site but one that is not very distinctive and stand out. The choices of materials will blend and merge with the existing, the material choices when seen against the existing buildings that surround the site aim to harmonise and complement the existing built fabric.

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Tile roof ing Tiling in the traditional manner

Timber framing A lightweight timber frame sits behind the Old Stone facade

Tile / sheet roof ing The 5th elevation that you look out over bleeds into the landscape, and is designed sensitively.

Floor slab Concrete slab Stone wall Tuff stone is used in its traditional way to harmonise between the existing and the proposed Partition wall Lightweight timber studwork

Masonry construction 56

Heavy weight stacked stone, similar to how some of the traditional buildings are constructed. However as it is tall a wide base is constructed tapering up towards the top.

Stone Re Purposed church Facade The church facade is preserved and re used to create a frontage to the proposed piazza.

Stone retaining wall Stone is stacked to prevent the existing wall from slipping.

Stone stacked column Rubble from the demolition of parts of the old square are re used as aggregate to construct the columns Existing stone wall The existing stone construction preserves the qualities of the Old Town.

Piazza

Opening in existing wall

Structural and construction strategy

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Structural grid Main structure line TOP | Structural grid diagram (not to scale) LEFT | Structural layout choices in areas of earthquake activity (slide from lecture given at the CASS 12th Novermber 2017) OPPOSITE | Exploded axo showing structural elements (some images obtained from google images)

The strategy applied to the building is a relatively simple strategy. This has been conceived in such a way so that low and medium skilled volunteers, builders and refugees are able to learn skills on the project that they are able to use elsewhere if they so desire. The drawing above shows the structural grid lines on the proposed.

The exploded axo to the left highlights the varying weight of materials that are within the scheme. The heavy stone is joined with the relatively lightweight timber structure.

The layout and design of these spaces has also been adjusted to be more resilient in earthquakes. Symmetry is a big factor when designing in such environments,and constructing the building in this shape it will inevitably last longer. The structural grid used on the scheme is also uniform and does not f luctuate greatly, giving it more ease of construction.

Existing site

Workshop shed construction

Demolition and re use of existing buildings to construct church hall

Colonnade, stairs and tower are built to link elements together

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TOP | Constructional sequence diagram plan (not to scale) OPPOSITE | Site organisation plan (not to scale)

Construction processes and health and safety

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Site organisation key Fabrication and building area Site storage Existing access is used Site off ice

Fabrication of the majority of the building components is done on site, to enhance the learning experience and skill sharing. The only elements to be brought in are the steel shoe parts for the wooden trusses to sit within and some of the more intricate steel work for the hand railing and the aluminium framing for the adaptable spaces. The rest of the building elements are assembled and built on site.

In the action of fabricating the built components the end users of the building are becoming more in tune with the way the building is constructed, and therefore are able to maintain it better. There will need to be different machinery on site mainly for levelling and demolishing

but these machines will be monitored and dealt with in a safe and appropriate manner.

Generally however the construction processes associated with the construction are not particularly hazardous. A site off ice manager is appointed and they oversee the building project.

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2.

3.

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4.

1. Roof ing

THIS PAGE | 1:20 model of church facade highlighting traditional building components (not to scale) OPPOSITE TOP | Sketch of old town from nearby hill OPPOSITE BOTTOM | Site organisation plan Principle of building (Alan. Fundamentals of building construction book)

2. Spanning

3. Facade colour

4. Stone build up

Construction techniques informing design

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The vernacular was built in a low tech and reduced palette of materials, mainly by hand. Similar techniques are used in the construction of the scheme. Local materials are used and the scheme is made up of a mix of old and new styles of architecture. Where possible hand lifting and pulleys are used to construct the various parts of the building. Parts of the building however will not be able to be solely built by hand and a small crane will be needed, this is mainly for placing the truss structures

onto the columns or stone wall, depending on what part of the proposal you are building.

These decisions on how the building would be constructed were relatively early on in the process of design and have dictated the overall layout and method of construction, as a crane would only need to be hired for a short amount of time.

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Servicing key Servicing paths Plant location Bin store

Building services

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The building services are incorporated into the existing facilities in all areas of the construction. This is more easily achievable in the top piazza area, where the building are in close proximity to other existing buildings. In this instance servicing runs along the back wall of the colonnade and services the adaptable units. The lift space needs servicing running through its entire prof ile.

This is achieved by running the servicing through the wall structure. The majority of the servicing needed here is for the electronic equipment needed for the lift.

The more diff icult area to get the servicing to is for the shed in the lower piazza. The other issue with this power

supply is that it will need to run at a different KVA for the workshop equipment, compared to the more typical use of power in the upper piazza.. This is simply done with a transformer that can be f ixed to the output of the electricity source.

There is a bin store at the edge of the site for ease of access through the proposed access point.

Maintaining the building is also needed and so regularly power points and accessible cleaning of the spaces have been considered when designing the scheme.

THIS PAGE | Section through colonnade showing service runs (not to scale) OPPOSITE TOP | Servicing runs (not to scale) OPPOSITE BOTTOM | Servicing runs in section (not to scale)

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Physical properties of the built form

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The building has a variety of physical f inishes and characteristics. Generally it has a hard heavy stone feel with a more lightweight softer internal feel. This is achieved by meeting stone concrete and timber.

surface changes. The material samples and photographs on the left show a snap shot as to what feel the detail is trying to communicate.

Condensing the projects physical qualities into one specif ic detail shows most of the main qualities that are found throughout the proposal. The hard stone exterior has a more lightweight and frame like structure on the inside. In this case a reinforced concrete column is surrounded with a rough stone texture that has been reclaimed from the demolished building. Then stepping further into a more private part of the proposal the f loor

THIS PAGE 窶ポ窶ケerspective view of piazza OPPOSITE 窶ポ窶イolumn plan 1:10 images obtained from various sources on Pintrest

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DETAILS Belmonte Calabro

Introduction The following section displays: 1:20 details

1:10 Key junction details

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1:20 THROUGH CHURCH HALL

1 . R I D G E D E TA I L @ 1 : 1 0

2 . R O O F L I G H T D E TA I L @ 1 : 1 0

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3 . R O O F M E E T I N G STO N E WA L L D E TA I L @ 1 : 1 0

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4. STONE WALL MEETING FLOOR @ 1:10

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2. CONCRETE FLOOR MEETING STONE WALL

@ 1:10

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3. CONCRETE FLOOR MEETING STONE WALL @ 1:10

1 . C A N T I L E V E R D E TA I L @ 1 : 1 0

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1.

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1 : 2 0 T H R O U G H C O LO N N A D E A N D A DA PTA B L E U N I T

1. CONCRETE FLOOR MEETING BALUSTRADE

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2. CONCRETE COLUMN MEETING FLOOR

@ 1:10

@ 1:10

3. STONE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION AND ALUMINIMUM FRAMING MEETING CONCRETE SLAB @ 1:10

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4. ALUMINIUM FRAMING MEETING FLOOR

@ 1:10

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1 . R O O F L I G H T D E TA I L M E E T I N G E X I ST I N G STO N E WA L L @ 1 : 1 0

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Bibliography

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books DE WOLFE, I (1963). The Italian townscape. 16th ed. London: Architectural Press.. -.

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.

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

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

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.

Weathering in the crystalline rocks of Calabria, Italy, and relationships to landslides, Domenico Calcaterra, Geological Society London Engineering Geology Special Publications 23(1):105-130 ¡ July 2010.

Websites http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/ https://www.architecture.com/ https://www.theguardian.com/ https://www.google.com/maps/ https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/ http://socks-studio.com/ http://www.asylumineurope.org/ http://www.comune.cosenza.gov.it/ http://www.building-in-context.org/ http://www.nationalgeographic.com https://www.worldweatheronline.com http://www.nset.org.np/nset2012/images/publicationf ile/20110816230617.pdf

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