Master Thesis Politecnico di Milano Olympic Village in Cortina d'Ampezzo for Milano-Cortina 2026

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Factory home

Olympic Village in Cortina d’Ampezzo during the Winter Olympic Games Milano-Cortina 2026 completed by: Salome Pkhakadze Ewa Tomczyk

supervised by: Pierre-Alain Croset



Factory home

Olympic Village in Cortina d’Ampezzo during the Winter Olympic Games Milano-Cortina 2026

Politecnico di Milano

Master’s Degree Thesis

School of Architecture, Urban Planning and Construction Engineering

Architecture and Urban Design 2020-2021

Completed by: Salome Pkhakadze (925959) Ewa Tomczyk (925931) Supervised by: Pierre-Alain Croset


Abstract In 2026 Italy will host the Olympic Games already for the 3rd time in history. Milan and ski resorts of Cortina d’Ampezzo and Livigno will become the temporary capitals of winter sports. Thesis aims on design of Olympic Village intended for the cluster in Cortina d’Ampezzo, in the nearby town of Fiames on the territory of former airport. Project site is located in the narrow valley of Boite river, surrounded by extensive forest. The site is not well developed in terms of existing functions. Besides the runway of the former airport, there are few sport facilities, small hotels and a campsite. Project envisions

transformation of the area with creating attractions for people, as well as additional accommodation on site. The residential units of Olympic village are made-up of prefabricated, completely self-sufficient, timber modules. They are grouped in clusters of different configurations, which are easy to be dismantled, or reconfigured according to needs and transported to different locations after the event. Furthermore, the research part is structured in a way that concerns the challenges global construction sector faces currently and how it can be improved through shifts towards feasible prefabricated practices,

modular and timber architecture. Another objective of thesis is a sustainable after-event legacy. Formerly, winter Olympic games demonstrated un-sustainable practices (Sochi 2014, Turin 2006), where Olympic Villages or infrastructure stayed deserted and without function up-to now. Therefore, sustainability became the primary criteria to be considered while planning the new Olympic infrastructure. Accordingly, thesis hypothesizes after-event legacy through strategy of promoting sustainable construction practices with timber and encouraging wood processing enterprises on regional level.


Nel 2026 l’Italia ospiterà i Giochi Olimpici già per la terza volta nella storia. Milano e le stazioni sciistiche di Cortina d’Ampezzo e Livigno diventeranno le capitali temporanee degli sport invernali. obiettivi tesi sulla progettazione di Villaggio Olimpico destinati per il cluster a Cortina d’Ampezzo, nella vicina città di Fiames sul territorio del vecchio aeroporto. Il sito del progetto si trova nella stretta valle del fiume Boite, circondato da un’estesa foresta. Il sito non è ben sviluppato in termini di funzioni esistenti. Oltre alla pista dell’ex aeroporto, ci sono pochi impianti sportivi, piccoli alberghi e un campeggio. Il progetto prevede

la trasformazione dell’area con la creazione di attrazioni per le persone, nonché ulteriori alloggi. Le unità abitative del Villaggio Olimpico sono costituite da moduli prefabbricati in legno,completamente autosufficienti. Sono raggruppati in cluster di diverse configurazioni, facili da smontare, o riconfigurare secondo le esigenze e trasportati in diverse posizioni dopo l’evento. Inoltre, la parte di ricerca è strutturata in un modo che riguarda le sfide che il settore delle costruzioni globale deve affrontare attualmente e come può essere migliorato attraverso il passaggio a pratiche prefabbricate fattibili, architettura modulare e in legno.

Un altro obiettivo della tesi è un’eredità sostenibile dopo l’evento. In precedenza, i giochi olimpici invernali hanno dimostrato pratiche non sostenibili (Sochi 2014, Torino 2006), dove i villaggi olimpici o le infrastrutture sono rimasti deserti e senza funzione fino ad ora. Pertanto, la sostenibilità è diventata il criterio principale da considerare durante la pianificazione della nuova infrastruttura olimpica. Di conseguenza, la tesi ipotizza l’eredità post-evento attraverso la strategia di promozione di pratiche di costruzione sostenibili con il legno e incoraggiando le imprese di trattamento del legno a livello regionale.



Acknowledgement We would like to thank..

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We would like to thank..



Contents part I Olympic Village

part II Wood indsutry and economy

01 Accomodation for Olympic Games

06 Modular architecture and its superiorities

02 Mega-Event legacy

07 Wood industry in Italy and Austria

03 Olympic Village development 04 Future of Olympic Village 05 Milano-Cortina 2026

08 Strategy of developing timber constrction in Veneto region 09 Traditional Alpine architecture

part II Olympic Village - design proposal 10 Site analysis 11 Temporary mobile home - design proposal 12 Conclusion


part

Olympic Village


01 02 03 03.1

Accommodation for Olympic Games Mega-Event legacy Olympic Village development History

03.2 Winter editions

03.3 Case studies

04 04.1

Future of Olympic Village Challenges

04.2 Requirements of the Olympic Village

05 05.1

Milano-Cortina 2026 Future host cities

05.2 Cortina d’Ampezzo


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Accommodation for Olympic Games A “world in miniature” protected from the outside, as an example of a multicultural society, a place where women and men from different cultures and races could meet and live together. (Pratelli, 2011)

Today sport often seems to be a form of en­tertainment for the audience from all around the world, thanks to its portrayal in television and media. People from all around the world watch their favourite sportsmen and support in the fight for medals. The athletes competing in the competitions have undoubtedly a very frantic lifestyle acting always on the highest level of performance being always on the eyes of their supporters. Their achievements during the competition are influenced by the appropriate level of relaxation, which is to be ensured by accommodation at the competition site. That is why this work focuses on the seemin­gly hidden but tending to be the central focus of the Olympic Games: accommodation. The Olympic Village is the temporary home of Olympic athletes and officials from throughout the world for the duration of the Games. On the one hand, the Olympic Village allows athletes to prepare for sports events while being insulated and protected from outside influences. On the other hand, it serves to unite the athletes and to foster a feeling of community and internationalism,

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Part I - Olympic Village - Oympic infrastructure and accommodation

which may help to realize some of the Olympic Mission objectives in a practical and meaningful way. It contributes to the unique Olympic experience by encouraging athletes to train in environments that promote the highest levels of athletic performance while also allowing athletes from all participating nations to meet and engage in one location (IOC, 2015). The theme of Olympic accommodation is also a key factor in the rela­ tionship between the Games and the host cities. There are a great many lessons to be learned by the city from this architecture and from these events. An Olympic event in antiquity also had a place where athletes lived and trained together. All competitors in the Ancient Olympic Games convened in the city of Elis, which was about 60 kilometres from Olympia. After months of individual preparation, the athletes were required to go to Elis 30 days ahead of the beginning of the Games in order to live and practice together, which can be taken as a place most similar to today’s Olympic Village. Shortly before the Games, they travelled together with the judges to


Figure 2 . Conifer forest in Dolomites

Olympia to compete. (Krieger, 2014) Today, the Olympic Village is mostly a large housing complex with a variety of cultural and sociological amenities for the athletes to utilize during the Olympic Games. It is no longer only used as a dormitory facility for Olympic participants. Rather, the Olympic Villages must fulfil a far broader variety of conceptual objectives than the early Olympic Games – team spaces, food demands, religious places, resting areas, security, and so on. This means that the OCOGs and the architects of the Olympic Villages are facing many

more challenges concerning urban planning and the requirements for the Olympic Games. They also have to guarantee an effective legacy for the housing after the Games. Consequently, the Olympic Village has adopted a prominent place on the Olympic agenda as one of the ‘important elements not only within Olympic urbanism but also within town planning’ (Muñoz, 1997). During the planning and construction of the Olympic Village the OCOG is obliged to follow the guidelines and requirements of the IOC based on the Olympic

Figure 1. Olympic Village entrance during its completion ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea in December 2017

Part I - Olympic Village - Olympic infrustructure and accommodation

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Charter. Rule 38 outlines that, ‘with the objective of bringing together all competitors, team officials and other team personnel in one place, the OCOG shall provide an Olympic Village for a period determined by the IOC Executive Board’ (IOC, 2011). The term ‘Olympic Village’ was first used in an official IOC text in 1949, when the only requirements were the following:

Housing: The organizing Committee of the Olympic Games must provide the athletes with furnished quarters and food at an inclusive price per head per day which must be previously fixed. All expenses must be borne by the countries taking part who must also be responsible for any damage done by their teams. (IOC, 1946)

Currently, the guidelines for the Olympic Village design can be found in the Technical Manual on Olympic Village (excerpt in figure 2), which has been in place since 2005. The Technical Manual contains detailed information on the planning and construction processes for the Olympic Village; a list of minimum requirements in terms of capacities and area planning, as well as precise specifications for housing facilities, amenity supply system, leisure facilities, sport medical facilities and all other services, methods and organisational procedures within the Olympic Village (IOC, 2005).

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Figure 2. Olympic spirit in Whistler Village still visible long after the Games in 2010

Part I - Olympic Village - Oympic infrastructure and accommodation


Part I - Olympic Village - Olympic infrustructure and accommodation

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02

Mega Event legacy Winter Olympic Games undoubtedly belong to the World’s Mega Events, in view of the number of spectators it gathers, touristic movements and media influence. An important point is also the legacy that the event is leaving when the Games finish - sport venues, new living districts and infrastructure.

The Olympic Games belong to the world’s Mega Events, which emerged in the 19th century, in the context of the industrial revolution and have been associated with the rise of modernity. For the last 150 years, mega-events have been used as instruments to promote and distinguish cities—since the first World’s Fair in London in 1851 or the first modern Olympics staged in 1896 in Athens. During this period, mega-events have taken different shapes and forms, evolving over time and with differing focal points. (Ponzini, 2018) The first uses of the term “mega-event” were associating it with tourism. With this emphasis, to set its definition, scholars looked at tourist numbers, extra spending from a mega-event, and the economic impacts on income and job development, long-term growth paths, image changes, and host city perceptions (Müller M., 2015). There is a slight difference in every research in qualifying the event to the correct group. While the Summer Olympic Games and Football World Cup are widely considered as the biggest mega events, the winter edition or the World Expos are

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Part I - Olympic Village - Mega Event legacy

often taken as the second-order event for few reasons. To begin with, the Winter Olympic Villages are located in smaller towns, mostly in mountainous regions, with less involved urban dynamics than the Olympic Summer Games host cities of the last century. Second, the reach of the interventions is not as broad by definition and from a content standpoint. Finally, the architecture and structure standards are not the same as those used in the Olympic Summer Games. An example of the latter is the prevalence of indoor urbanism, with a scarcer range of spaces to be planned. In any case, the significance and value of both kinds of the Olympic Games are incontestable. The first World Exposition was the “Great Exhibition” of London in 1851. The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens in 1896. On the one hand, megaevents such as the Olympics or the Universal Expositions are aimed at celebrating universal ideals such as excellence, respect, and friendship. The nations that organized them, on the other hand, wanted to show off their economic and political might. This manifested itself in the form of innovative structures that have since


become important landmarks, like the Eiffel Tower built for the Paris International Exposition in 1889 or the Crystal Palace from the 1851 International Exhibition in London. Lots of international events can attract large numbers of people, stimulate ideas and inspire architects and municipalities to give their very best but the Olympic Games are perhaps the most important event of all. The World Cup now seems to be almost ex­clusively organised for TV addicts and the inter­ national media and can have an enormous im­pact especially in the short term. The same can be said for the great International Expos. Yet these events, in the long term, have far less impact than the Olympics, which often leave a more durable, living legacy. The difference is impressive if

we examine the development of this theme over the last century. The first editions of Olympic Games appeared to be gatherings of “insane” sport enthusiasts, and the first villa­ges, which date from around 1924, almost thir­ty years after the first edition, seemed to be little more than well-organised campsites. When we compare them to the Olympic Games of today, we can see what a great deal of progress has been made to accommodate the thousands of competitors. Nonetheless, the most intriguing aspect is that this progress is a result of the Olympics’ inherent qualities, values, and reasons for existence, but also simply reflecting changes in our society. The Olympics are a representation of contemporary society and a watershed moment in the history of the host country, which

Figure 3. Opening ceremony of Summer Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro

Part I - Olympic Village - Mega Event legacy

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Figure 4. Palazzo Italia during Expo 2015 in Milan

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is forced to create a living experiment for the Olympics that has the potential to transform the entire city. Another thing is happening after the finishing of Expo - it appears to leave a lot of confusion, with a lot of empty monuments that serve no reason, and when a World Cup ends, we stay with a lot of bu­ildings with a specific purpose, which are appro­ priate only for a particular objective. The Olympics, on the other hand, have the power to completely change a city. They produce a one-of-a-kind urban experiment, allowing the city to prepare and build infrastructure that will be used long after the Games are over. Thousands of people (athletes, coaches, administrators,

Part I - Olympic Village - Mega Event legacy

and staff) are brought to a city for a brief period of time for the Olympic Games, with unique assignments in different fields. Hundreds of thousands of people, including spectators, fans, and others, enter them at the same time, moving from place to place, to various games and districts, with no set destination. They engage in various activities in various locations, often traveling to a number of locations and other times congregating in one location for a while. People behave as they would in a real city, and the Olympic Village takes on the role of an urban experiment rather than a series of specific structures. The host cities have various ideas


for their future venues – building completely new infrastructure, reusing existing structures or building temporary solutions. As suggested by the IOC Agenda 2020, if future Olympics focus on reducing the amount of new infrastructure built for the events, the entire economic equation could change, altering both their overall impact and potential viability. The infrastructure built can vary extensively between events. Typically for the recent years, infrastructures utilized by Olympics, such as stadiums, sport venues, or accommodation units are newly built. Additionally, transport networks and hubs also serve as key investments within the infrastructure

of events. These investments are directly linked to the mass numbers of visitors the event intends to attract but also serve larger ambitions of the legacy of these events. There is relatively little material waste after an Olympic Games is over. Life goes on in the host city, despite the effects of an extreme experiment. The Games are a real-world test of a city’s ability to rediscover its identity, reinvent its image, and compete with the rest of the world. When it comes to planning the Olympic residential areas, this is the starting point. All should be made with the aim of serving a future function as well as being useful during the Games.

Figure 5. World Peace Gate built for Summer Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988

Part I - Olympic Village - Mega Event legacy

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03 03.1

“It is possible to find different archetypes or spatial models: the military camp, the campus, the amusement park, the megastructure”

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Olympic Village development The Olympic Village was not the essential point for the organizers of the Games from the beginning. There has been a long transformation over the years which led to the today’s closed neighbourhood environment with all the services provided.

History The buildings of Olympic Villages have resulted in very different solutions and inventions every four years since the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics with the exception of 1940 and 1944, when the Games were cancelled due to World War II. The number of competitors and participants has increased significantly since then. In Athens in 2004, the number was more than twice that of Moscow in 1980. The Los Angeles Olympics in 1932 drew 1,311 athletes, while the Beijing Olympics in 2008 gathered over 11,000 athletes. For potential Olympic Games editions, an even larger number is anticipated. In the meantime, the Olympic Village has grown in importance, not only in terms of infrastructure, but also as a “core feature” and iconic location, alongside the Olympic Stadium, for each edition of the Games, to be measured by public opinion around the world. The organizing committees’ strategy has changed over time. The more basic Olympic Villages were designed to temporarily house a large number of people, while

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

the more complex ones sought to incorporate the image of a country or a city as part of an event that could also serve as a launching pad for urban reorganization. It should not be forgotten that the cost of building an Olympic Village is one of the most costly components of an Olympic budget, and its construction, no matter how essential, cannot be considered simple. The Olympic Village is only used for a few weeks during the Games, even if it is built as a true village or an urban district. It was originally intended to be a temporary structure for a small number of athletes, but with the rise of the participants, the idea has since developed into a permanent structure. The idea is that once the funds have been found to enable its complex, expensive construction the village should be built in such a way as to become something definitive, important and alive for the years to come. From the Helsinki Games in 1952 onwards, the Olympic Village has contained permanent lodgings,


designed to be sold or rented at the end of the Games. This trend has continued to the present day, albeit with clear variations regarding quantity, quality, facilities and loca­ tion. The only exceptions were Tokyo 1964 where the area was turned into a park, and in the United States in Los Angeles 1984 and At­lanta 1996, where the villages were construct­ ed as part of university campuses, thereby adding to the existing student accommodation once the Games were over. The Olympic Village is therefore intended from the outset to have two functions. The first is brief but intense, characterized by the frantic rhythms of a group of people representing an international elite, whilst the second lasts over time, focused on the everyday life of its perma­nent residents.

However anyone who is interested in archi­tecture, its history and its reuse and restora­tion, knows that buildings and their functions change over time, and the best architecture is often that which can cope, even in its original design, with changes of use. For this reason the construction of an Olympic Village is mainly planned for its use as a new residential district following the Games, as an element for expanding the city or a fragment of a more complex project for the redevelopment of the existing urban space. What remains after the Olympic Games is not only a series of sports facilities and sta­ diums, but also a residential patrimony of a considerable size, which can host thousands of residents. The research around the Olympic

Figure 6. Athelets competing during the Winter Games in Vancouver 2010

Many housing typologies were designed for the athletes’ residences. For simplification: • Small or large houses • Horizontal multi-storey buildings • Towers

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

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There have been many ways in which the design of the Village was solved during the years. The biggest differences concern: • Localization of the village respecting the host city (centre or periphery) • The connection between the village and the city • The contiguity to the sport venues (Olympic Park) • The ex novo construction on a free area or the reuse of disused or to be redeveloped areas • The size and quality of the built services

Figure 7. Typologies of the chosen Winter Olympic Villages

Lillehammer 1994

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village project conducted for eighty years now denounces different approaches and different solutions, in which, as Antonio di Campli notes, it is possible to find different archetypes or spatial models: the military camp, the campus, the amusement park, the megastructure (Pratelli, 2011). These archetypes seem very far apart but are precisely for this reason interesting, while always maintaining their strong validity. From a functional and distributive point of view, in fact, the village has peculiar characteristics that really make all these archetypes possible, apparently in sharp contrast to each other. It is in fact a kind of urban district, built to be used temporarily by a specific group of people, with a well-determined function in the short term, but whose subsequent use can be extremely diversified depending on the ways, intentions and future that the city has given for that intervention. The Olympic Village is therefore presented in extremely different forms, despite the apparent rigidity of the regulations formulated by the International Olympic Committee

Nagano 1998

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

(IOC). But it is only natural that these regulations should fail or do not want to standardise all the various interventions, if not for some common elements, since these directives have no real architectural indication, but rightly focus only on the type of use in the short and long term and on the type of user who will have to “inhabit” them. It should also be noted that, with the determination of the Paralympic Games, which have been held regularly since 1988 in the same location as the host city, the category of users has changed, becoming in practice a different elite, which in practice comes to understand everyone’s needs. During the many decades of Olympic village achievements, the demands and needs of the athletes to whom the village should give a complete response have obviously also changed. In fact, the first model of athlete, characterized by a “spartan” way of life, such as that found in the first editions of the games, is established the one closest to the figure of the tourist, increasingly attentive to the services and the degree of comfort offered.

Turin 2006


“The village has also been modified, conceived not only as a placeLillehammer to stay, 1994 but also as a structure where to “keep fit”.

As a result, the village has also been modified, conceived not only as a place to stay, but also as a structure where to “keep fit”. Already in the village of Berlin 1936, for example, we find the construction of the sauna and other body care facilities, which will then increase in subsequent editions. Stefano Frassinelli tried to draw the psychological profile of the villagers and in this study indicated two types: the first involves the almost total number of athletes who are in the first Olympic participation, Nagano 1998 while the second concerns a small percentage of the group: they are the champions, or rather they are the ones who have wished to win, those who are there to win (Frasinelli, 2005). The former undergoes the impact of the village. “All is a surprise. The village overwhelms them by involving them with its colors, with the meeting of the different nationalities present, with the view of the champions of the other disciplines. There is the chase for souvenirs, Olympic gadgets to demonstrate participation, belonging to the Olympic Family. (...)

After the competitive commitments the last period and dedicated to tourism and the satisfaction of curiosity. Now there is the real discovery of the Village, but time and little and immediately you return home”. The latter, on the other hand, make the best use of the structures of the village. “Everything is seen according to the performance: gyms, canteen, physiotherapy, accommodation”. They are the ones who arrive “at the last moment to avoid all the stresses that originate from the Olympic community itself. Turin 2006 Once they arrive they remain only for the time for the exploitation of the technical resources of the Village”. Ideally the Olympic Village should reflect the spirit of the city in which it is located, along with the technology of its time. And this is almost always true, for better or for worse, because it is inevitable for such a complex intervention. However, it should also exemplify the result of contemporary research into housing patterns and land-use planning methods, as they have evolved over the years. Urban planners and architects in the last fifty years have in fact

Peyongchang 2018

Vancouver 2010 Whistler cluster

Sochi 2014 Rosa Khutor cluster Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

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seen in the Olympic Village the opportunity to apply the ideas of urban planning and housing that have been formulated over time. Generally, in fact, the Olympic Village is seen as a real housing model and therefore an example of the ideals and urban utopias, applied to a selfsufficient “small city”. Analyzing the Olympic Villages therefore also means confronting the study applied on ideas on how to design the city and guide its development. Thus, for example, the villages of the sixties, in Rome and Mexico City, clearly manifest their derivation from urban theories formulated in the thirties of the twentieth century (derived from Le Corbusier and ville Radieuse, or from the proposals of the CIAM), theories then perhaps already outdated, but which had not yet found replacements credible enough or safe enough to be applied; while those of the 1970s, in Munich and Montreal, perhaps

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denounce the influence of the Mega structure concert, as it had been formulated by metabolists or architectural theories (such as those inspired by the technological pop formulated by Archigram) aimed at countering urban dispersion in the territory. Or the recovery of elements of tradition found in the examples of Seoul and Barcelona, at the turn of the eighties and nineties, can be related (Tzanoudaki, 2003) to the season of the so-called postmodern, which exceeds the tradition of the modern, in favor of a revival of the characteristic elements found in the various geographical contexts. Since the Lillehammer Winter Games 1994, the Olympic Village has also introduced the concept of environmental sustainability, which has since been extended in an increasingly demanding way, to all Olympic architecture. In Sydney 2000, the construction of the village, built on a pollutionreclaimed area, was presented

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

Figure 8. Athelets in the Olympic Village in PyeongChang


Figure 9. Athelets in the Olympic Village in Turin

as the largest district using solar energy. The Australian example was also taken as a reference (with more or less satisfactory results) for the subsequent achievements of Athens 2004 and Turin 2006 (Winter Games). The environmental theme has now become the central theme of new achievements. But not all the venues were so successful, for example the most expensive ever event in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. In spite of the claims made in the bid about sustainability, and the fact that some of the venues are environmentally certified (BREEAM), sustainability is far from being achieved. Sochi did not have any already international level existing sports facilities, and the entire infrastructure was built from scratch, without any consideration about the real needs of local communities. The result is that all sports complexes are now either closed or underutilized. In the most recent editions of the Games the village has also hosted

the athletes of the Games of the Disabled, the Paralympic Games. The first edition of these Games was held in Rome in 1960. Since the Seoul 1988 edition, the Disabled Olympics have been held in the host city of the Summer Games. In Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 the Olympic Village hosted disabled athletes. This type of Games and athletes obviously involves having to think and build the village in such a way that it is equipped with a whole series of measures and solutions suitable to accommodate even this particular type of users. But remembering this point does not want to simplistically state that you provide some extra “equipment”, or some extra “performance”, as we say today in the technically current and superficial language; it means instead designing a city that is really for everyone, in age and means, a real city, not a simple machine suitable for an Expo of the possible future.

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Flexibility is therefore a fundamental element of the Olympic Village, at least of those of the last editions of the Games. The housing solutions proposed by the designers must therefore take into account different elements: the needs of athletes, with their spaces available, their rhythms of life, the need for them to rest at different hours, the consequences of training and caring, and the needs of future users, who will permanently inhabit the building for all years to come. For the former, the IOC, through its own Documents, provides precise and strict parameters and proven standards. Among these data and to be emphasized in particular the parameter used for the space that each athlete must have available in the accommodation: 12 square meters, which corresponds to

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about the goal of the housing standard commonly used in normal forecasting practices in urban planning. In practice, this figure translates into requiring for the short term of the Games, to accommodate a dense number of inhabitants for accommodation. This element, however, can be easily explained by two factors: the short stay of the inhabitants-athletes in the accommodations and no need to eat meals in the houses, since the village restaurant is used. Consequently, what in future residences will be the kitchen, might be used as a room (solution already adopted for Rome 1960). Recent solutions, for example Sydney 2000, have also conceived the car shed incorporated into the residence, as a temporary room for athletes. This type of flexibility, also in Sydney, has been used

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

Figure 10. Atheletes spending their free time in the Olympic Village

Figure 11. Atheletes spending their free time in the bedrooms Figure 12. Team meeting in the Pyeongchang Olympic Village Figure 13. Dining hall of Pyeongchang Olympic Village


provisional additions to the cottages for athletes, in order to increase their total receptive capacity. The use of certain construction techniques and materials for internal divisions (e.g. drywall, wooden panels) now allows, in most cases, to redistribute and redesign the spaces of the almost total housing without particular consequences in terms of time or cost, provided that the plan part has already been prepared for subsequent use (see the example of Turin 2006). Moreover, it should be emphasized that after the complaints of many athletes about the small size of the rooms, which certainly recall the “spartan” beginning of the way of residing, in the most recent cases of city applications to host the Games, it is often emphasized that the space of accommodation for each athlete is larger than the required standard (21 square meters as in the case of Moscow’s candidacy for the 2012 edition, the 22.5 sqm for Beijing 2008, or the 16.5 of London 2012). In the media and in most of the IOC publications, the Olympic Village is also described as a “global village” (with meaning that we could say ancient, very different from the global village that is talked about so much today), and also and especially as a “village of peace”: a place that can be an expression of the “Olympic spirit”, of an always anti-conflict vision - although sometimes in the writings this vision may seem slightly rhetorical to us, the area is destined for aspirations towards global integration and cohesion among people. (Di Campli, 2006) The symbol for the peace between the participants is the Wall of Truce - today’s inherent element of the Olympic Village. The first Truce initiatives were launched by the IOC Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

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in 1992. Since 1993, the UN General Assembly has repeatedly expressed its support for the IOC by unanimously adopting, before each edition of the Games, a resolution entitled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”. Unfortunately, nowadays, unlike the ancient times of the original Olympia, wars, especially those not openly declared, do not stop in the years dedicated to the Olympics. Here the rules and security apparatus become extremely important even in the “closed” world of the village, which would like to be closed in the circumscribed sense, but open to the maximum in the integration between people. Thus, the idealized image of a miniature world, without nationalities and cultural boundaries, contrasts today with the necessary security equipment, increasingly articulated

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and imposing, which are adopted to protect athletes during their stay. The issue of security at the Olympic Games has emerged particularly since the 1970s, after the tragic massacre in Munich in 1972. It is no coincidence that the next edition, Montreal 1976, saw exceptional and costly measures for the protection of athletes and the surveillance of the Olympic Village. At the same time, attention to the subject is also witnessed by the Official Reports, which today devote a large chapter to the measures taken (Cottrell, 2003). The Olympic Village, as a controlled and fenced space, falls within that category of places proper to modernism: such as the campus, the park. Urban places that we could define as enclaves. But always, in the imagination of man and his urban organization, similar spaces have

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

Figure 14. Wall of Truce from the Olympic Games in London


Figure 15. Personalization of the atheletes’ apartments

been present, or imagined or hoped for: the same ancient concept of garden, taken up for its beauties in flowers and nature and vegetable gardens, from the mythical Eden, or garden of paradise, represents the first concept of recluse space. A space that can be recluse because it contains the greatest openings and aspirations of our life. If the Olympic Village is to be the place of harmony between athletes of different nationalities, where there is no conflict, to guarantee a space for the exercise of noble practices - it must be fenced off. The problem of this type of “isolation” and in many cases more important when thinking about the post-Olympic life of these spaces.

The isolation of the guests of the village, not always negative during the Games, can in fact also turn into isolation for the people who inhabit it in the “after Olympia”, if not well budgeted. Among them is certainly emblematic the case of Lake Placid, which hosted the 1980 Winter Olympics. Since there was no housing demand, the village was later turned into a prison and as such and still used. The transformations that the Olympic Village has undergone over time, especially for those built a few decades ago, the way in which it has aged, the current use, the typology of its inhabitants can constitute a litmus test of the success or not of the operation carried out at the time.

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

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03.2

Figure 16. Timeline of Winter Olympic Games with a subjective assessment of the success of the transformation of objects after the event

Winter editions The Winter Olympics were created at a later date, beginning in 1924. The inclusion of winter sports to the summer event was not possible, as organizational issues and the weather conditions did not allow for this. Furthermore, IOC presidents themselves considered the introduction of the Olympic Winter Games to be a big mistake. The first edition was known as “Winter Sports Week of the 8th Olympic Games”. It therefore took place for a limited time and was connected to the Summer Olympics but organized in a different date, the same year. It was held in Chamonix,

student village and apartments

six months before the Paris Olympics in 1924. The Winter Olympics were first organized in the same country as the Summer Olympics, and this pattern was followed until 1948. However, due to the event’s development, the selection of Winter Olympic Games host cities has been subject to a separate competition since then. Initially, attendance was low, but it increased with each edition of the Games. As a result, the organizers had no trouble locating hotel accommodations for the athletes, as the tourist resorts selected for the first editions all had appropriate

residential district

Squaw Valley United States

Innsbruck Austria

Grenoble France

Sapporo Japan

Innsbruck Austria

Lake Placid United States

1964

1968

1972

1976

1980

Oslo Norway 1952

1960

St. Moritz Switzerland 1948

Cortina d’Ampezzo Italy using existing infrastructure

*success is based on how and what happened to the villages after te event **included only the new constructions and big renovations of existing buildings **included only the new constructions and big renovations of existing buildings *success is based on how and what happened to the villages after te event

21

family resort

1956

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany 1936

St. Moritz Switzerland 1928

Lake placid United States

Chamonix France 1924

1932

precursor of the winter Olympic Village

residential district

prison

1/2 left for condos

using existing infrastructure

residential district

residential district

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

destroy partially residen


sold out, transported by private clients

existing student dormitory

residential district

the area, Oslo can be seen as a forerunner to the winter Olympic Village, with new uses for the facilities planned after the Games. For the following edition, in Cortina in 1956, the hoteliers demanded that the athletes remain in existing hotels, because they did not want any additional accommodation built that could be used by visitors after the Games. Cortina’s past reveals a fascinating lesson about the dynamic relationship between existing, potential, and future accommodations. In 1953, a rough estimate projected that 2000 people will be

student housing

hosted in Cortina during the Winter Olympics. Initially, the International Committee looked into the possibility of solving the problem by constructing a true Olympic Village. Some strategies were developed, and a possible building site was discovered on the right bank of the Boite River. However, a building complex for two thousand people would certainly not be a temporary structure. It had to be well-organized and permanent, therefore leading to another great problem, namely its future use, which was far from simple in Cortina. The hotelkeepers, even if they appeared interested in

social housing

successful transformation social and private accomodation

using existing infrastructure, big renovation

Pyeongchang South Korea

Vancouver, Whistler Canada 2010

refugee district

2018

Turin Italy 2006

Sal Lake City United States 2002

Albertville France 1992

Nagano Japan

Calgary Canada 1988

1998

Sarajevo Yugoslavia 1984

Lillehammer Norway

Lake Placid United States 1980

using existing infrastructure

1994

Innsbruck Austria

temporary houses

Sochi Russia

new neighbourhood

2014

prison

1976

Japan

ntial ct

hotel accommodations (Chamonix 1924, St. Moritz 1928, Lake Placid 1932, Garmisch 1936 and St. Moritz 1948). With the 1950s editions, it became necessary to consider the building of actual villages. At Oslo 1952 three different existing groups of buildings were used, with the delegations spread out between Sogn (in the university residence), Ulleval (in the buildings for hospital personnel) and Ila (in the structure destined to become an old peoples home). Even though the various complexes are dispersed across

Beijing 2022

Milan 2026

partially using existing infrastructure

partially vacant, partially sold to private abandoned, clients very expensive

destroyed by war, partially renovated residential district

demolished today

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

22


an increase in visitors, were strongly against this kind of solution, which they viewed as suitable for a big city, but not for a tourist resort with a population of around 5000 people. At the time there was no lack of housing for all the permanent residents of Cortina. However, as the Olympic Movement became more commercialized and professionalized in the 1980s and 1990s, the Olympic Winter Games were updated to meet contemporary needs. Importantly, in 1986 the IOC agreed to split the Summer and Winter Games and combine even-numbered years. That move took effect for the first time at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Games, followed by the 1992 Barcelona Games. Consequently,

23

the Olympic Winter Games have since been considered to be an independent sporting event, with its own rules and specifications and IOC regulations. Over the years, we have experienced many approaches to sustainable architecture. Now, when we are obliged to follow the rules of nature in the face of a climate catastrophe, it is worth looking at the existing solutions and extracting the most important elements from them. The authors chose the three case studies - two of them located in Canada and one in Norway which they believe are successful examples of the correct approach to the need to sudden accomodatiion the large number of people in one place.

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

Figure 18. Olympic Winter Games from 1924 to 2010 in numbers

Figure 17. The entrance gate to the PyeongChang Olympic Village


Competitions Competitions Competitions Competitions

1948

1960

1984

1984

2002

2002

2006

2010

2006

2010

1998

1994

1994

1998

1992

1988

1992

1988

1980

1976

1976

1980

1972

1968

1964

1972

1968

1964

1956

1960

1956

1952

1924 1928

1928

Population Population of the host of the city host city

1924

1948

1960 1968

1968

1984

1984

2002

2002

2006 2010

2006 2010

1998

1994

1994 1998

1992

1988 1992

1988

1980

1976

1976 1980

1972

1964 1972

1964

1956 1960

1956

1952

1952

1936

1948

1936

1932

1932

in numbers

1952

60 100 40 80 20 60 0 40

1948

0 80

1936

20 100

1936

60 100 40 80 20 60 0 40

1932

0 80

1932

1928

1928

20 1400 1200 0 1000 800 1400 600 1200 400 1000 200 800 0 600 400 200 0

1924

Athletes Athletes 3000 2 0

1924

Nations Nations 2500 2000 3000 1500 2500 1000 2000 500 1500 0 1000 100 500

10 8 12 6 10 4 8 2 6 0 4

12 in 100.000

in 100.000

in numbers total

men total women men

women

in numbers

in numbers

in numbers

in numbers

in million US$

in million US$

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

24


03.3

Case studies Calgary Olympic Games 1988

IN SHORT: Calgary: 2144 people • 7 residence halls with double bedrooms Canmore: 599 people • 14 trailer units with single rooms

“The concept for the Village implemented in Calgary is considered to stand for the beginning of sustainability for Winter Olympic Villages.”

The concept for the Village implemented in Calgary (Canada) is considered to stand for the beginning of sustainability for Winter Olympic Villages. After seven cycles of Winter Games for which the Olympic Village was newly built, Calgary Organizing Commitee presented a different option. The Main Village was integrated into already existing buildings on the campus of the University of Calgary close to the competition venues of the Olympic Oval and McMahon Stadium, while the second smaller Village consisted mostly of temporary buildings. The Calgary Olympic Village was suggested to be located at the university campus by the Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA) in 1978. In total, seven residence halls were used for the Games. The capacity of these units was a total of 2144 athletes and team officials. The apartments had one, two or four double bedrooms. After the renovation and improvement, the existing dormitories

Figure 19. Calgary university campus as the Main Olympic Village

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Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

were provided satisfactory physical environment, that The University of Calgary inherited for use by its students. The Canmore Olympic Village was built on 4.5 hectares of property held by the Canmore Golf Course and the Town of Canmore. Canmore’s participation in the XV Olympic Winter Games resulted in the construction of a new swimming pool, curling rink, and golf clubhouse, which were then handed over to the Rocky Mountain community when the Games were completed. What is interesting, the main road has been converted into a ski run. An official sponsor of the Games oversaw the construction of the Olympic Village. The construction contract for the Canmore Olympic Village project was split into three parts: permanent facilities, temporary facilities and ancillary works. At a cost of $3.2 million,permanent amenities included the construction of the golf clubhouse, curling rink, swimming pool, and all associated


site services. Construction began in October 1986 and took 13 months to complete. A leased housing complex with a capacity of 599 persons was among the temporary amenities. There were 14 trailer units, each for 41 people, and one 25-person trailer unit in total. The village sleeping accommodations were designed with a one athlete per room ratio in mind, ensuring a high level of privacy and comfort. A production kitchen complex, NOC office facilities and furnishings, dining center furnishings, timber and high-grade security fencing, and outdoor lighting for security purposes, as well as the village courtyard, were among the temporary amenities onsite. (OCOG Calgary, 1988) Architecturally,Canmore Olympic Village was harmonized, with new construction and extension using the same brick exteriors and green roofing. The residences— temporary or modular units with alpinesque wood siding—were the only exception to the architectural concept. Canmore has evolved from a modest mountain village known for mining until 1979 to a winter sports and tourist destination.

Figure 20. Canmore Olympic Village plan Figure 21. Calgary Olympic Village plan

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

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Lillehammer Olympic Games 1994 IN SHORT: Lillehammer: 2650 people • 185 permanent houses + 370 temporary houses Hamar: 550 people • existing boarding school accomodation

“The Olympics in Lillehammer are considered the first international sports event to succeed in the sustainability challenge and seek to host sustainable Games.“

The Olympics in Lillehammer (Norway) are considered the first international sports event to succeed in the sustainability challenge and seek to host sustainable Games. For a small city like Lillehammer, it was evident that after the Games, all of the lodging and housing erected for the Olympic event would be unnecessary, thus two-thirds of the houses were converted into movable wooden temporary housing and sold off to different parts of the country. The permanent part consisted of 185 houses, from which 141 houses were sold privately after the event. For the temporary part, 50 of the houses were to be relocated to Sweden to serve as family dwellings, with the remaining properties being used elsewhere in Norway. Another important part of the Village was the service centre with the surface of 7000 m2; after the Games it was converted to include a church, accommodation facilities, a nursery school, a medical centre and

Figure 22. Lillehammer permanent prefabricated wooden houses

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Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

a retired person centre. The construction began in the autumn of 1992 and the first house was completed in August the same year. To finish the village on schedule, the average daily production needed to be around 250 m2 of construction. Several different builders with different modular methods and levels of prefabrication were used to reach this level of activity. Everything from traditional housebuilding techniques to prefabricated modules were used. The village used 18,000m2 of large prefabricated wooden elements. In the Olympic Subsite Village Hamar in the Toneheim District College, an already existing boarding school for music students, were accomodated the athletes of the ice competitions. Although the quality of the accommodation, cuisine, security, and transportation was the same as in the official Village, the selection of services available to residents was more limited.


Figure 23. Lillehammer Olympic Village plan of the permanent structures Figure 24. Lillehammer Olympic Village sketch view

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

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Vancouver Olympic Games 2010 IN SHORT: Vancouver: 2720 people • high-rise residential district with 1100 apartments Whistler: 2850 people • 554 housing units – apartments, houses

The Village in Vancouver (Canada) was constructed on former industrial land, while the one in Whistler was built on the site of a former municipal landfill. Both were designed and constructed in accordance with the highest LEED environmental quality requirements. Sustainable development initiatives were implemented at each site, including the creation of a habitat for local fauna and flora, restoration of coastal land, pollution removal from land and water, green roofs, stormwater and wastewater treatment programs, a heating system using wastewater treatment, improved accessibility, and a program highlighting First Nations art and culture. The Vancouver Cluster would occupy some of city’s last remaining undeveloped prime oceanfront land, covering approximately 60,000 square metres of former industrial land. The new and permanent buildings would accommodate up to

Figure 25. Whistler Olympic Village plan

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Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

2,100 athletes and their coaches. In its post-Games life, the facility constitutes the first phase of a model sustainable community, with available housing for approximately 3,000 residents in 1,100 units, and possibly including 250 affordable housing units and 100 rental units. It is becoming a complete community with shopping and services available in commercial spaces surrounding the community plaza. Whistler Village includes 221 resident-restricted homes for sale, fifty-five rental apartments for the Whistler Housing Authority, twenty market townhouses, 188 hostel beds and twenty unrestricted singlefamily lots. The neighbourhood also includes an Athletes Centre with the 100-room Athletes Lodge, twenty rental townhomes for athletes and the High-Performance Centre. Following the Games, all of these will be managed and operated by the Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies Society.


After the Winter Games, the Whistler Olympic Village will provide much-needed affordable housing units for local inhabitants. The development supports both Whistler’s goal of housing 75% of its workforce in the community at an affordable rate and its carbon reduction goals. Under the Whistler 2020 sustainability planning process, the community agreed to raise the bed capacity from 55,000 to a maximum of 61,650, with the provision that the increase was dedicated to achieving the sustainability goal of housing threequarters of Whistler’s workforce in the community. The Athlete Village would have only functioned as a temporary facility if this choice had not been made. If there is a growing need for affordable housing and community amenities, the neighborhood could be expanded to three times its existing area. Furthermore, accessibility is a crucial aspect in many of the units.

Figure 26. Vancouver Olympic Village view Figure 27. Whistler Olympic Village view

Part I - Olympic Village - The Olympic Village development

30


04 04.1

Future of Winter Olympic Village Mega-Events like Olympic Games are part of the longterm plans for the host cities and are planned long before the event is happening. Sustainability and security are the slogan which now seem to be the basis for organizing mass events.

The challenges The history of Olympic Villages at Winter Games demonstrates that no one design can satisfy all of the demands of future Olympic Games. Olympic-inspired urban redevelopment changes the nature of host cities in terms of their size and geographic position, as well as their own objectives and interests. This includes planning for sensible postOlympic use and accommodating the athletes appropriately during the Olympic Games. The OCOGs were able to demonstrate their desire to manage the Olympic Villages in a sustainable manner by adopting various solutions like temporary housing or urban redevelopment through new buildings.

Mega-Events like Olympic Games are part of the long-term plans for the host cities and are planned long before the event is happening. Sustainability and security are the slogan which now seem to be the basis for organizing mass events. Every day there are happening various things in the world that have the influence on the unpredictable future but should be well-thought in advance. Climate crisis questions mega-events model. Mega-events can serve as accelerators of infectious diseases. Excessive growth discourages future hosts. Declining sustainability causes concern. What is the correct way to approach the future events?

Sustainability Academic opinion is divided regarding the sustainability of mega-events such as the Olympic Games. While some scholars doubt whether mega-events can ever be sustainable, others extol their virtues, but sustainability remains an elusive concept in the Olympic Games and in mega-events more generally. Every Olympic Games now claims

31

Part I - Olympic Village - The future of the Winter Olympic Village

to be sustainable, but all equally fail to provide a coherent definition or model for independent evaluation. The sustainability model developed by Martin Muller, define ‘sustainable Olympic Games’ along three dimensions: having a limited ecological and material footprint, enhancing social justice and demonstrating economic


efficiency. This definition reflects current debates on sustainability as minimizing resource use while guaranteeing minimum thresholds of social and economic well-being. The sustainable growth of the Village could happen by downsizing the event. Reducing number of participants, dividing into smaller events or clusters could definitely help with controlling the growth. Another thing to consider is whether nowadays we still need the rotation between the cities, building huge

sport venues that do not serve anybody in the future, instead of using the existing infrastructure from the previous events. The recent events have shown different approach to sustainability which was not really controlled by the Olympic system. Having an independent body to develop, monitor and enforce credible sustainability standards could make some reasonable sustainable path for the future Mega-Events. Besides the cultural value of

the Olympic Village, compliance with post-Olympic usage is now important for the environmental and sustainability. Although not many of the Olympic Villages are today reminiscent of the Games themselves, the residents should at least get the feeling that their housing area was integrated meaningfully into the cityscape for a great event. In this way, the Olympic Village will be able to transform from the centrepiece of the Olympic Games into a valuable district of the host city.

Figure 28. Definition and conceptual model of sustainability in the Olympic Games. The definition and model assign equal weight to the classic three dimensions of sustainability (inner ring—ecological, social and economic), evaluating them with three indicators each (outer ring).

Part I - Olympic Village - The future of the Winter Olympic Village

32


Security The sport industry has been significantly affected – and in some cases permanently altered by the recent outbreak of Covid-19 but a deadly pandemic threatening in sport is not a new problem. In the history of Olympic Events, there have been many measures against the contagious diseases. For example, according to the Los Angeles Olympic Games Organizing Committee (1932), one of the preventive measures was “to rid the village of rats, ants and pests of every nature”. More recently, the organizers of Winter Olympic Games in 1998 in Japan have experienced the flu outbreak which infected nearly one million people. The next organizers took a lesson from the previous experiences and improved the polices and underlined the rules of quick identification, reaction, containment and treatment. What is more, two major illnesses happened

later – the swine flu in 2009 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2015. Both instances show how events that occur on a weekly basis for several months in a row could enhance their security measures. Having considered some of the previous problems sport has faced in terms of rapidly spreading disease, and how officials managed a response, there must be solutions so that sport can return safely with Covid-19. The focus is, in terms of technology, on thermal cameras and syndromic surveillance, and basic health measures. The ability to identify, isolate and provide early treatment for cases will be critical for sport to restart with fans in the stands. During the following Summer Olympic Games in Tokio (July 2021) no international fans will be permitted because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Figure 28. One of the first sport events open to public after Covid-19 outbreak with the measures of social distancing during the Premier League’s match

33

Part I - Olympic Village - The future of the Winter Olympic Village


Part I - Olympic Village - The future of the Winter Olympic Village

34


04.2

35

The requirements of the Olympic Village

Currently, the guidelines for the Olympic Village design can be found in the Technical Manual on Olympic Village (excerpt in figure 2), which has been in place since 2005, replacing the IOC Olympic Village Guidelines and NOC Requirements that were created in 1994 and revised in 1997. The Technical Manual contains detailed information on the planning and construction processes for the Olympic Village; a list of minimum requirements in terms of capacities and area planning, as well as precise specifications for housing facilities, amenity supply system, leisure

facilities, sport medical facilities and all other services, methods and organisational procedures within the Olympic Village (IOC, 1994; IOC, 2005). This manual is of great importance because it enables the IOC to have some influence on the urban planning processes of the respective host city (Kassens-Noor, 2012), although this is in contrast to the IOC´s intention to stay out of processes for urban transformation The Olympic Village must be a safe, secure and comfortable environment where athletes and officials from the participating

countries in the Olympic Games can live and work effectively. The mental and physical preparation for participation in the competitions must be free from disturbance from the outside world. This is why the Village must provide athletes with all the services and facilities needed so that this place seems like an experimental place where everybody is unique, no matter from which place in the world comes from. There are the essential elements of the Olympic Village specified by the International Olympic Committee.

Residential Zone

Olympic Village Plaza

Residential Zone (RZ) is the ‘private’ area of the Olympic Village and is the Residents home containing accomodation, dining and certain recreational activities. Only Residents of the Olympic Village and personel with RZ accreditation have access to this area. Any Guest without appriopriate accreditation access must be invited into this area by the NOC and escorted at all times. The RZ contains the following facilities: • accomodation • National Olympic Commitee (NOC) offices, medical spaces and workshops) • Dining Halls • Polyclinic • Recreational areas for residents • Religious center

Olympic Village Plaza (OVP), formerly known as the International Zone, hosts a number of retail and recreational areas for the benefit of the Athletes and Officials as well as Guests of the Olympic Village. It’s the heart of the Olympic Village where atheletes, offcials, guests and media can interact. The OVP is a frequently visited and highly used area by all residents, broadcasters, media, VIPs and Village Guests. The principal activities in the OVP are: • a meeting place for residents and their NOC guests • a suitable commercial arcade or residents and guests to purchase essential items and souvenirs in a secure environment • NOC Team Welcome Ceremonies, a suitable media interview area

Operational Zone

Part I - Olympic Village - The future of the Winter Olympic Village

The Operational Zone (OZ) contains the back of the house areas of the Olympic Village including all the services for the Olympic Village to function efficiently. The OZ is situated on the perimeter of the Olympic Village to facilitate movements in and out of the Village without compromising security operations. The OZ hosts the following operations: • Main Entry • Access and Vehicle Control Points • Guest Pass Centre and Welcome Centre • Village Media Centre • Transport Mall


Standard Space Requirements for major functions RESIDENTIAL ZONE Residential Building - Single Bedroom

9 m2

- 2-person Bedroom

12 m2

Dining Hall

6,000 m2

- Dining Area for Athletes and Officials

3,000 m2

- Staff Dning Area

600 m2

- Back of the House

2,000 m2

- McDonald’s Counter

40 m2

- Baggage Check Area

150 m2

Polyclinic

800 m2

NOC Services Center

400 m2

Sports Information Cente Chef de Mission Hall

Resident Centres (including Laundry Facilities) Security Command Centre Religious Centre

Recreational Activities

Olympic Winter Games

300 m2 200 m2

1,500 m2 500 m2

300 m2

1,500 m2

Recreational Sports Complex

5,000 m2

OLYMPIC VILLAGE PLAZA

2,500 m2

Village Communications Centre - Village Amphitheatre

40 m2

250 m2

- Village General Store

850 m2

- Photo Store

100 m2

- Bank

- Village Call Centre - Cyber Cafè - Hair Salon - Florist

- Dry Cleaning - Cafè

- Travel Agent - Post Office

- Olympic Museum - WADA

OPERATIONAL ZONE - Guest Pass Centre

100 m2 150 m2

200 m2 100 m2 50 m2 25 m2

500 m2 50 m2 75 m2

40 m2 40 m2 300 m2

- Welcome Centre

4,000 m2

- Transport Mall

10,000 m2

- Village Media Centre - NOC Dedicated Vehicle Parking - Facility Services Centre

800 m2

300 car parking spaces 3,000 m2

Part I - Olympic Village - The future of the Winter Olympic Village

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05

Milano-Cortina 2026 The 2026 Winter Olympics are given to Italy for the second time in 20 years. After the great organizing experience from Turin in 2006 and new regulations of Olympic Committee, the main goal of the following edition is sustainability - no major construction works will have to be done before the event.

05.1 The future host cities

“The sustainability approach and related criteria will be core drivers in the entire life cycle of the event. ”

37

Italy will host the 2026 Olympics in Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, taking the Winter Games to the Alpine country for the second time in 20 years and exactly 70 years after the VII Winter Olympic Games in Cortina. The main concept for the Games is the opportunity to show the world that it is possible to host the Olympic Games in a fiscally responsible, socially sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. The vision is powerful and realistic since it is founded on strategic rationales for the long-term development goals of the regions and cities supporting the candidacy. The sustainability approach and related criteria will be core drivers in the entire life cycle of the event. From an organisational point of view, a dedicated department will be set up with the aim of correctly implementing the Overall Games Delivery Plan and to ensure coordination of all the other departments within the OGOC organisation, supporting the Venue and Infrastructure Development Department. Other core Departments that will work in close

Part I - Olympic Village - Milano-Cortina 2026

coordination with the Sustainability and Legacy Department include Mobility, Operations and Waste Management, Event Organisation, Procurement, Marketing & Sponsorship and Merchandising. Italy’s Olympic bid for 2026 is distinguished by the highest international accessibility standard and a robust and efficient infrastructure network. Due to its multimodal road-rail-air linkages, the Milan-Venice road and rail backbone is one of the strongest transport connections in Europe so the division of the sport events into separate clusters is possible. The main official “ports of entry” would be identified in Milano Malpensa and in Venezia Marco Polo international airports, both of which will be connected to the high-speed train railroad ’East-West belt’ by 2026. The three main alpine clusters have been identified: Alta Valtellina (with the sites of Livigno and Bormio), Cortina (including Anterselva/Antholz), and Val di Fiemme, which will be easily reachable via rail and roads connecting with Milan and Venice.


Anterselva Antholz Livigno Bormio

Livigno

Cortina d’Ampezzo

Bormio

Predazzo Tesero

Baselga di Pinè

Milan

Milan

The venues The biggest point of the sustainability plan proposed by the organizers is the usage of already existing venues, used and checked for the biggest World events. Cortina d’Ampezzo is proud host Olympic Village city for the 2021 World Alpine Ski Championships andCompetition it was praised Venue for its sustainable approach to ensure National Border of Italy protection of the Motorway sensitive alpine ecosystem. Only one permanent National / Arterial Road competition venue (for ice hockey) needs to be renovated, although it is being built irrespective of the Games by the private investor. Milan’s Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, also known as the San Siro stadium, would host the Opening Ceremony, while Verona’s ancient Roman amphitheatre is proposed for the Closing Ceremony.

Figure 29. Olympic Games 2026 Venues Concept Olympic Village Olympic Village

Compettion Venue Competition Venue

National Border of Italy National Border of Italy Motorway Motorway

National / Arterial Road National / Arterial Road

Part I - Olympic Village - Milano-Cortina 2026

38


The three Olympic Villages

Figure 30. Milan - Scalo di Porta Romana. The place of the future Olympic Village

Figure 31. Cortina - Fiames Ex-Airport. The place of the future Olympic Village

Safe, comfortable and secure accommodation for all eligible athletes and officials will be provided by the three Olympic and Paralympic Villages located in Milano, Cortina and Livigno for the duration of the Games. At the same time, athletes competing in Bormio, Val di Fiemme and Anterselva/Antholz will be accommodated in existing hotels providing comparable types and quality of services to the residents at the villages. This means that all athletes and team officials will be able to stay within 30 minutes of their competition location. The Villages will also provide all athletes with a unique and remarkable experience in a welcoming atmosphere where all needed services will be provided by a combination of permanent and temporary structures developed in accordance with the host cities’ long-term development plans. The main Olympic and Paralympic Village will be located in Milan on a publicly owned area, where the city has already approved a development plan for the reconversion of a former railway terminal. The project is perfectly aligned with the on-going redevelopment process of the area launched by the City of Milano. The

Figure 32. Livigno - Acquagranda Sports Center and a golf court. The place of the future Olympic Village

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Part I - Olympic Village - Milano-Cortina 2026

Milano Olympic and Paralympic village will lie on the southern part of the area which, according to the long-term housing plans of the city, will host social and student housing after the Games. The residential area will consist of five sevenstorey buildings lying on 6,500 m2, leaving 80,000 m2 area available for temporary buildings and services. A second Olympic Village will be located in Cortina on a publiclyowned area of 9 hectares at 1,293 m. which was once occupied by the Cortina airport. The area, owned by the City of Cortina, has already been secured for Olympic purposes. The village will be fully temporary made of movable units. After the Games, a strong legacy case has been already planned thanks to the cooperation with the local Civil Defence, which will keep some of the temporary buildings as emergency housing. Finally, a third village will be located in Livigno, serving snowboard and freestyle venues and the Paralympic venue of Valdidentro (Biathlon and Cross-Country). The village will be located on a private area of 9 hectares at 1,816 m. The City has already planned a small permanent development as a tourist residence.


05.2

Figure 33. The centre of Cortina d’Ampezzo

Cortina d’Ampezzo The subject of this Thesis project is the project of the temporary Olympic Village in Cortina d’Ampezzo - commonly known as the “Pearl of the Dolomites”. The town has a unique set of traditions, a rich history, and its own language as a result of its 1000-year existence. Cortina was one of the first Alpine destinations to attract guests, beginning with explorers and scientists and continuing to royals and aristocracy from other countries. The onset of the First World War quickly ended a golden era. The Austrians fled Cortina and prepared for battle in the mountains when war was declared, while all the males were recruited into the AustroHungarian army. The Ampezzo basin

was restored to Italy after 400 years on May 29, 1915, when the Italian troops descended from Passo Tre Croci and gained possession of Cortina without firing a single shot. Cortina finally returned to Italy after the Great War’s triumph in 1918. In the 1930s it re-emerged as an Alps tourist destination, and the installation of new lifts and slopes aided in the birth of winter tourism. Cortina raised to the centre of the stage: Italy’s first Olympic Games in 1956, which gave it a fame of a major tourist resort in the Alps, the Dolce Vita in the 1960s, and then films and movie stars in the flashy 1980s. Today Cortina is known for its unique combination of local customs, heritage, and cosmopolitanism.

Part I - Olympic Village - Milano-Cortina 2026

40


The 1956 Olympic Legacy

Figure 33. Cortina - Olympic Games in 1956 sign

41

The 7th edition of the Winter Games took place in Cortina from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics, but due to the Second World War the Games were cancelled. In 1956 bid Italy has beaten out Montreal, Colorado Springs and Lake Placid for the right to host the Games. The Cortina Games were unique in that many of the venues were within walking distance of each other, but the big investments had to be done. There was no ice stadium or speed skating rink in town, and the alpine ski slopes, ski jump, and bobsleigh course were in bad shape. Cortina was a tiny village, and the Games’ projected numbers would exceed its infrastructure. To accommodate the influx of people, new roads and

Part I - Olympic Village - Milano-Cortina 2026

rail lines had to be built, and the city’s power grid and telephone lines expanded. Enhancements also had to be made to sewer and water capacity. The Italian government provided financial assistance to the organizing committee for infrastructural upgrades, but the rest of the expenditures for the Games had to be covered privately. As a result, the organizing committee was among the first to rely primarily on corporate sponsorship for financial support. What is more, the Cortina Olympics were the first Olympics to be broadcast worldwide as television was expanding rapidly in the 1950s as a mass communication technology. Thirty two countries competed in the four sports and twenty four


Figure 33. Cortina - Olympic Ice Stadium during the Olympic Games in 1956

events, setting a new record for the highest number of countries competing in the Winter Olympics. Toni Sailer of Austria became the first athlete in Olympic history to win all three alpine skiing events. For the last time at these Games, the figure skating competition took place outside - in the open-air stadium. The sole logistical issue was a lack of snow for the alpine skiing competitions. The Italian army responded by transporting enormous amounts of snow to guarantee that the courses were properly covered. For the 1956 Games an Olympic Village, where the athletes would be housed, was not present. In 1956, Cortina d’Ampezzo had a population of little over 7,000 people. Local hoteliers were afraid

that an Olympic Village would dramatically boost hotel capacity after the Games, putting many of them out of business. During the Games, athletes were housed with local families or slept in existing hotels. The Olympic Ice Stadium (Stadio Olimpico Del Ghiaccio) was envisioned as the Games’ centerpiece and also became the most expensive venue of these Games. It was constructed in the north part of Cortina, on the banks of the Boite River. After new roads and a bridge had been constructed, the stadium was an eight-minute walk from the centre of the town. The stadium was built to accommodate 6,000–7,000 people. A special cooling plant was built under the stadium, which froze the ice through

the evaporation of ammonia. The stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as several figure skating contests and ice hockey games. Following the Games, the organizing committee presented the Ice Stadium to the city of Cortina as a gift. In the winter, it served as an ice-skating rink, and in the summer, it functioned as an outdoor gymnasium for judo and gymnastics. In 1981 the roof with blue structural trusses and glass façade were added to the building, which unfortunately hid the view for the valley. The main problem for which the stadium was covered were the heavy snowfalls, which increased the management costs of the plant, for the sweeping of the snow on the track and on the stands, to ensure its usability.

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part

Wood industry and economy


06 06.1

Modular architecture and its superiorities

Modular architecture and prefabrication 06.2 Past practices – history

06.3 Design for manufacture and assembly 06.4 The global industry – case studies 06.5 Future perspectives - Innovative solutions: Construction 4.0

07 07.1 07.2

08 08.1

Wood industry in Italy and Austria

Wood industry in Italy Wood industry in Vorarlberg, Austria

Strategy of developing timber construction in Veneto region Economy of Veneto region

08.2 VAIA Storm and its consequences, after VAIA local initiatives

08.3 Infrastructure projects in alpine provinces of Veneto region

08.4 Olympic Village as a Promotion of timber construction in Veneto region

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Traditional alpine architecture


06

Modular architecture and its superiorities The benefits of modular design are flexibility in design and reduction in costs. It combines the advantages of standardization with those of customization and is characterized by features of reuse and ease of transportation. Chapter discusses challenges construction sector faces currently and how can it be improved by shifting more to prefabricated building practices in regards to relocatable modules.

06.1 Modular architecture and prefabrication

Figure 1. Factory production of modules

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While prefabrication has had a long and prosperous history, modular architecture is a much more recent phenomenon. Prefabrication practices widely occurred in the XIX century as a pragmatic approach to deploying soldiers in distant field operations and rapidly equipping colonies with the essentials of western comfort (Barry Bergdoll, 2008). Whereas modular construction occurs, from the start of the XX century, as

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the more complex and advanced successor of prefabrication discipline due to innovations in the field of construction technology and building systems. Modular constructionis a process in which a building is constructed off-site, under controlled plant conditions, using the same materials and designing that meet the same codes and standards as conventionally built facilities – but in half the time. Buildings are composed


“It is extremely inspiring how architecture can become a product manufactured anywhere in the world and then transported to finally create the ready-made building...”

Figure 1. AC Hotel by Marriott in New York, USA by Danny Forster & Architecture executed by DMD modular

of some sort of frame or structure in which smaller units are transported and assembled on-site. Modules range in size and complexity from entire apartments to individual rooms (Kate Wagner, 2016). The term module in this context does not refer to individual elements such as single walls, doors, or windows, but rather self-enclosed volumetric spaces. It is extremely inspiring how architecture can become a product manufactured anywhere in the world and then transported to finally create the ready-made building. According to the designed function, two types of modular construction can be highlighted - Permanent Modular Construction and Relocatable Buildings. The latter poses an interesting topic to consider due to the current global context. Relocatable

Buildings, unlike their similar prototype - Permanent Modular structures, are designed to be reused or repurposed multiple times and transported to different building sites. They are utilized for schools, offices, medical clinics, sales centers, living purposes, and in any application where they can meet a temporary space need. These buildings offer fast delivery, ease of relocation, low-cost reconfiguration, accelerated depreciation schedules, and enormous flexibility. Relocatable buildings are not permanently affixed to real estate but are installed following the manufacturer’s installation guidelines and local code requirements. These buildings are essential in cases where speed, temporary space, and the ability to relocate are necessary (Modular Building Institute, 2020).

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06.2 Past practices

“The obsession of modernist architects like Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius with the automobile industry was immediate...”

Figure 2. Henry Fords assembly line

The last wave of developments in the construction market was more than a century ago with the Industrial Revolution (steel frames - the 1890s, ‘dry-lining’ - 1910s and curtain walling – 1910s) (RIBA, 2013). The obsession of modernist architects like Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius with the automobile industry was immediate, from its first appearance of Henry Ford’s assembly line in 1907 (Barry Bergdoll, 2008). The analogy of the car and the house as products of a similar rationalizing design process of standardized parts and types is one that gained importance in the 1920s. Even then the modernists posed the question if factory production has made such a revolution both in the production of once hand-crafted objects such as clothes, shoes, and household products, as well as automobiles and planes - then why is the culture of

building so resistant to transformation. From this time in the history of architecture, a variety of modular and mobile solutions appeared. The first schemes of relocatable modular housing can be traced back to Buckminster Fuller, with his flexible housing experiment of the 1920s and 30s, the Dymaxion House. Fuller began the research on the Dymaxion in 1927, to amend multiple failures in the home building industry present in his time. Fuller envisioned a material palette identical to the car and placed huge importance on the ease of shipment and assembly. (Peter Christensen, 2008) His concern with efficient design anticipates the sustainability movements by decades. However, the full extent of Fuller’s modular ideas was never completely realized due to a lack of funding in his Dymaxion company.

Figure 2. Dymaxion house, Buckminister Fuller

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Later in the 1960s, the futuristic aesthetic language pioneered by George Nelson and the Eameses, and popularized by television programs like Star Trek and current events, including the Space Race and the Atomic Age, became infused in the modular housing schemes of the 1960s. These

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schemes, which focused on installing individual housing units on a mass structural frame, were forward-thinking solutions to the proposed upcoming overpopulation crisis. (Kate Wagner, 2016) The concept of modularity reached an unattainable level of complexity in 1964 with Plug-In City,


a mega-scale modular concept by the British experimental architecture collective Archigram. Though it was never built, Plug-In-City set the stage for the idea of the interchangeable city for the somewhat-dystopian future predicted in the Cold War atmosphere of the 1960s.

Figure 2. Plug-in city, Archigram

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Figure 2. Nakagin capsule tower, Kisho Kurakawa

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On the other side of the world, Japan, confronted by a post-war population and manufacturing boom, developed the architectural style of Metabolism (Kate Wagner, 2016). The most notorious and interesting of the structures was the 1972 Nagakin Capsule Tower, by Kisho Kurokawa. The Nagakin Capsule tower consists of 140 self-contained prefabricated capsules, complete with bathrooms, cabinetry,and a built-in HiFi set.The tiny capsules, designed to be removable and replaceable, only measure 7.5 x 6.9 x 12 feet — a predecessor to today’s increasingly popular microapartments.


06.3 Present practices Today’s industry of building construction faces several issues that prevent it from further development. The human factor is significant - the low level of workforce and shortage of young talent lower the advancement in research. The current situation pushes the construction industry into a modern method of building and has a direct impact on the increased demand for modular construction, which offers great solutions for major current problems. The great difference between using prefabricated structures produced offsite and the traditional construction process starts from the design phase. The factory-controlled process must be well-thought from the first drawings.

Thus, it requires more time for developing the design schemes, but it can be amended by managing other aspects of the project like attaining a building permit and preparing the site and foundation for the structure. Design for manufacture and assembly (Fig.1) is the management structure derived by RIBA which puts together the process of designing in a manner to manufacture significant elements in a factory environment and minimise works on-site to avoid the traditional ‘construction’. It harnesses a wide spectrum of tools and technologies, and the underlying goal is to use design processes that help facilitate a collaborative approach along the whole value

Figure 2. Design for manufacture and assembly mindset: through the stages of construction

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“Worldwide, construction is one of the largest industry sectors and with current urbanization trends the demand for it has never been greater but there are underlying challenges in productivity, profitability, performance, labour, and sustainability...”

Figure 2. Diagram of modular construction schedule vs. site built construction schedule

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chain, embracing design teams, clients, contractors, and offsite manufacturers (RIBA, 2013). The design phase base on rationalisation, materials optimisation, and creating the whole logistics for assembling the module. The right management is crucial for the correct design. The most innovative element is designing the offsite components which quality can be polished up to the smallest details in the safe factory environment. Modular units may be designed to fit in with external aesthetics of any existing building and modular units, once assembled, are visually indistinguishable from their site-built counterparts, although the units must be repetitive to some extent, so the work might be compared to the manufactory task. The primary advantage of modular building is speeding up the delivery time, so the buildings are made in 30 - 50% shorter time frame, comparing to traditional onsite construction. The work, unlike the traditional onsite construction, can go on despite any weather conditions. Buildings are occupied sooner, creating a faster return on investment. Moreover, the modules

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can be produced just after receiving all needed permits, parallelly preparing the site, foundations, and eventual host structure (Fig.2) - built using a traditional structural system in order to fit with all the custom-made features of the site and the specific project requirements (Di Pasquale J., 2020). Thanks to the precision of implementation, the components can be connected in the correct order, together with electricity, piping, and other mechanical features just by attaching them, without on-site adjustments (Smith R. E., 2021). The last years demonstrated the growing role of the architect during the design-build process based on modules by educating the investors. Architects emerged as stigmabreakers and image-transformers of the dominant-negative associations with off-site construction. The designers have powerful tools to manage the project - advanced BIM for visualization to assess the energy performance and identify the most cost-effective efficiency measures. Moreover, today’s modular buildings meet the same building codes and standards as site-built structures, so the same materials are used – wood, concrete, or steel (Smith R. E., 2021).


Figure 2. Transportation conditions

Key values for road transportation across Europe: • Typical overall module width : 3.25m (economic transportation) • Max. overall module width : 4.5m (max. practical for transportation) • Max. overall module length : 17.5m (max. practical for transportation on low loader) • Maximum overall module height : 3.5m (maximum practical for transportation on low loader) • Oversized transports must be convoyed.

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06.4 Global industry - case studies

Figure 8. Sawn logs along the Piana Marcesina

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The trend of modular removable architecture has been somewhat presented already in international linguistic and architectural research. There are certain examples using various techniques and solutions developing worldwide. A very interesting example is the research institution NEST, completed at EMPA campus in Dubendorf,

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Switzerland, by Gramazio and Kohler Gmbh Architects. The building represents the experimental hybrid structure where the removable units are connected to a host structure with the main net of services located. The structure consists of open platforms, on which individual wooden modules are installed for a limited period according to a plug-and-


play principle. The 124m2 of units properly designed and produced were installed in a very short time of 2 days by a perfect match with each other, without any adjustments on site. This also allows these units to be dismantled once the research and development work has been completed, thus making room for new modules (Richner, P., 2017).

Figure 2. EMPA campus in Dubendorf, Switzerland, by Gramazio and Kohler Gmbh Architects

“Customisation: this type of construction system allows for modifications and additions, thus increasing the possibilities of customisation even with the work in advanced or finished phases....”

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Figure 8. AC Hotel by Marriott in New York, USA by Danny Forster & Architecture executed by DMD modular

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The modular architecture is also chosen by powerful brands like hotel chain Marriott that brings modular construction to a higher level where high-quality luxury product plays the main role. The new 25-story hotel in New York, designed by New Yorkbased architect Danny Forster, will become the tallest modular building in the world. Worth mentioning is the global challenge - the composites are completely produced by a foreign company – DMD Modular in Poland. All the 168 units are fully executed

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and furnished in the factory and later shipped overseas (WozniakSzpakiewicz E., 2018).


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Figure 8. Concorde South Apartments in West Australia by Hodge Collard Preston Architects

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Another example of modular architecture in the residential sector is Concorde South in West Australia. The 77-unit, six-storey apartment complex was built in just eight and a half days. The units were also transported by road and sea from the other part of the continent and put one on each other with the finished façade and furniture. The project was a job generator and the real solution to the issues of quality, affordability, materials, and skills shortages that often prevent regional development projects from getting off the ground. Although the project is made for permanent use, it is very easy to dismantle and reuse the parts when only the need for it appears (Cameron, J.).


06.5 Future perspectives Innovative solutions: Construction 4.0

Figure 8. Conceptual illustration of construction 4.0 framework

With the upcoming fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) the built environment sector also can upsurge to more efficient production, business models, and value chains. Such a transformation is possible through the merging of existing and developing technologies that form part of the Industry 4.0 paradigm. This transformation can be called construction 4.0. In 4IR, the fundamental driver is the use of cyber-physical systems. Cyberphysical systemsare enabling technologies that bring the virtual and physical worlds together to create a truly networked world in which intelligent objects communicate and interact with each other.

Construction 4.0 is a framework that is a convergence of the following broad themes: • Industrial production (prefabrication, 3D printing, and assembly, offsite manufacture). • Cyber-physical systems (robots and cobots for repetitive and dangerous processes, and drones for surveying and lifting, moving and positioning, and actuators). • Digital technologies (BIM, video and laser scanning, IoT, sensors, AI and cloud computing, big data, and data analytics, reality capture, Blockchain, simulation, augmented reality, data standards and interoperability, and vertical and horizontal integration). (Fig.4)

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Figure 8. factory-made units, ready to be transported and assembled on-site

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The intersection of the topic of investigation and the framework of the upcoming 4th industrial revolution lies in the concept of offsite prefabrication with the integration of building information modelling (BIM). Offsite prefabrication has significant potential to improve the productivity and performance of the construction industry. However, operations in this environment are often undertaken without the necessary coordination to prevent work blockages in the production network. BIM is pivotal to the prefabrication industry as it improves collaborations between projects, trades, knowledge transfer, quality

Part II - Economy - Modular architecture and its superiorities

management, and safety monitoring (Mike Riley, Javier Irizarry, 2020). In the design phase, BIM allows information required by trades to be overlapped on one model, which improves extremely project management during the preconstruction phase. BIM for multi-trade prefabrication can also facilitate safety management. Construction projects are unique, fragmented, and complex, requiring temporary and multidisciplinary teams. Therefore, effective knowledge transfer through BIM can prevent similar safety breaches, reduce risks of safety threats, and enhance safe work practices.


Circular economy The statistics are clear that construction is a major contributor to the depletion of global resources and as such can play a major role by devising solutions to minimise the use of resources. 45 % of the world’s carbon emissions come from buildings, 90% of the world’s hardwood goes to the construction sector and 50% of the world’s landfill waste comes from construction. While re-thinking the construction system, ecological aspects should be included. Less material waste and its recycling is the significant feature of the circular economy.

It can be achieved by maximum modularization and prefabrication, so all materials and products can be easily removed and segregated by type. The correct dismantling design, where nothing is glued or welded permanently, is a must for future buildings. Prefabricated modules built in a factory, where the inventory is controlled and building materials protected, allow for tighter construction according to the ecological approach. In the 1980s Professor Hideo Nanjyo formed the interesting definition of urban mining, whose basic idea is that the building is a

temporal stock of materials. The building parts could be reused, temporarily removed, or borrowed instead of permanently acquired and disposed. For example, in the abovementioned NEST building, modern innovative structure, the doors installed in the modules are re-used from the old bank interior. Finally, the proposed advanced method of modular building construction gives an enormous possibility of reusing the whole units for different purposes. The ease of installing components gives the opportunity for quick changes of location, function, and arrangement.

Figure 8. Timber construction circular economy model

Circular Economy Model for Timber construction Production

Business model

Production Cycle

Defined uses

Maintain

Installation

Removal

Raw materials Recycled

Disassembly

In-Use Cycle

Use

Installed Product

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07

Wood Industry in Italy and Austria In Italy all wood-related economic sectors operate in a highly disconnected forestry-processing system, whose main features seem to be: internal supply which is not distributed homogeneously due to environmental and economic constraints. On the contrary to it, Industry in Vorarlberg operates with tight comminication between all parties of wood processing sector and architects.

07.1 Wood industry in Italy The low profitability of the wood industry is due to the predominant location of Italian forests: 95% of them are located in mountainous locations with numerous environmental and infrastructure constraints. The low level of global timber prices in recent years, as well as the relocation of numerous woodworking firms to other countries, has reduced internal demand for industrial Round wood from mountain locations. Numerous forest owners’ social profiles are characterized by the presence of many elderly supervisors who work part-time in the forest. In Italy all wood-related economic

Figure 1. Mature plants in a poplar stand in the Po Valley

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sectors operate in a highly disconnected forestry-wood system, whose main features seem to be: The internal supply is not distributed homogeneously due to environmental and economic constraints. Most of the productive high forests (mainly coniferous) are in the north-eastern regions (75% of the wood removals of conifer roundwood comes from this area) (Figure 2.) while coppices predominate in the centre of the country. The only relevant examples of forest plantations are the poplar stands in the northern plain areas of the river Po valley (70% of the


total industrial roundwood comes from less than 100,000 ha of poplar cultivations in the Po valley)(Figure 1). On the other hand, with the overall situation of wood productivity in Italy, poplar plantations probably represent financially the most productive investment in the forest sector in Europe. Consequent low self-sufficiency rate for wood supply (around 36% for semi-finished products); part of the reason for this, beside the economic and environmental constraints, is the fact that Italy’s geographical position and international location is such that importing from neighbour markets (such as Austria, France, Switzerland, Slovenia and Croatia) is easier and faster than purchasing on local markets. For example, in the softwood market the commercial flow between Austria and Italy is, quantity-wise, exceeded only by that between Canada and the USA. Furthermore, due to the size

of production, wood, furniture and pulp and paper industries need continuous, homogeneous and reliable timber provisions, which can only be guaranteed by foreign supply. The lack of integration between domestic forest activities and the wood working industry is therefore one of the basic problems and at the same time one of the main challenges of the Italian forestry sector. The bulk of industrial activities is based on import of rough and semi-finished products, while internal supply is able only to cover small niches of the market (poplar logs used for plywood and mechanical pulp production, coniferous timber used in building activities in some mountainous areas, etc.). The national forest area is equal to 10,467,533 ha, corresponding to 34.7% of the territorial total (this index is also known as the “woodiness coefficient”). The Forest category

Figure 2 . Conifer forest in Dolomites

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represents 83.7% of the area overall forestry, the Other wooded lands 16.3% (INFC, 2010). The latter, whose extension is of 1,708,333 ha, are made up for 58% of shrubs (especially Mediterranean scrub and shrubs). From 1980 to today, the forest area in our country has increased from 6,305,000 ha to the current almost 11 million, with a total increase of 4,695,000 ha (+ 74.5%); this above all following the re-colonization from spontaneous vegetation, both in the mountains and in the plains, and to the construction of tree plants and reforestation interventions. This is the broadest form of land use change in the history of the Republic. The territorial districts with the highest percentage of woodland area (Figure 3) are Liguria and Trentino, which have 62.6 and 60.5% respectively, while the Regions with less coverage forestry are Puglia (7.5%) and Sicily (10.0%).

59% of the Italian forest area is currently located in the mountains, 36% in the hills and for the remaining 5% in the plains (Figure 4). Besides natural woodland, where native and spontaneous species are dominant, there is a remarkably large area of forest plantations with a strictly timber–production purpose, which had a great influence on the Italian forest-wood chain system during the last decades. A distinction can be made between fast growing plantations of timber or wood-pulp production, especially those of poplar in the Po valley which have a rotation length of around 10 years, and plantations aimed at the production of particularly valuable timber (walnut, cherry, ash, maple etc.), which have a longer rotation length, which in total cover 162,652 ha (ISTAT, 2000). Forest land in Italy is divided into private (60%) and public ownership (40%). Local municipalities are in

possession of large proportion (68%) of publicly owned forests. Privately owned woodlands are usually very scattered and rarely keep a forest management plan. This represents the main problems for an active management of the forest resource. The high forests occupy a total area of 3,157,965 ha (36.1%), with a slight prevalence of peers compared to peers. Overall, the Italian woods are on average “old”, since the adult and aged stages they represent 89.0% of the entire area governed by coppice and the mature and overripe highlands they are 35.1% of the total. The synthetic evaluation of the so-called availability of wood harvest (Figure 5), understood as a possibility of forest areas (Bosco and Other wooded lands) to perform the function of wood production, is based on the rules related to the constraints in action and on the orographic and forest road conditions present at the moment of

Figure 3. Forest coverage in Italy, according to regions

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dendrometric surveys. At the national level, it emerges that 81.3% (corresponding to more than 8 million of ha) of the total forest area is available for wood harvesting, i.e. not subject to limitations significant of silvicultural activity due to the presence of regulations or constraints (environmental protection requirements or conservation of sites of historical, cultural interest, etc.). By deepening the analysis at the level of individual territorial districts, the potentially usable forest area for the production of timber, in percentage terms, it is always higher than 50%, with the lowest values in Friuli (55.1%) and Valle d’Aosta (62.5%) and the highest in Umbria and Marche (for both greater than 94%). Main causes are lack of infrastructures (roads, etc.), difficulties of access, strict regime of protection for protected areas, insufficient economic value of wood.

As in other Mediterranean countries, the social and economic role of nonwood forest products (NWFP) is traditionally of high importance for local communities. Market demand for chestnuts, hazelnuts, mushrooms, truffles, berries is so high that almost all the Regional Administrations have introduced property right regulations to control the collection of NWFP. These products are no more a public, free-access good, but products that can offer remarkable source of income to the forest owners and their association (Colpi et al.. 1999). Soil and water conservation is the main goal and constraint of forest management. In fact, forestry practices are carefully controlled and restricted by specific rules, aiming at a sustainable planning and management of forest land. Silvicultural systems are based on “close to nature” principles which must simultaneously respect social –economic development and the

“The lack of integration between domestic forest activities and the wood working industry is therefore one of the basic problems and at the same time one of the main challenges of the Italian forestry sector...”

Figure 4. Distribution of forest coverage, according to landscape

Figure 5. Forest Harvest distribution

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“Italian forests grow annually of approximately 30 million m3 of timber, but only 1/3 of this mass is harvested...”

enforcement of soil protection and water conservation, in other words the multi - functionality of the forest ecosystems.(Figure 6.) Therefore, clear-cutting of high forests is forbidden, since 1923, and operations leading to natural regeneration, such as selection systems and shelterwood systems (group, strip and edge), are strongly encouraged. Coppices are most managed on a rotational basis, when the stumps are clear-cut, but several trunks known as standards are left, distributed evenly over the land for partial coverage of the soil and for dissemination. At smaller scale forestry management rules are based on tradition, harvesting is contracted to forest workers as small family business. Great hopes are set on new developed Forest Co-ops or Consortia (in most cases supported for development by public funds). In the part of Italy (mainly in northern regions) where forestry practices have a high standard the silvicultural systems in use nowadays are based

on the principles of a sustainable, “near-to-nature” forestry. Forest operations are carefully controlled and restricted, aiming both to timber production and to forest natural regeneration. This kind of treatments has determined the shifting of many even-aged forests to uneven aged or irregular forests. In Beech high forests the most common practice is the uniform system. Clearcutting is forbidden by law in about 95% of the high-forests, which are subjected to restricted use, in order to enforce soil and water conservation. Currently the most common silvicultural systems applied in alpine high forests are selection system and shelterwood system (mainly group, stripe or edge systems). This kind of treatments has determined the shifting of many even-aged forests (developed from past clearcutting or afforestation) to uneven aged or irregular forests. In Beech high forests the most common practice is the uniform system. Figure 6. Distribution of the coppice and high forest crop types throughout Italy

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Wood Utilization in Italy The Italian manufacturing industry is a large user of wood and its derivatives. Despite our country and the wood-furniture macrosystem continue to suffer the consequences of the serious economic international crisis , the various artisan and industrial sectors connected with the transformation and use of this raw material will express, also in the future, strong demands regarding the demand for raw wood. In addition, the large-scale adoption of environmentally friendly and energy-saving technologies, which optimize the peculiar characteristics of this material in structural uses in construction, has fueled a renewed interest in wood to which the strong development of materials science has contributed substantially (leading to greater knowledge of the specific characteristics of solid wood and of the numerous derivative products) and the recent approach to “sustainable management” in

resource planning and evaluation of industrial production, which allowed wood to take a position of everything respect for other building materials. From the analysis of the macroeconomic data it is clear that in the activities related to the wood supply chain they are about 75,000 enterprises14 involved for over 400,000 work units15 (Table 1). With 15% of companies it is the second sector of the manufacturing industry and its total turnover exceeds 30 billions of Euros (2/3 of which related to the furniture sector). From the beginning of the 1990s there has been an important increase in the number of forest associations and unions: Federforeste (National Federation of Forest Associations) in June 2000 included 62 enterprises, with a total surface area of 400,000 has. This seems to be a fundamental way to help overcome the difficulties and limitations of land fragmentation, which must be strongly enhanced

in the future in order to reduce total costs and make local timber more competitive on the market. From the beginning of the 1990s there has been an important increase in the number of forest associations and unions: Federforeste (National Federation of Forest Associations) in June 2000 included 62 enterprises, with a total surface area of 400,000 has. This seems to be a fundamental way to help overcome the difficulties and limitations of land fragmentation, which must be strongly enhanced in the future in order to reduce total costs and make local timber more competitive on the market. Forest activities and wood working industries are separate entities acting rather independently: the lack of integration between the two sectors is due to different policies and patterns of development. Forest activities seem more oriented towards the production of nonmarket public services than to an

Table 1. Companies and employees of the forestwood supply chain in Italy

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increase in the internal supply of wood products. While the wood industry is strictly oriented towards production and competition in the international market by giving as much added value as possible to the raw material imported (Colpi et al., 1999). In the recent years, the focus on forest management and conservation has significantly shifted from the highly technical commercial forestry to a more people-oriented social forestry orientation. Gone are the days when forestry is looked upon as solely management and utilization of trees by large-scale timber-product-oriented logging corporations to meet demands for wood and wood-based products. The more recent scenario is a paradigm shift in the forestry sector to small-scale, multipleproduct-based, people-oriented and community-based sustainable forest management. The Italian wood supply chain is traditionally divided as follows (Figure 7.): Procurement: procurement and sale of raw and semi-finished timber

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includes the import and, to a lesser extent, the production of national forestry. First processing: production of semi-finished materials (sawn, panels, etc.) mainly destined to enter the subsequent stages of industrial transformation, with various destinations. Second processing: output of finished products for construction, furniture, logistics, etc. Distribution: trade and pre / postsale services of wood-based products by operators wholesale and retail. The components listed above should be combined with the “modern” biomass energy chain which, in some cases, takes on a complementary role and, in others, competitive and difficult to manage. The average working capacity of an Italian forestry company is estimated at 3,000-4,000 tons/ year of timber, with an average productivity of around 3-5 m3 / day /employee. Although conditioned by many factors (land pulverization, orography, etc.), this figure, much lower than the European average,

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“As regards the first link in the supply chain, it is important to emphasize that Italy is the country of the EU with the lowest degree of selfsufficiency in the supply of wood raw material...”

Table 2. Utilization of wood in italy by assortment according to eurostat (in thousands of m³)

Figure 7. The components of Italian forest-woodenergy supply chain according to the 2018-2019 Wood Supply Chain Plan of MIPAAF.


is an index of scarce specialization and limited organizational level of the active companies. Although there is no lack of examples of valid technological innovations and well-structured businesses, the modalities with which forestry uses are carried out are largely linked to tradition and better mainly on felling with chainsaw and logging with tractor or, in the Alpine area, with tractor and

winch or ropeways. The size of the areas under use is on average about one hectar. This data results evidently conditioned by the fragmentation of properties and by numerous regulatory constraints, factors which constitute a significant brake on the development of entrepreneurship in the sector. As regards the breakdown of wood uses by type of assortment (Table 2), from the analysis of the Eurostat

data available it is clear that working timber (round wood for shear and saw, for pulp and other lumber for industrial use) currently constitutes less than 30% of the material collected overall, of which less than half is made up of the higher value assortments commercial (shear and saw). Most of this production is concentrated in the north-east of the country, where the main forest areas of productive interest are present.

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The most represented assortment is instead the firewood collected in the stands of deciduous trees governed by coppice. Given that official statistics are unable to account for firewood for self-consumption and direct sales on the farm nor uses below a certain threshold and the wood assigned to civic uses, it is conceivable Examining the industrial production, the sector of the “first processing” is for the majority constituted (with the exception of the production of panels and some companies specialized in the packaging sector) from family or small businesses operating mainly in the sawing sector, carpentry, wooden packaging and the marketing of semi-finished products. The material consumed, such as already highlighted in the analysis of national forest uses, 65% comes from other European countries, in particular Austria, France, Switzerland Unfortunately, the first processing

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sector is mostly lacking in data on operational realities, above all as regards the segment of sawmills / carpentry active on the national territory. About that Assolegno / FederlegnoArredo has commissioned a specific targeted study to a consulting company to measure the actual consistency of the sector at a national level. Such an analysis which ended for a good part of the Italian territory will soon allow to have, for the first time, an overall vision of the first wood processing sector. Referring to the before mentioned documents for more detailed analysis, the Assolegno investigation nevertheless highlights that companies in this sector often operate in different and complementary areas, straddling with the second processes, with a weight of the single activities (for example of sawmill / carpentry / packaging) which also varies greatly over time. Another interesting data of evidence

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relates to the destination of the products of the first processing companies, where carpentry prevails (40-50%), followed by packaging (30-40%) and, to a much lesser extent, by carpentry (10- 15%). The furniture industry, with the exception of panels, instead uses almost all of the wood material used in imported semi-finished products. The inadequacy of the national raw material supply, together with the inevitable tendency on the part of many third countries to limit the export of raw wood in favor of semifinished products, also in order to favor the on-site processing of raw materials and export products with greater added value, in recent decades has led to a strong contraction in the sector of primary processing.

Figure 8. Saw mill in Belluno


National Forestry Supply Chain Strategic Guidelines by Federlegno Arredo Federlegno Arredo together with the main representatives of the forest supply chain and the national wood industry (operators in the sector, researchers, trade representatives, environmental associations, public administrations, etc.) and with the technical-scientific support of the INEA Forest Observatory, has developed “Sector Plan for the achievement of sustainable, competitive and integrated development of the National Wood Supply Chain:” • Increase in the availability of forest raw materials by strengthening instruments for bringing supply and demand closer; • Identification and analysis of existing good active forest management practices and their reproducibility in other territorial contexts (exchange of knowledge between regions, managing authorities and forest entrepreneurs); • Better strategic coordination between the sectors of the supply chain; • Creation of logistics platforms to improve the competitiveness of the sector in terms of service/ marketing support; • Increased scientific and research support corresponding to the real needs of enterprises; • Dissemination of management methods and forestry techniques capable of guaranteeing economic and environmental benefits; • Coordinated training at national level in favour of the growth of the technical and managerial professionalism of forest operators; • Cultural and communicative awareness-raising action aimed at the general public to eliminate widespread prejudices about crop cutting within forest supersoles; • Support activities to the forest products market, with reference to the characteristics of the product, value quotation and marketing.

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07.2 Wood industry in Vorarlberg, Austria Vorarlberg location and history

Figure 9. Contemporary timber architecture, Vorarlberg, Austria

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Located on the north-western slopes of the Austrian Alps and bordering the countries of Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, Vorarlberg is the second smallest Austrian province, but also the second most densely populated after Vienna. Its population of 367,0001 is hardly even that of a medium-sized European city and inhabits an area of roughly 2,600 square kilometres (1,000 square miles)2. Vorarlberg is geographically closed off from the rest of Austria, and the only connections to the neighbouring

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province of Tyrol are provided by three surface roads, as well as the railroad and street tunnel through the Arlberg Mountain. Due to its isolated location, most of the province’s population speaks a distinctive German dialect which many of the country’s other inhabitants find hard to understand. It is similar to the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, the Alsace region in France, and parts of southwestern Germany, whereas the dialects spoken in the rest of Austria form part of the Bavarian-Austrian


language group. Many towns and villages even have their own distinct sub-dialects. Vorarlberg is an alpine region and extremely mountainous, and therefore offers unfavourable conditions for intensive farming. It also does not possess any significant valuable natural resources. For centuries, the land could not feed the population, and the younger generations were sent abroad as seasonal workers to the more prosperous neighboring countries. The province had a strong rural agricultural tradition, but it experienced an early industrialization at the beginning of the 19th century, particularly in the area of textile manufacturing. The rise of the textile industry had its origins in the traditional production of linen and benefited greatly from the craftsmanship and skill set of the farming population, which in return became heavily involved in the home-based manufacturing

of industrial textiles and other goods. Up to the 19th century, Vorarlberg was sparsely inhabited, and its population was mostly homogeneous. The regulation of the Rhine River, the construction of the railroad, and the use of waterpower gave the province a basis for its own economic growth, and also led to an influx of foreign labour, particularly from Italy and Turkey. 97% of the province’s electricity is generated through hydro- electric power, with the Ill valley being the centre of power production.4 Of 169,000 people employed, only 3,000 still work in farming and forestry, but 67,000 work in textile, electrical, and machine manufacturing and construction.5 The per capita production of export goods is four times higher than the United States or Japan and is only sur- passed by Switzerland. Due to Vorarlberg’s size, it might come as a surprise that the emergence of its contemporary

Figure 10. Vorarlberg region Location

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and innovative timber architecture over the last three decades is unparalleled in Europe. Deeply rooted in the region’s longstanding tradition of building craft, a number of pioneering architects have established a strong technical, costefficient, and functional vocabulary that has evolved into a unique architectural culture. . Today, this exclusive setting serves as a laboratory in which architects and craftsmen search for a symbiotic connection between a specifically regional architecture on the one hand, and a pro- gressive architectural formal language on the other. In addition, they explore the relationship between technology and ecology, as well as between housing needs and the requirements of the industry. One third of Vorarlberg is still covered with forest. As early as the Middle Ages, forests in mountainous areas were identified to fulfill important protective functions.

Figure 11. Vorarlberg Alpine landscape

“Today,Vorarlberg is the most heavily industrialized region of Austria, but it produces with the lowest energy consumption...”

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Carpentry trade Individual master craftsmen could reach the highest social status as citizens of cities and rural communities. The trade was organized in so-called guilds which regulated the profession and determined how master craftsmen, journeymen, and apprentices lived together. The guilds-controlled pricing and the quality of completed work, and prevented fraudulent activities, as well as excessive competition. Besides determining the rules of conduct, they were also religious associations in the honour of God. Precise regulations established the apprentices’ education during their three-year training period and dictated god-fearing and honourable lifestyles. A final practical exam concluded the apprenticeship and consisted of either a building or a model, the so-called journeyman’s piece. This was followed by a threeyear journey which the apprentice

would use to get familiar with other parts of the world and new working methods. The rules were very strict. The journeymen were not allowed to come home during that time, nor could they work on the same building site for more than six months. Guild houses were located all across Europe, and even today journeyman carpenters can be seen traveling in their guild attire, wearing a black corduroy vest and bell-bottomed pants, and a wide-brimmed hat. The collaborative work in the field and the shared life in the guild houses fostered a strong sense of belonging and community and allowed the carpentry guilds to survive till present day. Since Vorarlberg was a poor province with few significant commissions, most of the work by Vorarlberg craftsmen were, in fact, performed abroad. The guilds were able to exploit the building boom after the destruction of the Thirty Years’ War (1618- 1648). Between

“Up to the 19th century, carpenters were not only craftsmen, but they also fulfilled the role of architect and engineer...”

Figure 12. Primary school in Doren by Cukrowicz Nachbaur Arkitekten

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Figure 13. Traditional timber detail, Vorarlberg

“Carpentry is one of the oldest and most important building trades and forms of the foundation of Vorarlberg’s architectural culture...”

1650 and 1800, craftsmen from Vorarlberg constructed several hundred large projects in Southern Germany, Switzerland, Alsace, and Bohemia. As a result, not only Vorarlberg’s journeymen were traveling, but the entire guild was also on the road. Some villages report that during the building season between March and October, nearly 90% of the male population were working away from home. Vorarlberg’s Baroque master builders designed many churches and monasteries, and some of the best examples can be found in Birnau and Weingarten in Germany, as well as Sankt Gallen

and Einsiedeln in Switzerland. Up to the 19th century, carpenters were not only craftsmen, but they also fulfilled the role of architect and engineer. Industrialization brought some new tasks, such as the design and construction of concrete formwork, but generally, the carpenter’s responsibilities diminished significantly. The tools of the trade remained virtually unchanged between the Middle Ages and the 20th century, when manual labor was increasingly replaced by power tools and the use of machinery One third of Vorarlberg is still covered with forest.7 As early as the Middle Ages, forests in mountainous areas were identified to fulfil important protective functions. Located at high altitudes above settlements, they serve as effective measures against avalanches and landslides. Today’s effects of pollution and the resulting forest dieback are a global problem but are proving to be particularly disastrous for alpine regions. In the past, logging the timber was also part of the craftsmen’s responsibility. A large structure like a church or monastery could consume entire forests, and the carpenters themselves would go and select healthy and straight trees for construction. The carpenters would then mill the logs and turn them into lumber for construction. Flourishing sawmills put an end to the close relationship the carpenters had established with the material as a result of manual processing. Timber for construction was now cut cost-effectively by the mills and readily available for purchase. However, in some remote valleys and settlements, carpenters and farmers retained the old manual

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timber processing techniques all the way into the 1950s. Vorarlberg is not only densely wooded, but it Also possesses numerous creeks and rivers which facilitated the installation of water-powered sawmills. Up to the 19th century, almost every village owned at least one sawmill, and many farmers shared communal facilities close to the forests they owned. Improvements to the infrastructure and increased motorization in the

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20th century signalled the end for smaller mills, and only the larger and more efficient ones were able to survive. New manufacturing techniques such as the production of glulam beams and concrete formwork opened up new markets and export opportunities for sawmills and carpentry businesses throughout Vorarlberg. Its excellent insulating properties make timber the obvious building material of choice in the cold cli-

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Figure 14. Mountain chapel Alpe Vordere Niedere, Andelbuch


mate of the Alps, and it is much preferred over masonry construction. The abundance of timber al- lowed a tradition of craft and carpentry to evolve over centuries. The Bregenzerwald region in Vorarlberg boasts one of the best-preserved timber construction traditions in Europe. In all parts of the province however, timber construction dominates, and it can be found not only in the mountainous regions, but also at the shores of Lake Constance and the Rhine River valley. If allowed to dry out properly, timber-framed houses are extremely durable and can withstand even the harsh conditions found in the mountains. Careful detailing and assembly techniques can successfully protect untreated wooden building parts such as facades, windows, and doors from rain, wind, and snow. Over time, surfaces facing the sun will be burnt and turn a dark brown colour, while the shaded sides of

a building will turn a silvery grey as they age. By following rules that were established by craftsmen over centuries and handed down from generation to generation, timber houses can last exception- ally long periods of time. Some of the most successful examples in the Bregenzerwald region date back to the 17th century. External influences, due to Vorarlberg’s proximity to other countries and its fragmented and varied landscape, contributed to the evolution of several different vernacular house types.

“The Bregenzerwald region in Vorarlberg boasts one of the best-preserved timber construction traditions in Europe...”

Figure 15. Kindergarten, Bizau Figure 15. Kindergarten, Bizau

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Timber construction systems By subdividing and adding to initially primitive one room buildings, the varying farmhouse types of the different Vorarlberg landscapes were developed. The traditional farmhouse was not the end result of a closed development cycle, but it reacted to constantly changing social and economic conditions. Certain time periods throughout history experienced significant changes and innovations. In the 17th century, the restoration of peace at the end of the Thirty Years’ War meant an increase of prosperity and population, which resulted in larger and more magnificent homes. Then, intensive farming practices in the 19th century forced farmers to increase their livestock, which in return required larger stables and more storage space for feed. Outbuildings were enlarged, and existing roof pitches were steepened in order to allow attic spaces to hold more hay. The Ständerbohlenbau, a postand-beam construction method, is the oldest timber construction technique in Vorarlberg, and only a few examples have survived over time (Figure 16). Derived from a construction practice where vertical posts were simply driven into the ground, later techniques rest the posts on a masonry foundation in order to keep any timber elements away from moisture. Posts and beams make up the structural framework, and horizontal timber planks 8-12cm in width form the walls. These are slotted into vertical grooves which have been cut into the posts. The Ständer-bohlenbau uses considerably less wood than

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the more massive log construction and was therefore mostly used for outbuildings such as hay barns and stable. The Blockbau, or log construction, is the building technique most commonly used for traditional farmhouses in Vorarlberg (Figure 17). Timber members are stacked horizontally and are linked in the corners using cogged joints. Hardwood pegs were inserted into the logs to interlock the individual courses, creating a structure of great rigidity.With increasing industrialization, the availability of mass-produced inexpensive nails allowed the facades to be clad with a scale-like shingle skin which effectively protected the structural members from rain. When thinking of traditional European houses, the typical Fachwerkbau or timber-frame construction usually comes to mind. This system consists of a structural framework which is filled in with wattles, clay, and chopped

Part II | Economy, Wooden Sector | Wood Industry in Vorarlberg, Austria

“New manufacturing techniques such as the production of glulam beams opened up new export opportunities for sawmills and carpentry businesses throughout Vorarlberg...”

Figure 16. Post-and-beam construction, Sulz


straw. Vorarlberg is in fact the only Austrian province that possesses a significant number of these types of buildings, which is due to the fact that it is geographically located at a point where different construction techniques meet, making for an interesting mix of styles. However, timber-framed houses were mostly built-in areas rich with deciduous trees, since these predominantly produced short structural members. Construction systems such as post-and-beam construction and log construction were prevalent in Vorarlberg, taking advantage of the abundance of coniferous trees which provided long and straight members.

Figure 17. Log construction, Dornbirn

Figure 18. Kindergarten, Bizau

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Change in tradition Vorarlberg’s timber construction tradition was put to the test with the rise of the bourgeois class and the establishment of new values in the late 19th century. Suddenly, timber houses conveyed an image of poverty and being old-fashioned, since they were considered a sign of belonging to the working class. In addition, it became popular belief that timber was an ephemeral and perishable building material, even though thousands of historic timber buildings proved otherwise. Masonry homes were the new status symbol of the middle and upper classes and became the prevalent building type. As a result, many timber houses were covered up with stucco after the fact, in order to make them look like their more expensive masonry neighbors. The advantages of timber construction were rediscovered in times of economic hardship. Between World War I and II, the distinguished Austrian architect Clemens Holzmeister published his essay on Timber House Construction, which discussed the decline of the timber construction tradition. In his publication, Holzmeister presents numerous encouraging examples of successful old timber buildings, many of them in Vorarlberg, and points the way to a new era of timber construction. Above all, he points out the positive impact of managed forestry and the use of locally available resources on the economy in times of crisis. In the 1930s, the Austrian federal government launched a building program to battle the housing shortage and rising unemployment.

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Across the country, the creation of new housing estates at the perimeters of existing settlements was aimed at providing jobs and housing for the unemployed and short-term workers. Eight of these estates were developed in Vorarlberg, and all of the homes were built using

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the traditional log construction technique with members 12cm thick. The large amount of readily available labour allowed for costeffective prefabrication. Additionally, the chosen timber system enabled future owners to contribute about 1,500 hours of their own time and


labour towards the construction of their home. This set a new precedent. Architects in Vorarlberg would use this combination of professional, industrialized prefabrication with unskilled do-it-yourself labour for the construction of residential projects in the future.

Figure 19. Farmbuilding, Dornbirn Figure 19. Farmbuilding, Dornbirn

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New Timber Construction Hans Purin, Rudolf Wäger, Jakob Albrecht, Gunter Wratzfeld, and Leopold Kaufmann designed timber houses, which, through their lack of traditional elements such as roof overhangs in combination with open floor plans, flat roofs, and unusually large windows, received a lot of criticism among the general population. Leopold Kaufmann remarks: “My first projects– in the sixties – had neither the proper roof, nor the proper form, nor the right windows. The result was that my neighbours no longer greeted me after attending Sunday Mass. With their designs, they formulated alternatives to the prevalent local provincialism, which was the result of misguided formal interpretations of the historic building stock. Rudolf Wäger states: “I consciously attempted to build in opposition to traditional tendencies. During my apprenticeship as a carpenter, I realized how thoughtless the so-called traditional construction had become. These stereotypical houses were not really traditional buildings… I did not want to derive new possibilities and variations in a well-behaved and consistent manner but needed to oppose this thoughtlessness.” The architects established a dialogue with the region’s rich timber building tradition and used the carpentry trade’s craftsmanship skills as a basis for their new timber-frame construction systems. Working with timber also meant that buildings had to be well constructed. How walls and roofs were assembled and put together was essential. Spacemaking began with designing the

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structural system, which played an important role as an expressive visual element. Vorarlberg’s population is known as being thrifty, and its motto “Schaffa, schaffa, Hüsle baua.” translates to “Work, work, and build a little house.” While the single-family home continued to be the prevalent housing type, the strong desire of home ownership contributed to urban sprawl and put homeowners under enormous financial pressure. An important question arose among architects: Who are we building for if most people cannot afford their own house? Hans Purin, one of the pioneers of the new movement, offered a solution to the problem with the design of the housing estate Halde in Bludenz in 1964 (Figure 20). A framework of massive masonry walls was provided, which could then be filled in by the future residents using a system of light- weight timberframed floors and walls. The owners

Part II | Economy, Wooden Sector | Wood Industry in Vorarlberg, Austria

“Timber construction finally experienced a revival in the 1960s, when a group of young architects started practicing in Vorarlberg...”

Figure 20. Hans Purin: Halde housing estate


completed approximately 20% of the construction themselves; and through this, the project served as an excellent example for simple, costefficient, and collaborative building. According to Austria’s most wellknown architectural critic Friedrich Achleitner, the Halde housing estate “still belongs to the most respectable achievements in Austrian residential construction.” The newly formed Cooperative, a group of young architects consisting of Dietmar Eberle, Wolfgang Juen, Markus Koch, and Norbert Mittersteiner, used a similar approach in 1979 when designing the Im Fang housing estate (Figure 22). In cooperation with their clients, they were looking to develop alternative ways of living and building together. Timber was the building material of choice, since it was easy to process without the need for heavy machinery or highly skilled workers, and also allowed for

simple structural systems and a large amount of flexibility. While professional carpenters erected the primary timber-framed structure, the floors, walls, glazing, winter gardens, and clad- ding were completed by the young architects

Figure 21. Scrap Collection Center, Feldrich

Figure 22. Cooperative: Im Fang housing estate

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and future residents. This made the project financially viable for everyone involved and allowed for individual variations and the creation of communal living spaces that were unprecedented on the housing market at that time. At times, the simplest, most efficient way to produce a particular building element influenced design decisions more than purely formal aspects, which resulted in a new aesthetic that was initially rejected by the general population and the building authorities. The new timber houses were disparagingly called chicken coops or barns, since their appearance contradicted with the popular expectations of a privately owned home. The experience gained in working on these low-cost projects allowed the architects in Vorarlberg to develop professional and logistic skills that addressed all aspects of the building process. The quality of the built environment reached a new level, which impressed and increasingly convinced the large building cooperatives, construction companies, and local authorities. The resulting simplicity, rationality, and minimal aesthetic were not

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the product of theoretically applied ideas, but the outcome of a profession aspiring to make a stepby-step transition from traditional craftsmanship to customized industrial fabrication. Straightforward modern construction methods were employed, with the goal of minimizing the use of material while generating a maxi- mum amount of enclosed space. Once understood, this approach suited the native population’s thriftiness and their highly developed sense of value for money. style and continues to serve as a role model for not only Austria but all of Europe. Many of Vorarlberg’s architects now teach at universities and build in Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, China, and other countries. The region’s unique and sensitive approach to building provides convincing evidence of the architects’ involvement in the problems and needs of the society in which they live.

Figure 24. Scrap Collection Center, Feldrich

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Figure 23. System3 on the roof of the Museum of Modern Art in New York


Timber Architecture Today Vorarlberg’s contemporary architecture is a result of a regional development that is unprecedented. As a continuation of what started in the 1960s, the local architects have worked systematically over the last three decades to establish expertise in technology, cost efficiency, and functionality. Their work is not based on formal aspects, but primarily focuses on influences from today’s construction industry and manufacturing technology. Spaces are conceived through an exploration and integration of structure, assembly, and function, and not through short-lived

superficial formalisms. Concepts are grounded on structural efficiency, maximum use of minimal resources, usability, and the client’s needs which results in simple, yet very functional spaces. This sophisticated simplicity should not be misconstrued as being plain or basic and is best described using German architect Heinrich Tessenow’s words: “The simplest form is not always the best, but the best is always simple.” Through predominantly building with timber, the architects developed a rigor and expertise as part of their design process which has also proven useful when employing other

building materials and construction techniques. The initial members of the movement were fundamentally opposed to a formal regionalism that was based on misunderstood tradition. Their intention was not to replicate traditional forms, but to translate and update traditional processes and principles. As a result, architects and craftsmen together have been successful in finding a contemporary answer to the continuation of the local timber building tradition. Vorarlberg’s architecture is unique in the fact that it takes up extremely modern

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tendencies such as the promotion of modular living accommodations or the use of the latest industrial building components, without ignoring and abandoning the traditional construction skills and housing typologies of the region (Fig. 25). The harmonious juxtaposition of old building stock with contemporary interpretations proves that it is possible to continue tradition, while at the same time not rejecting contemporary life. Initially, this critical discourse involved small-scale private projects which allowed the architects to easily test ideas and concepts. The invaluable knowledge gained through this experience enabled them to successfully transition to working with investors and public authorities on more complex and larger public commissions. This unique development was not the product of the architects alone. Enlightened clients, a climate for open discussion, the cooperation of the authorities, and a broad consensus on aesthetic qualities and energy consumption have contributed to the appreciation and promotion of contemporary and sustainable architectural principles at all levels of society. The traditional carpentry trade has successfully made the transition to modern fabrication techniques and plays an active and important role in the planning and design process by setting extremely high craftsmanship standards. Today, there are many open-minded timber manufacturers which have a vested interest in cooperating with architects in order to improve and promote their building products. Prefabrication plays a very important role but is rooted in the carefully crafted customization of the carpentry trade, rather than

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Figure 25. Fink Thurnher: Daycare Center, Langenegg Figure 25. Oskar Leo Kaufmann and Albert Rüf: House Rüscher, Schnepfau; Johannes Kaufmann: Community Center, Raggal Figure 25. Johannes Kaufmann: Community Center, Raggal

Figure 26. Scrap Collection Center, Feldrich The scrap collection centre’s pivotal design and construction element is the raw material wood. In this way, the purpose of the hall – recycling and sustainability – is visibly reflected by the architecture

inexpensive industrialized mass production.26 Many manufacturers offer entire prefabricated kit houses, which have been developed in collaboration with architects. The increasing industrialization of the construction process and the use of prefabrication techniques minimize waste and help to optimize the use of energy and resources. Added value is retained in the region by employing local businesses and using locally sourced building materials. In association with energy providers, the regional government founded the Energieinstitut Vorarlberg in 1985, which actively promotes reduced energy consumption, the

use of renewable energy sources, and environ- mentally friendly building products. It also provides incentives and funding for private home builders and public investors based on a set of ecological guidelines, and through this, Vorarlberg possess- es the highest number of low-energy and passive energy houses in Austria today. The province has been able to develop sustainable construction practices while still retaining its unique regional and sensitive approach to building provides convincing evidence of the architects’ involvement in the problems and needs of the society in which they live.

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Holzbau_Kunst Vorarlberg Holzbau_kunst, a network which brings together all sectors with an interest in promoting the use of timber in construction. However, it takes more than just buzzwords and a good concept for market success. How did timber houses in Vorarlberg make the step from niche lifestyle products to preference option for local planners and public contractors? Why do mayors in rural villages crave to get their town halls, social housings, school gyms and even waste processing facilities built in the latest timber fashion? Vorarlberg´s success in timber housing lies in the fact that the whole supply chain has come together holzbau_kunst with one common goal: to create demand for modern timber buildings. Holzbau_kunst had come across examples of modern timber constructions and embraced the idea of reinventing the tradition of building with wood. They presented their vision to the carpenters in a very straight-forward way: if timber buildings become more common, there will be more business for carpenters, and they will become the centrepieces of the value chain. After a lot of brainstorming on the carpenters’ side, the first wood awards (Holzbaupreis) were brought into being in 1997. Builders and architects were invited to submit information and pictures of their existing timber buildings. The awards provided the perfect stage for a budding trend, and the collective holzbau_kunst was founded, initially funded by carpenter firms through membership fees. At the same time,

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the collective began to lobby to bring wood suppliers on board, too. Working downstream, they talked to collectives and individuals in the processing sector, the wholesale sector for construction materials, and further downstream, the collective of landowners. It was important to get the whole supply chain committed before launching a powerful marketing campaign, it was crucial to target different companies or individuals in a way that was relevant to them but using the main argument that more timber building means more business/market for everybody. Shortly after the first Holzbaupreis, thecollective and carpenters were confronted with a new barrier. They realised that something had to be done to make construction rules/ laws more timber-friendly. This was something that had to be addressed at a National level. therefore a promotional tour was organised to each of the other regions in Austria, where he presented the Vorarlberger concept to the carpenter guilds. Some years later, each region had its own Holzbaupreis. Regional resource Promoting the use of timber helps to consolidate demand for timber. However, at the moment, the regional timber resource doesn’t lack a market; only 20% of wood from the region stays there, the rest is fed into larger National or international markets. holzbau_kunst aims to increasingly focus on lobbying for an increased use of regional timber for regional timber buildings. In particular, to help the network of small sawmills to survive in the future.

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Vorarlberg receives about 30,000 international visitors a year, mostly architects and students who are interested in promoting timber buildings in their villages and towns. What attracts them? Holistic concept + joining of forces = success building scene.


Figure 27. Interior in CLT

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08

Strategy of developing timber construction in Veneto region

In 2019 Veneto was one of the driving regions of the entire national economy. It remains the third region in Italy for wealth generation, after Lombardy and Lazio. The wood sector focuses more on furniture production, with national trends charachteristic to this part of economy, as a lack of raw material and primary wood processing facilities. Chapter conceptualizes a startegy for improving infrastructure and developing timber construction sector more in Veneto through 2026 Milano-Cortina winter olympic games.

08.1 Economy of Veneto region Primary Industries

“Veneto remains one of the most innovative regions in Italy, according to the Regional Innovation Index (RII)...”

Figure 1. Map of Veneto Region and administrative centers of provinces

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Veneto is the eighth largest region in Italy, with a total area of 18,407.4 km2. It borders to the East with Friuli Venezia Giulia, to the South by Emilia-Romagna, to the West with Lombardy and to the North by Trentino-Alto Adige. It has about 4.9 million inhabitants, which makes Veneto the fifth most populated region in Italy (Eurostat, 2020). The regional capital is Venice. Veneto is a striking example of what in the sixties was called “Italian economic miracle”. Until the midfifties Veneto was a land of peasants, poverty and migration, plagued by constant floods, while later on it became one of the leading Italian industrial regional economies. The industrial sector has a highly specialised and competitive manufacturing base, mostly comprised of SMEs. According to Unioncamere Veneto data, in the 2nd quarter of 2018 the region

Part II - Economy - Strategy of transformed wood supply chain in Veneto

had almost 486,000 registered companies: 12% in industry, 14% in construction and 56% in the service sector. Agriculture is also important and agricultural companies, almost all mechanised and with a high level of specialisation, are very competitive. In 2018 Veneto was the first region in terms of agricultural export, with an increase of +37%. since 2013. Veneto is characterised by the presence of the following “industrial districts”: mechanics, agro-food industry and printing and publishing in Verona; textiles in Treviso and Vicenza; food industry in Rovigo; glasses production in Cadore and Belluno; gold and jewellery in Vicenza, electrical appliances in Conegliano, furniture in Bassano del Grappa. The image of the productive and entrepreneurial Northeast


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Table 1. Turnover of companies (thousands of euro) by sector of economic activity (*). Veneto - Years 2017: 2020

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also owes much to Treviso. In just a few years an area with an almost agricultural economy, a sector still very flourishing and specialized (as confirmed by the vineyards of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, with the renowned Prosecco Superiore DOCG and radicchio Treviso), has become one of the engines of the Italian economy, in particular in the mechanical sectors, metalworking, textiles, food and clothing, in which it has been able to establish itself worldwide with some prestigious brands such as Benetton. The main industrial districts concern furniture, stainless steel products, footwear and sportswear.” become one of the engines of the Italian economy, in particular in the mechanical sectors, metalworking, textiles, food and clothing, in which it has been able to establish itself worldwide with some prestigious brands such as Benetton. The main industrial districts concern

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furniture, stainless steel products, footwear and sportswear.” In 2019, the employment rate is higher (67,5%) than the national average (59%) although still below the European level (69.2%). The employment rate increased between 2018 and 2019 by 0.9%. The unemployment rate decreased in recent years, from 7.1% in 2015 to 5.7% in 2019. Veneto is the fifth region with the lowest unemployment rate (Eurostat, 2020). Economic structure of the region, centred on a broad belt running from east to west. The plain and the Alpine foothills are the most developed areas in contrast to the Po delta and the mountainous areas, with the exception of the surroundings of Belluno. This is why the Alps and the province of Rovigo are suffering more than other areas, from a trend of declining and ageing population.


Agriculture sector Despite the advance of industrialisation, Veneto is still strongly influenced by agriculture. In the large portions of its fertile plains and the surrounding hills, cereals, wine and fruits are grown. The grapes for famous wines such as Bardolino, Valpolicella and Prosecco ripen in the hills around Verona, Vicenza and Treviso, while corn, wheat, potatoes and rice are grown in the plains of the Po Delta. In the coastal areas you can find numerous fruit growers, fishermen and shellfish farmers. Shellfish farmers and fishermen have a long tradition in Veneto, but dwindling fish stocks make survival increasingly difficult for them. Veneto agriculture demonstrates slow but relentless changes, with a gradual disappearance of the small and non-competitive farms and the

timid emergence of companies of an entrepreneurial and specialised nature guaranteeing better profitability, above the European average above all for farms run by young people or those with particular specialisations in quality products. The acclaim gained outside Italy of the producce from Veneto land and of the local food industry is well demonstrated not only by the dizzying growth of the export, but also by the many imitations of Venetian cured meats, cheeses and wines and many other world famous products, victims of “Italian sounding” brands. Wine definitely leads the Veneto agrifood exports with almost 1.6 billion euros in 2019 a new growth record and crowns Veneto as leader of the Italian regions.

“1% of the European agricultural holdings are based in the Veneto region...”

“In ten years agrifood exports have more than doubled...”

Figure 2. Typical agricultural landscape in the low Venetian plain

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Textile and heavy industry The industrial sector has exploded in recent years and turned Veneto into a major economic region of Italy. Many companies have settled in Veneto, and a wide variety of products are produced there. Along with the traditional textile industry, which has created brands like “Diesel”, “Replay” and “Benetton”, the other industries are mainly concentrated around Verona and Vicenza. From an environmental point of view, the location of heavy industry and petrochemical factories on the coastline has increased the rates of pollution drastically. Many other important companies are based in Veneto. While Verona is a centre of gold and silver work, the motorcycle manufacturer “Aprilia” is located in Noale. “DeLonghi”, “Electrolux” and “Geox” are based in Treviso. Europe’s biggest eyewear manufacturer, “Luxottica”, has its headquarters in Agordo in the province of Belluno.

Tanning of skins has its world centre in Vicenza. The district is the first Italian tannery pole with 860 companies, 11 thousand employees and a turnover of almost 4 billion euros. From here, about 130 thousand leathers per day are destined to the market of furniture, fashion, design. (national and international market). “Cooling sector” in Veneto is the second in Italy and covers 60% of the national total. Food refrigeration plants, refrigerators, refrigeration vans, civil and industrial air conditioning systems, accessories and components are realized in the District that counts approximately thousand enterprises concentrated between the territories of Padua, Treviso, Vicenza and Verona. The activity is highly technological and the scientific advances in the engineering and electronics areas allow the sector to make giant strides in product innovation. Figure 3. Treatment of animal hydes in Arzignano Vicenza

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Tourism Unquestionably, one of the most lucrative sectors of the economy is tourism. Venice alone attracts millions of tourists every year and is one of the major tourist attractions in Italy. With 14 million tourists in total, Venice is the number one destination in Italy. But Veneto is much more than the surrounding area of Venice. Numerous seaside resorts such as Caorle, Bibione, and Jesolo, as well as the holiday destinations around Lake Garda attract many holiday makers every summer. Along with the Venetian Carnival, the ski resorts of Cortina d’Ampezzo are well booked in winter. The cultural and university cities of Verona and Padua are near Venice and are also very popular destinations for tourists from all over the world. The flow of foreign visitors plays a fundamental role: Banca d’Italia estimates that revenue from incoming foreigners in Veneto reach 5.9 billion euro in

2017, which includes spending on accommodation, shopping and all other services used. The spending of foreign tourists in Veneto represents 15.1% of the total tourist spending in the whole of Italy, only beaten by Lazio and close to that of Lombardy. In Lombardy, however, spending is different from in Veneto, above all, due to its composition: more towards business trips, studying and shopping, rather than on actual holidays which counts for just 41% of spending, against 78% in Veneto. Foreign spending in Veneto shows considerable growth. Those who decide to stay in tourist accommodation spend on average of €105 a day, an average of greatly varying situations: the lowest average daily spending is found in beach holidays (around €67), the highest for cultural trips (€134 per day); the middle range values are for lakeside holidays (€76) and mountain breaks (€102).

Figure 4. Cortina d’Ampezzo in summer

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Wood processing industry

“The difficulties in recruiting skilled workers, particularly in production, has been slowing down the companies growth process and keeps preventing continued operation of a large number of firms...”

Figure 5. Wood processing units distribution in Veneto and neighbouring regions of Trentino/Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia

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Veneto is an Italian region and one of the most dedicated areas with a long tradition in the sector of wood, woodworking and furniture production. The Venetian wood sector comprises various types of products: from highly artistic and skilled ones to the most standardized ones. Within the borders of the region, it is possible to purchase several kinds of different products as for instance carved tables made in the best tradition of the ancient handicraft style, modern stuffed furniture, highly technological kitchens and high-end design furniture. Wood processing activities are concentrated in three different district areas: Bassano del Grappa (province of Vicenza) specialized in highly artistic furniture production; the Venetian plain area (district areas of Verona, Padua and Rovigo) specialized in classic furniture production and finally the river district area of Alto– Livenzana–Piave specialized in the woodworking/wood furniture. This latter district covers two different areas: the province of Treviso (in the region of Veneto) and the province of Pordenone province (in the region of Friuli). The woodworking industry in these areas suddenly boomed in the 70’s thanks to a closed network of small and medium size enterprises and family-owned firms fully integrated with the territory. Veneto presently accounts for 30% of the entire Italian furniture production. The major strengths of this sector are represented by a large number of very dynamic companies including a few very large Groups holding a

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leading position in their sector and numerous small and medium size firms specialized in specific market niches. Due to market globalisation, the Venetian wood/furniture industry went through important changes such as: reorganisation and relocation of the production, style evolution and development of new technologies as well as an increased number of competitors and consequently an ongoing urge to implement new production and marketing solutions. At the same time, the industry experienced a greater attention to customers’ requirements and as a consequence– in some cases – to the social and liability issues. Many local companies introduced the following changes in their production process in order to meet with this new and highly competitive environment and with the new consumers’ requirements: • Company acquisitions aimed at a broader product range and therefore new commercial and financial benefits. This included pooling of different companies in sometimes even very small Groups concentrating significant production shares “in one hand”. • Fostering and implementation of technological innovations focused on automation of the production processes and increased quality control leading to increased production figures and differentiated offer thanks to the introduction of new raw materials; • More focus on design and product customization strategies as well as improved customer


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service including shorter reaction times to customers’ complaints and implementation of new more sophisticated IT systems. From the (Figure 5) showing wood processing facilities in Veneto region and partly in the neighbouring regions of Trentino/ Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia, it is easy to conclude that the furniture sector is one of the most popular and best-established sectors in Veneto region. Mostly small – medium size enterprises are working in this sector often with a high degree of specialization in one or more production steps and a tight collaboration among each other. Moreover this sector encloses a high extent of resources, expertise, culture and handcrafting traditions that are the real value and distinguishing feature of this branch in Veneto. The enterprises in this sector are very innovation-oriented and committed to a consistent technical research for more flexibility, throughout, quality-to-price ratio as well as increased capability to quickly adjust to market change and new consumers’ requirements and taste. The Venetian wood/furniture industry is a worldwide leader in this sector with a lot of new potential export markets opening up in the developing countries. The sector is presently confronted with difficulties linked to the bad global conjunction (less purchase power of the traditional customer groups) and to the structural changes effecting the furniture demand (high rate of consumption variation and more demanding consumers). The majority of the enterprises in this sector is small size, family-owned companies often lacking sufficient human and financial resources with inadequate management skills and

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difficult generational turnover. The capacity of fostering innovation and developing new products away from the traditional ones is often lacking. Moreover, these companies often pursue self-acting strategies preventing possible reorganisation strategies, teamwork and strategy sharing policies. The difficulties in recruiting skilled workers, particularly in production, has been slowing down the companies growth process and keeps preventing continued operation of a large number of firms. The difficult shift of production skills to the new generations and the scarce, decreasing concern of the new generation for this sector are the main future weaknesses that one can presently forecast for this branch.

Figure 8. Saw mill in Belluno


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09.2 VAIA storm and its Concequences After VAIA local initiatives

Figure 8. Sawn logs along the Piana Marcesina

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On October 27-30th 2018, the storm Vaia hit North-eastern Italy with peak winds of 200 km/h, which compares to a very strong hurricane, and very relevant rainfall. Vaia has not only been the largest single windstorm event in recorded history causing serious damages to the forests in Italy. The storm was also a singular event that has raised unprecedented public attention because it hit some of the most beautiful and most productive forests in Italy located in the Dolomites Mountains, where several UNESCO world heritage sites full of history, culture, and traditions are located. Finally, Vaia caused enormous economic losses: the spruce and fir dominated mountain forests in the region are stocking twice the average biomass per hectare and their

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growth rates are also approximately double of the Italian average. The flood involved some municipalities in the Veneto, Trentino and Friuli as well as in Lombardy. The most affected areas were those of Agordino, Cadore , Feltrino, Comelico, Carnia, Val di Fassa and Val di Fiemme. The heavy and abundant rains caused the Piave and Brenta rivers to overflow while the Adige-Garda tunnel was opened to prevent the overflow of the Adige river . In the mountain environment several streams are flooded and landslides have been numerous. Lake Alleghe has also overflowed. After the first shock and quick response to the damages, it became clear that a “multi-actor collaboration” is needed to develop a strategic approach to deal with the aftermath. Consequently, on February 8th 2019, a national congress was held in the Belluno province in the heart of the damaged area to discuss among the Italian scientific and civil community the impact, management and response perspectives after the Vaia storm. The conference was organized by Università di Padova – Dipartimento TESAF, Fondazione G. Angelini, Comune di Belluno, and SISEF – Società Italiana di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale. Around 600 participants and a large media visibility demonstrated the exceptionally strong interest in the case.


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As a consequence of the storm, the Forest Directorate in the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry policies and Tourism initiated an assessment of the damages in collaboration with local authorities and research centers, first and foremost the geoLAB (Laboratory of Forest Geomatics of the Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry of the University of Florence). Vaia affected five local administrative authorities: the two Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, the Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Lombardy Regions. This has brought about 5

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quite different levels of organization, political commitment and public investment (e.g. regarding the compensation rate to the forest owners to cover their harvesting costs) in dealing with the damages and the reconstruction, it was interesting to find out and compare 5 governance systems dealing with the same problem. Furthermore, in making a first comparison it was already obvious that a common market regulation policy under the coordination of a central authority would have been more than needed in order to control the flow of timber to the market and the reduction of prices.

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Figure 8. Driver arranges the load of lumber to be taken to the destination


Collapse of wood prices The amount of damages poses as a huge challenge for the Italian forest sector, because proper infrastructure and management capability to cope with the salvaged timber is missing. This refers to both an absence of stocking capacity and a lack of available experience for coordinating the sales of salvaged wood. Actually, in this moment, every forest owner (also municipalities) is behaving as a free rider. The wood prices have collapsed in three months after VAIA from 80-90 euros/m³ to 10-20 euros/m³ and the market is now saturated as the amount of damaged industrial round wood is 7 times more than the normal quantity of raw material processed by Italian sawmills in one year. A large amount of wood has been sold abroad and was processed by

foreign companies, mainly located in Austria. geoLAB was in charge to collect, aggregate and harmonize the information provided by the five local authorities that worked with their forest services through field surveys and analysing aerial data and satellite images. Several local Universities and research Institutions contributed for data acquisition. The total land area affected by Vaia corresponds to 2 306 968 hectares involving 494 Municipalities. This area is approximately 60% forested. The first estimate of the forest area destroyed by Vaia is equal to 42,500 hectares, which corresponds to the surface area of the German City of Cologne and to 8.5 Mm³ of wood. Trentino Alto Adige and Veneto reported the major damage, followed

by Lombardy and Friuli Venezia Giulia. However, the total damaged area and volumes could be twice of the above estimates if we consider small damaged areas or single damaged trees which for the moment where not considered in the estimation because of the limited amount of information. For example in the period 30/10/2018 – 30/01/2019 the 50% of the affected area was not yet covered by a Sentinel-2 complete cloud free image. (Chirici G.).

“forest area destroyed by Vaia is equal to 42,500 hectares, which corresponds to the surface area of the German City of Cologne and to 8.5 m³ of wood...”

Figure 8. Percentage of forest damage in the municipalities affected by Vaia storm Part II - Economy - Strategy of transformed wood supply chain in Veneto

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Collaboration and communication The five region/provinces affected by the storm have established an active collaboration and dialogue during the realization of the report on the ‘Effect of Vaia storm in the Italian forests’ (in Italian only) and the Belluno Conference. However, the level of coordination between provinces/ regions has started only recently and is thus still deficient and not coordinated enough. Nevertheless, the unique impacts of storm Vaia and the Belluno Conference do offer a great opportunity to inform citizens about the real status of the region’s forests and provide a lot of crucial knowledge on the forest sector in Italy. Additionally, Region Veneto produced an innovative communication tool, an instant

book for providing evidence of the damages to a broad public. In times of changing climatic condition – e.g. rises of temperature and decreasing precipitation rates – we need to plan interventions for forest’s adaptation in the mediumlong term. This includes multifunctional forest management and diversification of forest ecosystem. Furthermore, we consider it important to involve civil society when monitoring forest development and pest attacks. Educational activities in the forest, reconstruction of mountain pathways and small infrastructures are some of the activities in which trained volunteers can be involved. As a condition, we require proper equipment and training in voluntary reconstruction

work by civil society organizations to avoid accidents. Finally, the coordination by the central state authorities and at the international level is essential to implement the lesson learned, to share support and to face future catastrophic events. It is our duty to work together in order to enhance the resilience and resistance of forests to disturbances, which will increase due to climate change (Motta et al article, 2018). Only a multi-actor collaboration, including scientists, practitioners, policy makers, and civil society can face future challenges.

Figure 8. Forest area percentage on the total area per Municipality, random position of red dots per Municipality to represent the intensity of damages to forest ecosystem due to Vaia storm (1 dot = 10 ha of damage).

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09.3 Infrastructure projects in alpine provinces of Veneto region Discussing Belluno Province

“Trentino Alto Adige fully exploited Convention on the protection of the Alps to increase traffic on the Brenner A22 highway and the Verona-Munich railway, probably becoming the most important EU fund collector of all the Alpine area...”

Figure 8. Alpine highways A 22 In the region of Trentino Alto/Adige, A 27 in Veneto region running till the city of Belluno

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The conservative approach of economic development in Alpine areas, was partially justified by the Convention on the Protection of the Alps of 1991 – especially in the Protocol Transport - risks of conditioning the modes of transport in the Alpine area. However, the Convention on the Protection of the Alps, which was formally set up to “protect” the Alpine environment, had also to explicitly recall the need to “...contribute to the sustainable development of the habitats and economic areas in which people living in the Alpine region dwell and work by implementing a transport policy which encompasses all modes of transport and is harmonized between the various Contracting Parties...” (European Union, 2007). Even if this policy aimed at following the cultural trend of that moment, based on a somewhat apocalyptic vision of the next “environmentalist catastrophe” (Ling, 2012), on the other hand it realized that the transport system and its infrastructures were (and are even more nowadays) at the basis of the functioning of the territories and so of the preservation of the human presence. In fact, this protocol states that it is necessary to “...ensure the movement of intra-Alpine and transalpine transport at economically bearable costs by increasing the efficiency of transport systems

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and promoting modes of transport which are more environmentally friendly and more economic in terms of natural resources...” (European Union, 2007). This means that traffic must be guaranteed with a special attention to the technological development, which must have economically bearable costs, in order to reduce emissions. Although with its “static” vision, this Protocol Transport actually asks member States “to refrain” from building new major roads until these infrastructures are necessary for the social and economic development. Well knowing the communication difficulties in the Alpine area, the “Protocol Transport” also underlines the need to create infrastructures for improving mobility “...However, in view of the geography and the settlement pattern of the Alpine region, which cannot always be efficiently served by public transport alone, the Contracting Parties shall recognise the need, in these remote areas, to create and maintain sufficient transport infrastructures for private transport to function...” (European Union, 2007). The over-30-year-old Italian “dormancy” in the realisation of big infrastructures (especially roads) can no longer be justified in front of the need to overcome the world economic crisis. In any case, this dormancy did not take place in Trentino Alto Adige Region, which


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“The main strategy of the Belluno province, as well as of Veneto region, the only Alpine area that does not have an alpine road pass to the North, is to build its own transAlpine communication infrastructure...”

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fully exploited the Convention on the protection of the Alps to increase traffic on the Brenner A22 highway and the Verona-Munich railway, probably becoming the most important EU fund collector of all the Alpine area. At the same time, important road works have not been realised yet in some Alpine areas as the Belluno province due to weak policies, and therefore the dis-anthropization processes have considerably increased in this geographical area. Thus, these territorial disparities are contrary to the strategies of the Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T). This EU strategic one-sided view for the Alpine area has been eventually overcome in the recent elaboration of the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) (European Union, 2016). The strategic goals of EUSALP (2016) fully reorient the contents of the Convention on the Protection of the Alps (1991), going from a “conservative” vision (typical response to the capitalist model in the historical stages of strong economic growth and high consumption of energy resources), to an “innovative” vision, typical of mature economies, based on its ability to transform the territory not only in a sustainable, but also in a technologically advanced way (smart). In order to implement these general actions EUSALP has formed “9 Action Groups” with the task to develop in 2016 specific actions which should produce a concrete and rapid impact on the Alpine macro-region, following three main objectives: (1) economic growth and innovation; (2) mobility and connectivity; and (3) environment and energy. Once the framework of EUSALP

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actions has been defined, it is important to understand how the weak territories of the Alpine region can overcome the marginality produced by the attractiveness of the reinforced European corridors, especially the MediterraneanScandinavian Road, in which the Brenner A22 Highway is a fundamental section. The Belluno province is an emblematic case, but it is not the only one (for example, also the Province of Sondrio). Due to the absence of an Alpine Road pass, it is forced to exchange its goods with the North-East of Europe only by going southward to the Po Valley and then northward, mainly through the Brenner A22 highway and then through the A23 highway of Tarvisio. This fact increases the wealth of the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano with motorway tolls and also with the huge flow of money as a result of the treaties on special autonomy allowing these two provinces to absorb most taxation. The main strategy of the Belluno province, as well as of Veneto region, the only Alpine area that does not have an alpine road pass to the North, is to build its own transAlpine communication infrastructure represented by the extension of the A27 highway from Venice, which still ends in Pian di Vedoia (geographically just north of Belluno city). This strategy had already been devised in the early Sixties, with different route options, and with several recalls in 2005, 2011 and 2013. In any case, they all were focused on connecting with the big markets of Northern Europe (in the past) as well as with those of the North-East and East of Europe (nowadays).


EUSALP clarifies these innovative actions starting from a revolution of traditional macro-regional strategies through five big general actions.

• The first is defined “participatory” as it is based on the consultation of all the countries of the European Alpine region. • The second “broad relational” action aims to connect the wide lowland territories with Alpine areas and to make them communicate. • The third “transport” action is designed to improve the connection between territories in order to have the population live in mountain areas. • The fourth “info” action shall permit the networking of data as well as scientific information. • The fifth “economic-competitive” action aims to increase the wealth of Alpine territories through the economic growth produced by the competitive and innovative development of businesses.

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These project options have been radically and decidedly opposed by a part of the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, which have first instrumentally used the general environmental issue and then the contents of the Convention on the protection of the Alps (that, as above seen, does not prevent at all the realisation of big road infrastructures if they are necessary to the survival of Alpine territories). The opposition from Trento and Bolzano to the extension of the A27 has highlighted the possibility to alternatively realise railways with different routes and potentialities. In the light of all that an evaluation model has been selected for helping decision-making, with the goal to choose the most performing infrastructure and route. Highway project of the extension of A27 (from Belluno to Austria). The analytical and evaluation

elaborations, presented at the International Conference on “SSPCR 2015” (Campeol, Carollo, Masotto, 2015), have shown that a road hypothesis able to connect the Belluno province with northern Europe is possible. This route is the result of an evaluation of environmental pre-feasibility that has compared three highway routes devised in different times. • Railway projects the railway scenario is composed of two subprojects with different directions, that are: 1. Rehabilitation of the railway Calalzo-Cortina (Figure 8) and extension to Dobbiaco (with prevalently tourist functions). 2. Railway extension CalalzoLienz (Figure 8) District (Austria) with two options: High-Speed/Capacity Railway (HSR-HCR) (transport of persons and goods). Passenger trains (prevalently tourist).

Figure 8. Carbonin station, between Cortina and Toblach

Figure 8. Railway network, focus on CalalzoCortina-Toblach existing railway line

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09.4 Olympic Village as a promotion of timber construction in Veneto region Summary

Figure 8. Railway line Calalzo-Cortina-Lienz

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As observed from chapter Wood Industry in Italy main problematic issues concerning forestry-wood sector on national level are that all wood-related economic parts operate in a highly disconnected forestry-wood system whose main feature seem to be the internal supply which is not distributed homogeneously due to environmental and economic constraints. In addition to it other complex points are: • Inadequate service roads the forest roads are often “blocked” by a constraint regime that is too rigid and no longer adapted to the technological know-how achieved in the sector; • Prevailing location of Italian forests: 95% of them are in mountain areas, characterized by many environmental and infrastructural constraints. • Consequent low selfsufficiency rate for wood supply (around 36% for semi-finished products); part of the reason for this, beside the economic and environmental constraints, is the fact that Italy’s geographical position and international location is such that importing from neighbour markets. On the other hand as an example of the sustainable wood supply chain we examine Wood industry in Austria, Vorarlberg. Development of

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the current efficient wood-forestry partnership together with the local population and architects started from the national initiative of the 1930s. In this time the Austrian federal government launched a building program to battle the housing shortage and rising unemployment. Across the country, the creation of new housing estates of existing settlements was aimed at providing jobs and housing for the unemployed and short-term workers. Eight of these estates were developed in Vorarlberg. Architects in cooperation with their clients, were looking to develop alternative ways of living and building together. Timber was the building material of choice, since it was easy to process without the need for heavy machinery or highly skilled workers, and also allowed for simple structural systems and a large amount of flexibility. While professional carpenters erected the primary timber-framed structure, the floors, walls, glazing, winter gardens, and cladding were completed by the young architects and future residents. This made the project financially viable for everyone involved and allowed for individual variations and the creation of communal living spaces that were unprecedented on the housing market at that time.


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It is easy to conclude that creation of the dynamic collaboration between professionals engaged in the forestry-wood processing sector, architects and construction specialists is crucial for transforming once efficient wood sector in Italy. Additionally, some national scale incentives, like the one mentioned above represent a convenient tool for promoting specifically the wooden sector and construction with timber. Furthermore, a decision of an Olympic committee to rethink the legacy of the games and embrace more sustainable ways of construction gives an opportunity for Veneto region for showcasing the efficiency and flexibility of building with Timber through a MegaEvent which draws a high publicity worldwide. From the survey of existing wood processing businesses in Veneto it is evident that furniture sector is one of the most popular and best-established. Mostly small – medium size enterprises are working in this sector often with a high degree of specialization in one or more production steps and a tight collaboration among each other. Moreover, this sector encloses a high extent of resources, expertise, culture and handcrafting traditions that are the real value and distinguishing feature of this branch in Veneto. Contrarily to it, in the area of three neighbouring regions of Trentino / Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, least common are the producers of wood based panels and construction materials as CLT (cross laminated timber) or Glulam (Glued laminated timber). The reason behind it is that in Italy and in general in the countries of south

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Europe timber construction is not as characteristic as for Scandinavian or northern countries of Europe. Where there is a longstanding tradition of building in timber and currently they hold a very much established timber construction sector. Besides this point, as mentioned above, in Italy there is a shortage of raw material. As locally it is not possible to process large amounts of raw wood, importing from neighbouring markets proves to be more convenient. This point was proved by VAIA storm incident which destroyed 42500 Ha forest in Veneto and neighbouring province of Trentino Alto/Adige. As a result, there was 8.5 m ³ of raw wood material available, but it was not possible to process it locally and most of it was sold on different markets abroad. The economic strategy envisions developing the exact sector of contemporary timber construction materials like CLT or Glulam in Veneto region and in particular in alpine province of Belluno, which is home to Dolomites mountain range and the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo. While analysing Belluno province economic sectors, presently tourism and eyewear industry are the most endorsed ones. Famous eyewear brands like Luxottica and Safilo are based near city of Belluno. The economic structure of the region, is centred on a broad belt running from east to west. The plain and the Alpine foothills are the most developed areas in contrast to the Po delta and the mountainous areas, with the exception of the surroundings of Belluno. This is why the Belluno province suffers more than other areas, from a trend of declining and ageing population. In terms of accessibility and


infrastructure Belluno province is an emblematic case due to the absence of an Alpine Road pass, it is forced to exchange its goods with the North-East of Europe only by going southward to the Po Valley and then northward, mainly through the Brenner A22 highway. This fact increases the wealth of the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano with motorway tolls and also with the huge flow of money as a result of the treaties on special autonomy allowing these two provinces to absorb most taxation. The main strategy of EUSALP about Belluno province, as well as of Veneto region, the only Alpine area that does not have an alpine road pass to the North, is to build its own trans-Alpine communication infrastructure represented by the extension of the A27 highway from Venice, which still ends in Pian di Vedoia (geographically just north of

Belluno city). The satrategy of thesis conceptualizes a town of Longarone as a suitable location for the establishment of the factory producing self-sufficient residential modules for the temporary Olympic village that will be set up in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The modules are to be built with locally produced CLT material. Longarone is located in the Belluno province, about 1 hr (60 km) drive from Cortina d’Ampezzo. It has a history of being an industrial town since 1900s, when the first Cartonificio (carton factory) was opened with 150 workers and thus started the industrialization of the Longaronese area. Since than Longaronese territory became a thriving center of Belluno industry with several active sawmills, the furnace in Castellavazzo (a large lime kiln) which employed

Figure 8. The Vajont Dam as seen from the village of Longarone Part II - Economy - Strategy of transformed wood supply chain in Veneto

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48 employees and the birth of the brewery in Longarone of the Pra Baldi brothers. The livestock market also flourished in these years and of great importance was the social cooperative dairy that worked thanks to the livestock of owners from Longarone and Castellavazzo. In August 1958 the construction of the Vajont dam began in the valley of the Vajont river under Monte Toc, the works were completed in September 1960. However, during the works, problems began to appear and as the works progressed they intensified and worsened, highlighting the fragility of the project as a whole, due in particular to the instability of the left side of the basin, in which they were opening continual cracks and subsidence. On 9th of October of 1963 the Vajont disaster happened, where a massive landslide detached from Mount Toc and fell into the basin of the dam which created a massive wave. The landslide together with the wave completely destroyed prosperous industries of Longarone, Pirago, the banks of Fornace, Villanova, Faè, the villages of Castellavazzo and Codissago. The most reliable number of victims of that tragic night is established at 1910. Most of the victims resided in the Municipality of Longarone. The Vajont disaster, which made the Longaronese territory a blank slate, constituted an opportunity to experiment with models and methods of integrated (economicterritorial) “district” planning. Longarone was rebuilt following the tragedy and is now once again a thriving community with population of about 4600 people. Nowadays existing industries within the town are companies engaged in furniture

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production, electric utilities, eyewear manufacturing which is common for Belluno province. Before the disaster of Vajont there were several wood processing facilities in Longarone, mostly saw mills, thus working on wood will be logical continuation of the tradition of past. Placing the factory of timber residential units in Longarone, for mega-event like Olympic games, will be beneficial for the local community as well it will promote wooden sector in the Veneto region and probably will raise awareness and polpularity of building in timber also on the national level.


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09

“The sustainability approach and related criteria will be core drivers in the entire life cycle of the event. ”

Figure II.67 Cortina d’Ampezzo - aerial view

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Traditional Alpine architecture The architecture of the Alpine regions origins from the poverty and functional thinking. The organic spread of the buildings follows the natural obstacles and technological imitations. The simplicity in forms is continued until today trying to preserve the original character of the space. The architectural value of the mountain construction is not determined by an artistic and original character, it is rather characterized by a complex of solutions that develops organically on the territory, each architectural form is aimed not only at the single building, but at the social dimension and collective in which it is inserted. The extraordinary historical continuity of mountain architecture, which has certain and precise causes in the evolutionary characteristics of the area, thus gives us an enormous historical-cultural, architectural and technological heritage that has largely remained intact. The formation of the original cores from which most of the current mountain agglomerations derive is consolidated in the historical period of the expansion of the Roman dominion and intersects, with the natural delimitation of the Italian borders constituted by the Alpine chain. In this historical phase, a housing context characterized by stable economic relations with the surrounding area is defined: the integration of the original mountain cores in an economic and social system within which specific productive and military tasks are

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carried out. The Alpine and Subalpine territory, as a political-economicsocial entity, is subjected for the first time in its history to a single central power which determines its social and productive functions. Later, starting with the invasions of the barbarians, we find more consistent human settlements, autarchic and more distributed throughout the Alpine territory: a consequence of the disintegration of the economic-social fabric that had formed under the Roman Empire. A new economic reality is established: no longer based on exchange, but on the production of use value or at most, products created for restricted circulation within communities. From this historical period begins the conformation of the rural agglomerations whose developments have come down to us. The individual is closely linked to the family and its forms of production. Family and family groups represented a central axis and the typical economic units in the mountain territory. Breeding and some artisan productions combined with trade in timber and skins have formed the production base or a territory with highly parcelled private


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Figure II.68 Examples of organic spread of the village which follows the main road, surrounds the church as the center of community meetings or is located near production or breeding venues

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property. The Church constitutes a point of homogeneous and systemic reference that affects all communities. In the medieval period the social coagulation function of the Church was not exercised only in the mountain areas, but also in the centres of greater urban development where it assumes characteristic forms: the local churches which were a meeting place for those who frequented them to attend liturgical ceremonies. Before and after the sacred functions they spent time talking to each other about issues of common interest and took initiatives and decisions which they then took on themselves to implement directly, not responding to a decentralization operation desired from above and received from below, but the need to make up for the shortcomings of an inefficient or non-existent city administration from below. Their sphere of action included the surveillance services against fires, against thieves, the repression of malpractice, the hygiene-sanitary protection, the execution of works of common interest, but they were also used by the local authorities for the organization of the guard service at the walls, for the recruitment of the city army and the distribution of tax burdens, it can be said that in this historical phase each mountain community or town is predominantly an economic unit in its own right. Production, based on the possession of land and livestock, is kept within narrow limits. Even the activities of an artisanal and commercial nature, such as the processing or trade of wood, are part of self-sufficiency and limited exchange.

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This socio-economic structure becomes an increasingly isolated phenomenon starting from the Renaissance, an isolation that will continue in an increasingly accentuated form with the development of the industrial mode of production. The mountain socio-economic environment is not suitable for the development of the commercial and entrepreneurial initiative typical of the industrial world. The mountainous areas remain marginal and extraneous to this development. Even today in the mountains (except for limited areas characterized by a strong touristhotel intensity, which is connected to a vast range of commercial activities) the productive activities develop in necessarily limited forms. The mountain village, due to objective economic and social conditions, has remained architecturally and urbanistically linked to its primitive origins. This is a central element from which to start to grasp the characteristics of the architecture and organization of the territory in the mountain area which, have not undergone substantial changes over many centuries. In these areas the environment in itself “expresses” nature as a factor of domination over man. This explains how the new and more advanced techniques in the construction field, developed in urban centers during the twentieth century, such as the introduction of reinforced concrete in buildings, do not find their representative location in these areas, where construction will continue with traditional and local criteria and materials. All this is true up to a very recent epoch, which we can identify approximately between the beginning and the end of the


60s and 70s of the last century. Subsequently, the economic development that Italy has invested, has also affected the mountain areas, modifying human behaviour. The spread of motorization, favoured by the development of a consistent road network, has created new possibilities for social mobility and a current of seasonally articulated tourist flow that is increasingly taking on the characteristics of “mass tourism”, which has joined or rather superimposed on the preexisting elite tourism. These facts have created new situations and possibilities for settlements in the mountain area. A phenomenon that has manifested itself in recent years and is increasingly developing is that of the second home. The city and its tumultuous and often chaotic growth have led to the escape towards relaxation areas, the countryside, the mountains and thus an element that allows the escape from a living

and environmental condition felt as not stimulating one’s vital needs. The previous very limited tourist settlements were the prerogative of the sea. The house in the mountains becomes socially and economically elevated classes that often express a profound cultural tradition, not found in the current mass settlements. In recent decades, thanks to industrial production, new techniques and materials have entered the building process as a function of a strong rationalization and simplification of the production process and the consequent containment of costs. The new phase of settlements, however, was not guided only by criteria of economy, but by construction formulas derived from the urban environment and transferred to the mountain areas, without taking into account the characteristics of the particular environment, thus favouring naive but often clumsy,

building operations from both an architectural and environmental point of view. These phenomena overlap with the architectural expressions handed down to us by history. This is the building culture which is expressed with forms that violate the architectural and landscape balance typical of mountain architecture which today represents a heritage of inestimable value. These manifestations become operative at various levels: we pass with carelessness from the alteration of the volumetric ratios, to the erection of city-style condominiums; from the opening of the new shop with sparkling windows made with anodized aluminium profiles, to the replacement of “antiquated” wooden doors and windows with more efficient industrial products, without neglecting the destruction and replacement of traditional wooden furniture with metal-plastic products , notoriously “more modern”. Figure II.69 Example of organic spread of the village along the main road

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Forming the alpine village The mountain village, formed by the ensemble of architecturally homogeneous buildings and as a whole can be assimilated to a single building divided into several housing units, whose characteristic and typically labyrinthine planimetric structure, much closer to the oriental Kasbah than to the modern concepts of urban planning. The architectural language appears extremely homogenous, both in the case of the villages and in the isolated buildings. The diversifications are not so much manifested on a formal level, but rather in the intended use of these volumes. In the mountain village, the permanent dwelling house is generally flanked and erected directly above the premises used for craft, commercial or animal shelter activities. In many cases, at a variable distance from the main village in the vicinity of agricultural areas and farms, small hamlets have formed, or some buildings spread over large areas of land are highlighted. These buildings were normally used to house part of the livestock and forage which, in the winter period, was not always or could be transported to the village. The cartographic representation highlights the relationship between the main nucleus and “satellite” constructions which currently, due to the lack of their primitive productive function, are largely abandoned and in a state of advanced decay. The mountain village reflects a conception of spatial distribution that is not necessarily focused on a pole of attraction. We will note that in the mountain areas they tend to assume linear forms arranged horizontally,

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that is, perpendicular to the slope of the slope on which the villages are arranged; so that it is possible to schematize the main directions of the paths that mark the town according to horizontal directions. In each agglomeration there is always a road on which the most ancient and significant buildings are present, so it constitutes the main axis along which or at whose extreme margins the church can be located. The collective space of the church can generally be integrated

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into the village and is located in particularly panoramic and prominent positions. In most of the villages the religious building tangibly reflects the eminent role and spiritual guide traditionally played by the church. In the mountain village it is also evident the existence of buildings of particular importance within which important productive activities with a strong social and economic impact were carried out, such as: the bread oven, the mill, the press, the sawmill, the wash houses, fountains and drinkers.


Plans and elevations

Figure II.70 The church as a central element of the Alpine town - Cortina d’Ampezzo

Figure II.71 Typical plan and elevation of the Alpine house with two floors with external staircase and two doors.

The mountain architectural space is always very compact and homogeneous, strongly rooted in the ground, with a highly horizontal character. The roots of mountain architecture can, on closer inspection, be more clearly traced back to Romanesque architecture. In fact, the characters of Romanesque architecture that seem to correspond to and illustrate the reality of mountain architecture can be summarized as follows: a strong plastic sense of the material and the accentuation of powerful walls. The space is defined and organized in compact blocks in such a way that the building has a strong character of homogeneity. The constructions strongly rooted in the ground, in their power of masses whose surfaces have rare and limited openings, are characterized by short and robust structural elements, by severe and essential lines that always play to the delimitation of full and consistent volumes. In short, there are two fundamental characteristics: the first of great simplicity, the second of softness and elasticity (a free space, not split by divisions and wall fragmentations from interior furnishings). Ultimately, the premises, as

shown by the plans in the drawings, range from 9 to 15 square meters on average. The dimensional relationships of the rooms, which are articulated with each other according to a conception of spatial aggregation that simplifies and, in many cases, cancels the disengagement and connection spaces, constitute an essential feature of mountain architecture. The possibility of accessing the individual internal environments is mainly solved through external doors and balconies. Each room is characterized not so much by dimensional or spatial particularities, as by its function. The openings of the doors and windows have constant and recurring dimensional ratios for obvious construction reasons. These openings appear to be below the dimensions that are usually indicated by architecture manuals as “average standards”. If the dimensions of the openings, especially horizontally, are sometimes so small as to compromise an acceptable (according to current criteria) brightness of the environments, certainly not without importance are the internal solutions of the openings, which determine the creation of spaces that can assume remarkable mean. Other spaces are obtained directly in the thickness of the wall and take on the appearance of small niches of various shapes, square or rectangular, generally located near the space used as a fireplace. At other times, some have dimensions corresponding to the door openings, the lower part of which is raised from the floor by about 12-15 cm, and which become real built-in wardrobes.

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Roofs

The roof constitutes a structural element of particular importance in the definition of mountain architecture. In the case of cultured architecture, especially in past centuries, this closing part of the building not only fulfilled the task of repairing from atmospheric agents but was also symbolically and stylistically resolved to highlight some aesthetic values also using significant technical innovations. In mountain architecture, the roof is essentially linked to functional needs that must first of all solve the problem of protecting the usable space. In general, there is an almost total absence of technical documentation that can exemplify the criteria followed in the construction of roofs in mountain architecture. There is no archive on the techniques of the past precisely because it was customary for the construction of the roof to be based on schemes acquired and

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handed down from experience, but not ordered in a written system. The identification of the salient and recurring characteristics in the roofs of mountain architecture was developed through an analytical process of reading the achievements and comparing the various technical solutions. The roof, in all cases, is pitched. This depends on the climatic conditions of the mountain area, which is particularly subject to precipitation and atmospheric stresses. Very simple as a planimetric setting, generally based on the rectangle, the mountain constructions normally have a gable roof with a constant slope or gable. In most cases the elevation of the main facade is oriented towards the valley and therefore towards the south, for obvious reasons of brightness and sun exposure. It is easy to find another two-pitched body of variable proportions grafted

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into a pitch of the roof, very similar to the dormer window of modern buildings. Given the low height of the mountain roof, the dormer has the function of ensuring greater articulation of the space in the attic. The dormer window is usually closed by wooden doors. The upper floor is usually connected with the outside stairs made of wood, or, if the difference in the ground allows it, through stone stairs. What is more, in mountain construction, generally only the downstream façade or in any case towards the greatest solar exposure, the attic can be more or less partially open. The two elevations, almost always shorter than the two sides of the eaves, can be protected by the extension of the pitch of the roof made using beams or purlins arranged orthogonally to the rafters of the truss.


Balustrades

The galleries in mountain constructions, by virtue of their connecting function, are generally placed along one of the eaves walls or on the main facade or on both. They are always and, in any case, made on the sides of the house most exposed to the sun. In mountain architecture, the gallery built entirely with timber is very common, even if with the use of this material, the structure is subject to be more pronounced to deterioration process over time than other parts of the building.

Figure II.72 Some of the solutions that highlight the simplicity of the roof covering structure (large frame) and the multiple solutions for closing the attic space.

Figure II.73 Examples of balustrades made of wood

Figure II.74 Typical house in Cortina d’Ampezzo with the pitched roof and balconies with decorative ballustrades

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Stairs

The vertical connection is commonly made from stone or wooden elements cantilevered into a wall to withstand the weight of the loads to which it is subjected. This type of stairs was used to create passages where it was possible to count on very limited space margins and in any case passable exclusively by the men not engaged in the transport of heavy loads. The realization of this typology allows the saving of that material that in other cases is used to build the second supporting and supporting wall of the staircase. It is therefore made with purposes of extreme functionality.

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Figure II.75 Example of the stone stairs with the full infill wall. Figure II.76 Example of a cantilevered stone staircase placed in the wall of the building, characterized by the insertion of infill stone elements in the space of the riser


Openings

The openings, essentially functional elements that allow the passage of man, animals (doors), air and light (windows), take on considerable importance which translates into compositional choices that strongly characterize mountain architecture, also thanks to the completion of the window which frequently has strong architectural values. The presence of two doors (much more rarely three) coupled to each other is recurrent in the mountain house. In general, the location of the openings on the facades does not follow a compositional rigor of a

geometric type, but a criterion of necessity and practicality. The doors usually have an element of the architrave made of wood or stone. The architrave generally has an arched shape in the upper part, to better distribute the loads on the side walls. In many mountain constructions, the windows are small, essential openings, sometimes reduced to real cracks in the walls. They also use the architraves in various forms resting on vertical frames. The most comment type of window is made by four stone elements that form a frame, sometimes reinforced with metal balustrade. Figure II.77 Example of the typical simple facade with small windows Prestinone, Val Vigezzo Figure II.78 Window with frame and shutter made from dark wood for external closure. Goglio, Val Antigorio

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part

Factory Home design proposal


10 10.1 10.2

Site analysis Location History

10.3 Vegetation 10.4 Existing functions

11 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4

12

Temporary mobile home - design proposal Masterplan for the event Module Cluster After event re-use strategy

Conclusion


10

Site analysis The airport in Fiames has quite a long and fluctuating story - from the promising industial evolution and the strong interest in air connection until the time of no usage and no particular idea about the future use. The beautiful location along the river and good connection with Cortina make the place very attractive for the potential functions.

09.1 Location Figure III.1 Location of Cortina d’Ampezzo and the airport terrain River Boite Forest Ski lifts Figure III.2 Aerial view of Cortina Airport - current state

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The plot for the Olympic Village in Cortina presented in the Olympic bid, is situated in the place of the exairport in Fiames, 4 km north of the town along the Alemagna road that connects Cortina with Dobbiaco. The terrain is situated on 1294 m.a.s.l. The place for few years served as an airport for small planes so has the shape of a long stripe which contains the asphalt runway which is 1,2 km long. On one longer side the land is limited by the river, while the

Part III - Design proposal - Site analysis

other side finishes on the wooded area along the state road. The flat green area intended for Olympic settlements is more than 57,000 m2. The plot will host the Olympic Village for the athletes and their teams which take part in the competitions within the Cortina Cluster. There are three competitive venues in Cortina – including some of the Cortina 1956 venues - and one in Anterselva/Antholz are included in this cluster.


Fiames Airport Olympic Village

leigh

Bobs

distance to competition venues 5-6 km

Curling

ng

kii en’s s Wom Cortina d’Ampezzo

The iconic Olympic Stadium in Cortina, which had hosted the Opening Ceremony of the VII Winter Olympic Games, is situated only 3,5 km from Fiames. The building has been carefully refurbished to maintain the original wooden stands that had been covered in 2009 to host the 2010 Curling World Championships. With a total capacity that can reach 3,100, it will be an inspiring venue bringing back wonderful memories of past Olympics. Alpine Skiing finds in Cortina one of its traditional world-renowned venues - Tofane, as confirmed by the recent 2021 World Championships. The Venue will host all the women’s competitions and the team event and is in a distance of 6 km from the Olympic Village. The sliding centre Eugenio Monti, where the bobsleigh competition will take place, is within 6 km from the Olympic Village. This historical and iconic venue, which has worked from 1956 until 2010 without interruption, has been selected to revamp the bobsleigh tradition in Cortina, having already hosted many world and continental championships. Major renovation works will transform the existing venue into a state-of-theart and high-performing track that will become a point of reference for practising these disciplines. Within the cluster in a bit further distance is also the venue in Anterselva/Antholz - 55 km, but for the athletes competing there will be provided additional accommodation. However, it is a very important venue, for which even 19,000 spectators are expected. What is more, there is also a noncompetitive venue like Mountain Media Center which will be located just next to the Olympic VIllage.

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09.2

Figure III.3 The runway in Fiames

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History

Aerial activity in the Cortina d’Ampezzo area has an important history dating back to the early twentieth century. In fact, already at the end of the 1920s, the interest in having an air stopover in Cortina had to be very strong given that in 1929 the Ministry of Aeronautics, established Campo di Fortuna in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The same decree obliged the Province of Belluno to finance the respective works in the chosen area of Fiames. An attempt to restart the practices for the construction of the airport was undertaken by the Autonomous Tourist Office of Cortina in 1942 in anticipation of the post-war tourism recovery to raise Cortina to the levels of what was already happening in Brioni and St. Moritz in Switzerland and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. This initiative, however, also fell into oblivion until the 1956

Part III - Design proposal - Site analysis

Winter Olympics, when international interest shifted to the Ampezzo valley, consecrating it as a temple of winter sports. Since the construction of a real airport was unthinkable, a strip of land about 1000 meters long was obtained - modest dimensions for normal airliners but suitable for STOL ones, which have short take-off and landing thrust characteristics. In Fiames, along the road that leads from Cortina to Dobbiaco, work began in 1958 (shortly after the Olympics), the track was inaugurated in 1962 and managed by the Aeralpi company. Even so, Cortina remained a difficult field. The small size of the valley, the falling winds, strong ascending and descending currents, the obstacles on the two ends of the runway required a great knowledge not only of flight but also of the mountain.


The airport continued its activity with irregular flights until 1968, when the Aeralpi had to close. The airport therefore remained unused and became a public park, without however removing the runway, so that sometimes some pilots landed there again by mistake, until December 1975, the day in which the Aeralpi resumed its activities. An air taxi service was inaugurated linking the cities of Bolzano, Venice and Milan to Cortina. In the meantime, the airport, following the directives of the law for the liberalization of the use of landing areas, had been downgraded to an airfield, but everybody was still calling it “the Fiames airport”. Unfortunately, from the first day of use there were problems related to strong winds during take-off that worried the pilots. These concerns materialized on May 31, 1976,

when a Cessna 206 of the Aeralpi Company attempted to take off in prohibitive conditions of strong wind. The pilot, with no experience of flying in the mountains, took off with great difficulty and only at the end of the runway, the plane stalled in a turn and fell to the ground: the impact killed all six occupants of the aircraft, some of whom were councillors of the Municipality of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Since then, the airport has no longer been used as such and has been gradually transformed into a parking area equipped for camping vehicles. The track was for a long time partially occupied by caravans and campers, while the heliport platform, preserved for the alpine helicopter rescue, is still usable. In the winter period, it converts into a successfull cross-country skiing track.

Figure III.4 Aerial view of the airport

Figure 3. Opening ceremony of Summer Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro

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Figure III.5 The proposal by AE Engineering for the new airport in Cortina - aerial view Figure III.6 The proposal by AE Engineering for the new airport in Cortina - service building Figure III.7 The parking and camping site on the airplane runway

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AIRPORT IN FIAMES 1920s interest in air connection

1929 establishment of Campo di Fortuna in Cortina d'Ampezzo

1954 VII Winter Olympics in Cortina dʼAmpezzo and start of tourist boom Figure III.8 Comic illustration from the local newspaper “Voci di Cortina”. In English: “Sustainable tourism - Hooray, two tourists are coming by helicopter!”

Figure III.9 The timeline of historic development of the area of the airport.

When the information about organizing in Cortina the Ski World Cup in 2020 and later the Winter Olympics in 2026 appeared, the talks about the reopening of the airport launched again. The area of the old airport was very valuable, and number of projections came up. In 2010 was developed the urban plan suggesting developing the following areas: renovation of the heliport and adjusting it to the needs, conservation of the airport elements for the possibility of reopening in the future, finding the proper place for the parking and camper area, reevaluation of the green area called Bosco dell’Impero with the space for the small cemetery for the animals. In the years 2015-2017 the projects of the new airport were being developed. One of them was predicting the landing of the aircrafts for up to 19 people, which meets the conditions of the airport for the rich. The problem of communication with Cortina is visible in the way that from

the biggest cities around it takes few hours but car or train. The airport would shorten the travelling time and it would be possible to reach Milan in 45 minutes, Rome in 75. The idea about opening such a small airport is constantly being the topic of discussion causing various opinions. The ridiculosity of the situation is illustrated well in the drawing from the local journal “Voci di Cortina” from 2010. The picture mocks the idea of building an airport in the context of environmental sustainability. A landing pad for helicopters and small planes is a limited attraction, only for wealthy people, and the whole environment suffers from it. Finally, due to the danger related to the location of the airport and the previous failures, any of the projects was not realized. In 2021 the project of renovating the old train connection has been started, so the access from Belluno to Cortina will be improved by railway.

1962-1968 operating of the airport for STOL airplanes

1975 reopening

1976 tragic accident during the take-off and closing of the facility

parking spot for camping, cross-country skiing routes

2021 2026 Olympic Village for the XXV Winter Games

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09.3

Vegetation

The area of the airport lays on the long strip between the Boite river and the state road connecting Cortina with Dobbiaco. The Boite river is a tributary of the Piave, flows through the Dolomites in a north-south direction, passing through the Valle del Boite and town of Cortina d’Ampezzo. The river Boite flows for about 45 kilometres and during its course, it receives numerous streams and mountain rivers. The site belongs to Parco Naturale Regionale delle Dolomiti d’Ampezzo - protected natural area. The Park is located north of the municipality of Cortina d’Ampezzo, along the border with Trentino-Alto Adige. Between the airfield and the state road is located Bosco dell’Impero the area covered with tall trees which definitely were planted artificially, hiding the sad past story. According to Stefano Lorenzi’s article “Il Bosco dell’Impero. Un luogo d’Ampezzo fra storia e attualità”, the forest was planted in 1937, at the end of the exhumation of the bodies, by the Fascist Forestry Militia, using spruce trees arranged in long horizontal rows, where once there must have been a willow. The still existing

Figure III.10 Information plate of the Natural regional Park of the Dolomites

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stone bears witness to this artificial reforestation intervention (Lorenzi, 2007). Basing on the satellite photos from 2004 to 2017 the huge difference in vegetation has been noticed. For some reason hundreds of trees have disappeared between 2004 and 2011 – all of them between the runway and the river and between 2011 and 2014 a very big part near the parking place on the southern part of the runway. The possible actions for an environmental improvement intervention, seem to have to rather be directed towards an increase in the state of naturalness of the places, through the strategic cutting of some circular “holes”, in order to guarantee the passage of light and allow the regeneration of the undergrowth and the growth of young plants, or again, through a more extensive level cut, which provides for the subsequent reforestation with diversified essences and more suited to the proximity of the Boite river. Moreover, an important step would be returning the natural vegetation by the riverbank to improve the natural water front and prevent the terrain from flooding.


Figure III.11 Satellite view of the site - 2004 Figure III.12 Satellite view of the site - 2017

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09.4

Figure III.13 View a. Entrance to parco naturale Dolomiti d’Ampezzo, infopoint for tourists, parking for campers Figure III.14 View b. Cross-country skiing arena

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Existing functions Apart from the ex-airport, in the closest vicinity there are some existing services around. On the northern entrance to the plot, next to the main street, are located two accommodation facilities – Hotel Fiames and La casa cantoniera, both a restaurant services, which provide a great base for the hikers going to the Regional Natural Park of Dolomites, as many hiking paths of Dolomites start here. Just next to them is located the gas station and the timber flooring shop. Going to the south side, the important point is the sport complex operating the whole year. In the summer is active the football field with the audience sitting, while in the winter the track for cross-country skiing. The sports equipment shop nearby offers also a school of skiing. On the other side of the plot,

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behind the river, is already part of the protected Regional Park. The small wooden pedestrian bridge connects the two parts and leads to the hiking paths and a campsite located in the southern part. From the former airport there is only the asphalt runway left, which should be renovated in order if it returnes its former function, but there are no intentions towards this plan. Part of the surface is currently used as a heliport. The remining buildings on the site serve mainly as a storage space. The northern part of the area is used as a temporary location for Audi Driving Experience, where is an opportunity to have a test drive on difficult weather conditions. Indeed the function was active during the winter when the majority of the surface is covered with thick layer of snow and ice.


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p

l

k j

a

f d

b c

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e

g i


Figure 15. Existing functions, photo locations, scale 1:5000

n

r m

o

h

1. Parking 2. Info Point 3. Heliport 4. Camping site 5. Cross-country skiing 6. Football pitch 7. Sport center 8. Ski shop and school 9. Timber flooring shop 10. Gas station 11. Hotel 12. Hotel - ex-Casa cantoniera

River Boite Flooding zone Highway SS51, existing asphalt pavement Asphalt pavement of Airport of Cortina d’Ampezzo Forest

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Figure III.16 View c. cross-country skiing arena

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Figure III.17 View d. ski shop and school


Figure III.18 View e. timber flooring shop

Figure III.19 View f. entrance to ex-airport territory

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Figure III.20 View g. Gas station

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Figure III.21 View h. Hotel “Fiames” and highway SS 51


Figure III.22 View i. Casa cantoniera

Figure III.23 View j. Storage in the ex-airport territory

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Figure III.24 View k. Audi experience on ex-airport territory

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Figure III.25 View l. Asphalt pavement on the way to heliport


Figure III.26 View m. Skiers crossing bridge

Figure III.27 View n. existing bridge on river Boite

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Figure III.28 View o. The open space of the plot area

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Figure III.29 View p. The river Boite

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Figure III.30 View r. Man practicing cross-country skiing


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11 11.1

Factory Home Design proposal The project of Olympic Village in Cortina d’Ampezzo focuses on the topics of modular architecture, suggesting a concept of home as a product. The units are produced in the factory, likewise any good of a mass production and it is eager to be transported to any location. Modules remain Alpine character by reflecting the regional urban fabric and traditional materials.

Masterplan

Temporary solution for Cortina The bid for organizing the Olympic Games 2026 assumes all the venues to be design in sustainable way using the existing structures or the temporary ones to avoid all the costs and wastes connected with building unnecessary premises with no use in the future. The town of Cortina d’Ampezzo does not predict any big expansion and, according to Cortina’s growing plan, would prefer to remain the character of the well-known ski resort with the limited number of guests. Therefore, all units of Olympic Village in Cortina are ought to be temporary. Planning of the temporary space can be taken as an experiment which allows for errors that get designers closer and closer to solutions. Temporary design works on a trialand-error bases allowing for the mishaps to steer design into a better direction. Contrary to permanent design which is final, temporary design remains an open system

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that encourages modification and revision. The plot is currently without any function besides those for organizing skiing track or Audi Driving Experience, so the change of the functions or returning the previous untouched character seem as the possible options. Temporary use can be seen as tool of empowerment: revealing the possibilities of space. The proposed masterplan gives the opportunity to examine the area of Fiames as the sports centre for the Olympic athletes but also in after-event reality. The place is suitable for oneday users coming to practice crosscountry skiing or starting their trip to the Dolomites mountains by one of the hiking trails nearby, as well as for those staying at the campsite or a hotel in a beautiful area in the vicinity of the river and forest. That is why the project envisions the new sports and wellness facility as the future touristic central point.


Reflecting the host city atmosphere The Olympic Village should reflect the host city’s atmosphere and be the miniature of it. By following the regional urban fabric, the housing units are arranged according to the organic growth trend in Alpine villages. Traditionally, the buildings were grouped in clusters forming the whole self-sufficient area containing accommodation, breeding pen, storage area and other functional spaces (see Chapter 09) and were erected as needed.

Forming clusters From analysis of traditional alpine architecture, described in Chapter 09, it is clear that alpine urban fabric usually forms along the axis of the main road. The following example shows how buildings develop in the first line along the main communication axis. It is followed by the infills, finally forming clusters of several units, grouped by charachteristics and functions.

Organic shape of roads Main road of the alpine urban fabric is defined by curvy shapes, which is formed mostly accroding to landscape constrains. Pockets of void Aftermath of forming cluster is the remaining unbuilt area, organic part of each group. It serves as the social space for the residents. It is commonly enclosed within or on the edge of a cluster usually connected to the communication axis.

Figure III.31 “Organic spread” as an analogy for the masterplan of Olympic Village

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Masterplan design strategy

Figure III.32 Site design as an entrance of hiking trails of Dolomites

Figure III.33 Natural boundaries on site

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Figure III.34 Follow Alpine urban fabric - creating clusters

Figure III.35 Adding functions for after-event use

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10 clusters

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14 clusters

19 clusters


18+8 clusters

Figure III.36 Masterplan, during event scale 1:5000

1. Guest Pass Center 2. Parking control 3. Spornsor’s tent 4. Polyclinic 5. Training + Wellness center 6. Chefs de Mission, NOC center 7. Media center 8. Security center 9. Generel store 10. Merchandise store 11. Post office 12. Bank 13. Hair Salon 14. Photo store, Florist 15. Guest pass center 16. Travel agency 17. Wall of Olympic display 18. Cafe + Internet center 19. Skate rental 20. Ice rink 21. Stage 22. Amphitheatre 23. National Flags 24. Religious center 25. Transport mall 26. Camp site

River Boite Flooding zone Highway SS51, existing asphalt pavement Asphalt pavement of Airport of Cortina d’Ampezzo Forest Wooden decking

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entrance for IOC officials | guests

parking 170 places camping site

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cross-country skiing

football pitch


entrance for athletes

Figure III.37 Masterplan, during event axonometry

forest flooding zone river Boite car road asphalt pavement of Airport of Cortina d’Ampezzo exsting buildings

parking 80 places

hiking trails

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Figure III.38 View of the residential zone

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Adjusting to Olympic requirements Following the requirements, the division for separate zones in the Olympic Village, should be introduced to provide the great level of security and relax for

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the competition participants. As discussed in Chapter 04, the Village is constructed from 3 main areas – Residential, Operational and Olympic Plaza. The Residential one is the most restricted in terms of security, where the entrance is only for the athletes and authorised people. In the project proposed by authors, the area is distributed equally on the plot creating the conditions similar to normal neighbourhood. Every few housing clusters, there is a common area for group meetings and entertainment and a dining hall. The Olympic Plaza is a heart of the Village where athletes, officials, guests and media can interact. It is located on the crossway of the old airport entrance, the remaining runway and the small pedestrian bridge connecting the two side of Boite river. It contains a number of retail and recreational areas like amphitheatre, supermarket or café, for the benefit of the Athletes and Officials as well as Guests of the Olympic Village. The Operational Zone is crucial for functioning of the Village with other sports venues because it contains the transportation mall and is responsible for all the security control measures. It is located in the place of an existing parking and the info-point building. According to the project, just next to the parking would be located the sports and wellness centre that would serve still after the event. The airport runway – the existing long stripe of asphalt – after the renovation and shape modification, still serves as the main connection of the facilities.


housing clusters Dining Hall and common space Dining Hall and common space

Figure III.39 Residential Zone

Sponsor’s tent

Guest Pass Centre

Sports and Wellness Centre

Polyclinic existing campsite “Olimpia” Figure III.40 Operational Zone Part III - Design proposal - Factory Home

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11.2

Module

The residential modules for to the extent, so the work might be the Olympic Village of Cortina compared to the manufactory task. d’Ampezzo are constructed offDesigning is carried out in a site - fully in the controlled factory manner to manufacture complete environment. units in a factory environment and While dealing with modular minimise works on-site to avoid architecture a great difference the traditional ‘construction’. All the between using prefabricated modules are leaving the factory modular structures produced offfully executed - all the electricity site and the traditional construction and water supplies connected and process starts from the design equipped with all the fixed furniture. phase. When the modules are delivered As discussed in Chapter 07 on destination, the only action to design process is managed in the be done on-site is to arrange a way that harnesses a wide spectrum sufficient base for proper installation of tools and technologies, and the of modules. underlying goal is to use design In the case of Cortina, it is processes that help facilitate a the wooden foundation pad on collaborative approach along the concrete blocks. Comparing to whole value chain, embracing traditional construction, on-site design teams, clients, contractors, works are minimised to connecting and offsite manufacturers. the installations and stacking the The design phase bases modules one on each other through on rationalisation, materials tongue and groove joint. Therefore, optimisation, and creating the whole on the site there are no adjustments logistics for assembling the module. besides adding the additional Figure III.41 Modular units are designed to fit in elements such as fences, stairs and Interior visualization of double bedroom Process of delivering the product with external aesthetics of the cluster pavements. that they will form after the delivery After the delivery on destination, Figure III.42 “Product” delivery process on the site. The units are repetitive the modules are eager to serve its

STEP 1: DESIGN rationalisation, materials optimisation, logistics

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STEP 2: FACTORY full execution and furnishing

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STEP 3: TRANSPORT by road, sea or air the type chosen respecting the size limit

STEP 4: SITE Assembling the modules into clusters


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function which is housing during a Mega-Event like Olympic Games but also after the event as a holiday house for private individuals, or as an emergency housing for those in need. The residential units of Olympic village are grouped in clusters of various configurations, which are easy to dismantle, or reconfigured according to needs and transported to different locations after the event. Modules are completely made of timber, which is characteristic to traditional Alpine architecture, however they adopt contemporary timber construction practices utilizing innovative material as CLT (cross laminated timber).

Module type - Double with pitched roof used on the 1st floor of cluster

Module typologies There are two types of modules a Double (fig. III.43) which is intended for the stay of two people and a Triple intended for the stay of three people (fig. III.44). The double one in size is W3,90xL8,90 m. The sizes were selected so that they satisfy key values for road transportation across Europe (Chapter 07). The size of both types of modules, fits category of “practical transportation” where maximum size limitation is W4,50xL17.5m. There is a difference between modules which are intended for the ground floor and 1st floor of the cluster. The ones on the ground have flat roof to ensure proper instalment of the 1st floor modules. Those have the pitched roof which aesthetically fits the character of traditional Alpine architecture. Both types of modules consist of two zones: wet zone containing a common kitchen and toilet, and private zone containing bedrooms.

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Module type - Double with flat roof used on the ground floor of cluster

Figure III.43 Double module typology

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Module type - Double

kitchen + WC According to Olympic requirements all accommodation should have a kitchen, which is not frequently used as the athletes and organaizing staff have meals in the separate dining halls, this kitchen is for necessity of small meals and drinks. Therefore kitchen has the size of 3,30x2 m, and is eqquiped with all essential tools. WC has the size of 2x2m all of them can be transformed as an accesible tolet by using special funiture and accessories.

Double bedroom According to Olympic requirements of accommodation max number of beds per bedroom is two. The double bedroom in the module has the size of 3,30x4 m which is more than the required area of 12 m2. Furnished with the bed with the length of 2 m with the availability of fitting the bed of the length of 2,20 m, a bedside table for each of residents, a closet, a mirror and the blinds to keep the rooms as dark as possible for athletes who wish to rest during the day.

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Module type - Triple with pitched roof used on the 1st floor of cluster

Module type - Triple with flat roof used on the grund floor of cluster

Figure III.44 Triple module typology

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Module type - Triple

Single bedroom The single bedroom in the module has the size of 3,30x3 m which is above the required area of 9 m2. Furnished with the bed with the length of 2 m with the availability of fitting the bed of the length of 2,20m, a bedside table for each of residents, a closet, a mirror and the blinds to keep the rooms as dark as possible for athletes who wish to rest during the day.

Double bedroom According to Olympic requirements of accommodation max number of beds per bedroom is two. The double bedroom in the module has the size of 3,30x4 m which is more than the required area of 12 m2. Furnished with the bed with the length of 2 m with the availability of fitting the bed of the length of 2,20 m, a bedside table for each of residents, a closet, a mirror and the blinds to keep the rooms as dark as possible for athletes who wish to rest during the day.

kitchen + WC According to Olympic requirements all accommodation should have a kitchen, which is not frequently used as the athletes and organaizing staff have meals in the dining halls, this kitchen is for the necessity of small meals and drinks. It has the size of 3,30x2 m, and is eqquiped with all essential tools. WC has the size of 2x2m it can be transformed into an accesible toilet by using special funiture and accessories.

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Double module has one bedroom with two single beds, while Triple module has two bedrooms – one with two beds, other with only one. according to Olympic requirements all accommodation should have a kitchen, which is not frequently used as the athletes and organizing staff have meals in the dining halls, this kitchen is for the necessity of small meals and drinks. It has the size of 3,30x2 m, and is equipped only with essentials. WC has the size of 2x2m and is equipped with toilet, shower and washbasin. All of the toilets have the window. Furthermore, bedrooms sizes are 13,20 m2 double one and 9,90 m2 for single and they meet requirements of OC which are accordingly – 12 m2 and 9 m2. They are furnished with beds of the length of 2 m with the availability of fitting the bed of length of 2,20 m for tall athletes, a bedside table for each resident, a closet, and a mirror. All of the rooms have a window of 90x90 cm on the height of 1m, which is the Italian planning regulation. The exception is the bathroom of the 1st floor module where the rooflight is placed. All of the windows have blinds from the outside, which are characteristic for Alpine architecture. From the perspective of Olympic regulations, the blinds are essential to keep the rooms as dark as possible for athletes who wish to rest during the day. All the modules intended for the ground floor are also suitable for the disabled, as the houses will be used not only for Olympic Games but also Paralympic Games. All the dimensions are adjusted to the needs of wheelchair users. The bathrooms are accessible by

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the usage of special furniture and accessories. The main structural material is CLT panels which is also visible as an interior finish (Fig.III.47) for all the spaces of module except the bathroom, where ceramic tile is introduced, due to the exposure to water. From the external side, CLT is covered with insulation layers and the facade finishes. The facades are covered with wood shingles and planks which add the natural alpine character to the facade. Both materials are easily accessible and are a common finish material in the region. Seamless character of shingles allows for using it both on the roof and façade creating unique surface. The same material is used on the upper level but also on the lower one as the decorative element. The division of modules is underlined by a horizontal division thanks to which, the connection looks smooth and fits perfectly to the composition of the whole cluster.

Figure III.45 Plan module type - Triple scale 1:50 1. single bedroom area - 10.2 m2 H - 3,20 m 2. kitchen area - 9,30 m2 H - 3,20 m 3. WC area - 4,00 m2 H - 3,20 m 4. double bedroom area - 13,60 m2 H - 3,20 m

Figure III.46 Plan module type - Double scale 1:50 1. kitchen area - 9,30 m2 H - 3,20 m 2. WC area - 4,00 m2 H - 3,20 m 3. double bedroom area - 13,60 m2 H - 3,20 m Part III - Design proposal - Factory Home

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Figure III.47 Exploded axonometry of wall layers. The modules are fixed in total in the factory.

100 mm CLT panel wood fiber insulation wood shingles wood board

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breather membrane wood battens


Figure III.48 Vertical connection of the modules on the site. Step 1: The foundation pad is prepared on site. Step 2: Attaching the ground floor modules to foundation pad through tongue and groove joint in vertical direction. Step 3: Adding the 1st floor modules in the same way.

tongue and groove joint

tongue and groove joint

wood foundation pad

concrete foundation

wood foundation pad concrete foundation

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11.3

175

Cluster

Repetitive character of modules allows for creating various types of clusters. For the event of Olympic Games, the authors propose a shape modelled on a rectangle which creates the inner courtyard with two entrances, partially covered by the terraces. The lower part consists of four modules – two Double and two Triple, while the upper part is made of two Double and a Triple module. Overall, one cluster hosts 17 people. The cosy atmosphere is created by usage of wood – the most natural building material. The façade is finished with the traditional alpine materials - larch shingles and wooden planks, with obvious horizontal division of façade likewise common for alpine architecture. The primary function of designed building is accommodation for athletes from all over the world, which means that units need to be suitable for people of all cultures. Their mental state during the event shall

be focused only on the competition they take part in. The village they live in, must be prepared for their needs and cannot cause any problems. The conditions are equal and worthy, personalized with usage of national identification elements like national colors and flags. The second part of the Games – Paralympics - involve having to think and build the village in such a way that it is equipped with a whole series of measures suitable to accommodate this particular type of users. However, remembering this point does not want to simplistically state that you provide some extra “equipment”, or some extra “performance” - it means instead designing a city that is for everyone, in age and means. All of the modules are adapted for needs of disabled by adjusting the sizes of rooms and corridors and correct leveling the ground floor modules with connecting paths, so they are accessible for wheelchair users.

Figure III.50 Module connecting scheme

Figure III.49 Visualization of the cluster courtyard

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Figure III.51 Axonometry of a cluster

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Double module

Triple module

Double module

Triple module

Double module Triple module

Double module

Figure III.52 Exploded axonometry of a cluster Part III - Design proposal - Factory Home

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1204

Ø1

200

50 200

200

392

332

300

400

0

120

Ø15

420

420

332 200 200 200

892

120

1878

400 392 200

120

0

Ø15

392

Figure III.53 Plan of a cluster - ground floor

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1204

157

332 200

892 200 200

892

120

400 1878

1878 392

594 437 392

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Figure III.54 Plan of a cluster - 1st floor Part III - Design proposal - Factory Home

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Figure III.55 Elevation of shorter side of the cluster, 1:150

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AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Figure III.56 Elevation of longer side of the cluster, 1:150

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Figure III.57 Section of a cluster, 1:150

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AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Figure III.58 Section of a cluster, 1:150

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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK ST

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LESS DETAILS

Section

748

1 R-

1

21

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Detail A

F-2

W-1

26

350

20 4

320

Detail B

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300

W-2

27

-60

14 15 5

26

0.0

F-1

100

80

Detail C

Detail D

Figure III.60 Detailed section 1:40

Figure III.59 Detailed elevation 1:40 Part III - Design proposal - Factory Home

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W-1 wooden shingle cladding 19 mm - horizontal battens 19 mm - vertical battens breather membrane 120 mm - thermal insulation 100 mm - CLT panel

4,5 25,5 25,5

25,5

Detail A

25,5

PRODUCED PRODUCED PRODUCED PRODUCED BYBY AN BY BY AN AUTODESK AN AN AUTODESK AUTODESK AUTODESK STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT STUDENT VERSION VERSION VERSION VERSION PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

W-2 21 mm - wooden board cladding 19 mm - horizontal battens 19 mm - vertical battens breather membrane 120 mm - thermal insulation 100 mm - CLT panel

20

4,5 20

4,5 20 20

4,54,5 25,5 20

F-1 20 mm - wooden flooring 25 mm - grooved insulation / underfloor heating 20 mm - 2 layers of 10 mm Fermacell 10 mm - resilient acoustic layer 100 mm - CLT panel 80 mm - thermal insulation isolation membrane Detail B

F-2 20 mm - wooden flooring 25 mm - grooved insulation / underfloor heating 20 mm - 2 layers of 10mm Fermacell 10 mm - resilient acoustic layer 100 mm - CLT panel 80 mm - insulation isolation sheet 45 mm - air gap 20 mm - wooden board isolation sheet 80 mm - thermal insulation 100 mm - CLT panel

26

26

26 26

26

Detail C

Detail D

Figure III.61 Details 1:20

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ODUCED BY BY AN AN AUTODESK AUTODESK STUDENT STUDENT VERSION VERSION ODUCED

R-1 wooden shingle cladding 19 mm - horizontal battens 19 mm - vertical battens breather membrane 120 mm - thermal insulation 100 mm - CLT panel


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Figure III.62 Visualization of the houses by the riverfront

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09.3 After event re-use strategy

POST-EVENT econfiguration of modules Figure III.63 Post-event cluster modifications. 30%Big clusters serve well when the great number of participants have of modules to site accommodated and distributed staying on according to the country they come from. To be useful for the future small grous the clusters can be enlarged or shrinked according to the needs.

4x 3x

4x 1x

2x 1x

The temporary character of the designed units allows projecting various options for the future life of the modules and the site itself. The main feature of the Factory Home units designed for Olympic village, is their mobility and the possibility of reusing. As all the modules are self-sufficient, after event they can be reconfigured into different scenarios – create other layouts or stand alone. The transportation process starts from lifting the modules up by a crane to put it on the track which will carry it to other destination by land they can be transported by a track or other means of transport for example by air with a helicopter. Eventual scheme for modules after event is storage in the warehouse on-site and using it when there is a demand (An event, camp for children, holiday rental). Further step will be selling modules to private clients as holiday houses. Also Civil protection Lombardia seeks likewise solutions to utilize modules as emergency housing Temporality is not only predicted for the houses itself but also for planning a masterplan for the site. After many years of fighting for the

1x

Post-event proposal of the distribution of modules

1x

1x

189

airport function in Fiames, the idea is finally refuted. The authors propose transformation of the site into the sports complex with some Olympic venues left as a legacy after this significant event for the development of Cortina. The biggest venue built for the Village is the wellness centre with training facilities. The place would be a great base for the sport camps and an attractor for one-day guests. Beautiful surroundings and vicinity of the main road make also the place the attractive place for camping site which is a popular way of accommodation in this region. Therefore, the runway was already used in a past as a camper parking. The public space of Olympic Plaza with the exhibition, gastronomy facilities, the place for organizing concerts or the winter ice-rink can become the new entertain place. Finally, part of the Residential Zone, could remain on site to host the tourists after the Games. All the buildings have a temporary character so all the planning for the cty of Cortina can be only an experiment for the months following the Event.

30%

remaining on site

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70%

redistributed


Figure III.64 Post-event redistibution of modules

POST-EVENT redistribution of modules

the modules being distributed for new functions

dismantled modules transport of modules to accessible places by track transport of modules to inaccessible places by helicopter

distribution in Italy

private clients

storage warehouse

civil protection Lombardia

private clients

housing on high altitudes, where road transport is difficult

storage and maintenance

housing in case of emergency

hoildays housing for all seasons

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14 clusters

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19 clusters


Figure III.65 Masterplan, after event scale 1:5000

1. Parking control 2. Training+Wellness Center 3. Wall of Olympic display 4. Cafe + Internet Center 5. Skate rental 6. Ice rink 7. Stage 8. Amphitheatre 9. Religious Center

River Boite Flooding zone Highway SS51, existing asphalt pavement Asphalt pavement of Airport of Cortina d’Ampezzo Forest Restored forest Wooden decking

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12

Conclusion This thesis aims to answer the question: What is the role of relocatable modular buildings in the global construction sector? Worldwide, construction is one of the largest industry sectors and with current urbanization trends the demand for it has never been greater but there are underlying challenges in productivity, profit ability, performance, labor, and sustainability. These are the points that can be improved by adjusting the design process and simplifying the production supposedly with prefabricated mobile modules. Furthermore, thesis aims to show the potential of relocatable buildings and sustainable building practices with timber, in the light of a mega-event as Winter Olympic Games of Milano-Cortina 2026. Accordingly, we set several objectives to achieve through research and design proposal: 1. To determine the legacy of Olympic games and the afterevent legacy. What practices led OC to make sustainability as the main criteria while planning

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Olympic infrastructure. How we could hypothesize the green legacy for the alpine town of Cortina d’Ampezzo and the region of Veneto. 2. The most suitable material for constructing modules would have been timber due to its characteristic of being the cleanest construction material in terms of its small carbon footprint. Respectively we analyzed the wooden sector in Italy, what challenges it faces, and what opportunities it holds for development of timber construction sector in Italy. 3. Economic strategy is the essential part of the thesis, it starts with the analyze of Veneto region economy and pays more attention again to the existing wood processing enterprises. Accordingly, it focuses on the infrastructural challenges on regional level, absence of the trans-alpine highway and as well as on a deteriorated railway part from Calalzo-CortinaToblach. Finally, to summarize the strategy of placing module factory in the industrial town of Longarone, which is in good proximity to


Cortina. Through this steps are desired to encourage local wood processing facilities to focus more on production of construction timber materials or ready-made modules. 4. Design of the Olympic Village concentrates on displaying the potential of a self-sufficient timber residential module. Modules which are produced completely offsite perfectly fit the needs of the athletes, during the event. They form clusters which has a unique characteristics of alpine architecture while stacked together. The major opportunity they hold is perfectly demonstrated by the after-event plan. Which hypothesizes using accommodation on site as holiday houses. or to sell them to private owners as holiday houses which can be used throughout the year. Because of their mobile nature modules can also be placed on the locations of high altitude with no access to the road. And in general to meet the demand for residential space where it is needed.

Figure III.66 Cortina d’Ampezzo


List of figures Part I 1. Olympic Village entrance during its completion ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea in December 2017 https://www.nytimes. com/2018/01/17/travel/winterolympics-trip-planning.html 2. Olympic spirit in Whistler Village still visible long after the Games in 2010 https://lwlp.com/portfolio_page/ whistler-blackcomb/ 3. Opening ceremony of Summer Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro https://ca-times. brightspotcdn.com/dims4/ default/841677f/2147483647/ strip/true/crop/2000x1310+0+0/ resize/1440x943 4. Palazzo Italia during Expo 2015 in Milan https://www.modlar.com/ photos/1812/italy-pavilion-palazzoitalia-exterior-with-fountains/ 5. World Peace Gate built for Summer Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988 https://architectureofthegames. net/1988-seoul/seoul-1988-worldpeace-gate-olympic-park/ 6. Athelets competing during the Winter Games in Vancouver 2010 https://www.whistlersportlegacies. com/sites/default/files/ styles/scale_1440/ public/2018-09/044_0069_ CAT_8058%20copy.jpg?itok=zT9tl_ wL 7. Typologies of the chosen Winter Olympic Villages Authors’ own work 8. Athelets in the Olympic Village in PyeongChang https://www.chinadaily.

com.cn/a/201802/02/ WS5a73d501a3106e7dcc13a61c. html 9. Athelets in the Olympic Village in Turin https://www.businessinsider. com/turin-olympic-villageafrican-refugees-photos-20181?r=US&IR=T 10. Atheletes spending their free time in the Olympic Village https://olympic.ca/2018/02/07/alook-inside-the-pyeongchang2018-athletes-village-with-teamcanada/ 11. Atheletes spending their free time in the bedrooms https://www.cheatsheet.com/ culture/a-behind-the-scenes-lookat-olympic-village-in-pyeongchang. html/ 12. Team meeting in the Pyeongchang Olympic Village https://www.cheatsheet.com/ culture/a-behind-the-scenes-lookat-olympic-village-in-pyeongchang. html/ 13. Dining hall of Pyeongchang Olympic Village https://olympic.ca/2018/02/07/alook-inside-the-pyeongchang2018-athletes-village-with-teamcanada/ 14. Wall of Truce from the Olympic Games in London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:The_Olympic_Truce_Wall.jpg 15. Personalization of the atheletes’ apartments https://www.cheatsheet.com/ culture/a-behind-the-scenes-lookat-olympic-village-in-pyeongchang. html/ 16. Timeline of Winter Olympic Games with a subjective assessment of the success of the

transformation of object after the event Authors’ own work 17. The entrance gate to the PyeongChang Olympic Village https://olympic.ca/2018/02/07/alook-inside-the-pyeongchang2018-athletes-village-with-teamcanada/ 18. Olympic Winter Games from 1924 to 2010 in numbers Krieger J., The transformation of the Olympic Village at the Olympic Winter Games – a historical analysis” 19. Calgary university campus as the Main Olympic Village IOC, Olympic Winter Games Villages from Oslo 1952 to PyeongChang 2018, OSC Reference Collection, The Olympic Studies Centre, 2018. 20. Canmore Olympic Village plan Calgary Organizing Committee for the XV Winter Olympic Games Calgary 1988 (1988) XV Olympic Games: Official Report 21. Calgary Olympic Village plan Calgary Organizing Committee for the XV Winter Olympic Games Calgary 1988 (1988) XV Olympic Games: Official Report 22. Lillehammer permanent prefabricated wooden houses Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (1994) Official Report (Volume I-IV) 23. Lillehammer Olympic Village planof the permanent structures Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (1994) Official Report (Volume I-IV) 24. Lillehammer Olympic Village sketch view Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (1994) Official Report (Volume I-IV) 25. Whistler Olympic Village plan https://ekistics.com/project/whistler-


Part II athletes-village/ 26. Vancouver Olympic Village view https://www.constructioncanada. net/green-roofs-cold-winters-anddealing-with-drought-vancouverolympic-village-green-roof-fivecategories-of-excellence/ 27. Whistler Olympic Village view https://whistlerairportaccommodation. blogspot.com/2020/09/whistlerolympic-sites.html 28. Definition and conceptual model of sustainability in the Olympic Games. Müller M., An evaluation of the sustainability of the Olympic Games 29. One of the first sport events open to public after Covid-19 outbreak with the measures of social distancing during the Premier League’s match https://www.leparisien.fr/sports/

1. Factory production of modules Wozniak-Szpakiewicz E., Zhao S., Modular construction industry growth and its impact on the built environment,https:// repozytorium.biblos.pk.edu.pl/redo/ resources/41395/file/suwFiles / WozniakSzpakiewiczE_ ModularConstruction.pdf 2. AC Hotel by Marriott in New York, USA Wozniak-Szpakiewicz E., Zhao S., Modular construction industry growth and its impact on the built environment,https:// repozytorium.biblos.pk.edu.pl/redo/ resources/41395/file/suwFiles / WozniakSzpakiewiczE_ ModularConstruction.pdf 3. Henry Fords assembly line; https://www.alamy.it/fotoimmagine-ford-modello-t-linea-diassemblaggio-1920s-135095634 4.Dymaxion house, Buckminister Fuller https://www.researchgate.net/figure/ Dymaxion-house-by-ArchitectBuckminster-Fuller_fig1_319932131 5. Plug-in city, Archigram https://www.archdaily.com/399329/ ad-classics-the-plug-in-city-petercook-archigram 6. Nakagin capsule tower https://www.designboom.com/ architecture/kurokawas-capsuletower-demolition/ 7.Design for manufacture and assembly mindset: through the stages of construction RIBA (2013) RIBA Plan of Work Designing for Manufacture and Assembly, http://consig.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/ RIBAPlanofWorkDfMAOverlaypdf.pdf 8. Diagram of modular construction schedule vs. site built

construction schedule Modular Building Institute, What is Modular Construction? https://www.modular.org/HtmlPage. aspx?name=why_modular 9. Transportation conditions Wozniak-Szpakiewicz E., Zhao S., Modular construction industry growth and its impact on the built environment,https:// repozytorium.biblos.pk.edu.pl/redo/ resources/41395/file/suwFiles / WozniakSzpakiewiczE_ ModularConstruction.pdf 10. 11. EMPA campus in Dubendorf, Switzerland Richner, P., Heer, Ph., Largo, R., Marchesi, E., Zimmermann, M., NEST –A platform for the acceleration of innovation in buildings, Informes de la Construcción, http://dx.doi. org/10.3989/id.55380 12.13. AC Hotel by Marriott in New York, USA Wozniak-Szpakiewicz E., Zhao S., Modular construction industry growth and its impact on the built environment,https:// repozytorium.biblos.pk.edu.pl/redo/ resources/41395/file/suwFiles / WozniakSzpakiewiczE_ ModularConstruction.pdf 14. Concorde South Apartments in West Australia https://www.hodgecollardpreston. com/portfolio-items/concordesouth-apartments/ 15. Conceptual illustration of construction 4.0 framework Riley M., Irizary J., Construction 4.0, An Innovation Platform for the Built enviroment, 2020 16. factory-made units, ready to be transported and assembled on-site Wozniak-Szpakiewicz E., Zhao S.,


Modular construction industry growth and its impact on the built environment,https:// repozytorium.biblos.pk.edu.pl/redo/ resources/41395/file/suwFiles / WozniakSzpakiewiczE_ ModularConstruction.pdf 17. Timber construction circular economy model https://woodforgood.com/ news-and-views/2019/04/01/ transforming-construction-buildingthe-uks-circular-economy/ 18. Mature plants in a poplar stand in the Po Valley https://www.researchgate.net/ figure/Mature-plants-in-a-poplarstand-in-the-Po-Valley-ItalyPhoto-by-Gianfranco-Minotta_ fig6_338209240 19. Conifer forest in Dolomites https://kunavithewriter.com/floraand-fauna-of-the-dolomites/ 20. Forest coverage in Italy, according to regions Berti S., Brunetti M.,Brunoni A., Il Legno Massiccio, materiale per un’edilizia sostenibile, https://www. federlegnoarredo.it/it/associazioni/ assolegno/attivita-e-servizi-peri-soci/pubblicazioni/il-legnomassiccio-materiale-per-un-ediliziasostenibile 21. Distribution of forest coverage, according to landscape Berti S., Brunetti M.,Brunoni A., Il Legno Massiccio, materiale per un’edilizia sostenibile, https://www. federlegnoarredo.it/it/associazioni/ assolegno/attivita-e-servizi-peri-soci/pubblicazioni/il-legnomassiccio-materiale-per-un-ediliziasostenibile 22. Forest Harvest distribution Berti S., Brunetti M.,Brunoni A., Il Legno Massiccio, materiale per un’edilizia sostenibile, https://www.

federlegnoarredo.it/it/associazioni/ assolegno/attivita-e-servizi-peri-soci/pubblicazioni/il-legnomassiccio-materiale-per-un-ediliziasostenibile 23. Distribution of the coppice and high forest crop types throughout Italy Berti S., Brunetti M.,Brunoni A., Il Legno Massiccio, materiale per un’edilizia sostenibile, https://www. federlegnoarredo.it/it/associazioni/ assolegno/attivita-e-servizi-peri-soci/pubblicazioni/il-legnomassiccio-materiale-per-un-ediliziasostenibile 24. The components of Italian forest-wood energy supply chain according to the 2018-2019 Wood Supply Chain Plan of MIPAAF. Berti S., Brunetti M.,Brunoni A., Il Legno Massiccio, materiale per un’edilizia sostenibile, https://www. federlegnoarredo.it/it/associazioni/ assolegno/attivita-e-servizi-peri-soci/pubblicazioni/il-legnomassiccio-materiale-per-un-ediliziasostenibile 25.Saw mill in Belluno https://www.provincia.belluno.it/ myportal/P_BL/home 26. Contemporary timber architecture, Vorarlberg, Austria https://www.vorarlberg.travel/en/ activity/woodworking-in-vorarlberg/ 27. Vorarlberg region Location https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Vorarlberg#/media/File:Vorarlberg_ in_Austria.svg 28. Vorarlberg Alpine landscape https://www.vorarlberg.travel/en/ regions/alpenregion-vorarlberg/ 29. Primary school in Doren by Cukrowicz Nachbaur Arkitekten Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition

DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 30. Traditional timber detail, Vorarlberg Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 31. Mountain chapel Alpe Vordere Niedere, Andelbuch Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 32.33. Kindergarten, Bizau Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 34. Post-and-beam construction, Sulz Dangel U., Material Regionalism: Vorarlberg’s Sustainable Timber Construction Tradition, The University of Texas at Austin 35. Log construction, Dornbirn Dangel U., Material Regionalism: Vorarlberg’s Sustainable Timber Construction Tradition, The University of Texas at Austin 36. Kindergarten, Bizau Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 37. 38. Farmbuilding, Dornbirn Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber


Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 39. Hans Purin: Halde housing estate Dangel U., Material Regionalism: Vorarlberg’s Sustainable Timber Construction Tradition, The University of Texas at Austin 40. Scrap Collection Center, Feldrich Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 41. Cooperative: Im Fang housing estate Dangel U., Material Regionalism: Vorarlberg’s Sustainable Timber Construction Tradition, The University of Texas at Austin 42. System3 on the roof of the Museum of Modern Art in New York Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 43.Scrap Collection Center, Feldrich Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 44. Fink Thurnher: Daycare Center, Langenegg Dangel U., Material Regionalism: Vorarlberg’s Sustainable Timber Construction Tradition, The

University of Texas at Austin 45. Oskar Leo Kaufmann and Albert Rüf: House Rüscher, Schnepfau; Johannes Kaufmann: Community Center, Raggal Dangel U., Material Regionalism: Vorarlberg’s Sustainable Timber Construction Tradition, The University of Texas at Austin 46. Johannes Kaufmann:Community Center, Raggal Dangel, Material Regionalism: Vorarlberg’s Sustainable Timber Construction Tradition, The University of Texas at Austin 47. Scrap Collection Center, Feldrich Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 48. Interior in CLT Hofmeister S., Holzbauten Timber Structures in Vorarlberg, Edition DETAIL, https://issuu.com/ detail-magazine/docs/bk-9783-95553-381-6_vorarlberg_ de_?e=8753616/54795898 49. Map of Veneto Region and administrative centers of provinces Author’s own work 50. Typical agricultural landscape in the low Venetian plain https://www.recare-hub.eu/casestudies/veneto-region-italy 51. Treatment of animal hydes in Arzignano, Vicenza https://www.mastrotto.com/tanningprocess/ 52. Cortina d’Ampezzo in summer https://www.dolomiti.org/en/cortina/ choose-your-holiday/summer/

53. Wood processing units distribution in Veneto and neighbouring regions of Trentino/ Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia Author’s own work 54. Sawn logs along the Piana Marcesina http://www.michelelapini.net/ portfoliocpt/tempesta-vaia/# 55. Piana Marcesina, difference between cleared wood and the signs of the VAIA storm http://www.michelelapini.net/ portfoliocpt/tempesta-vaia/# 56. Sawn logs along the Piana Marcesina http://www.michelelapini.net/ portfoliocpt/tempesta-vaia/# 57. Driver arranges the load of lumber to be taken to the destination http://www.michelelapini.net/ portfoliocpt/tempesta-vaia/# 58. Percentage of forest damage in the municipalities affected by Vaia storm Chirici G. et al. Submitted, https:// resilience-blog.com/2019/02/15/ coping-with-the-aftermath-ofstorm-vaia-in-north-east-italy/ 59. Forest area percentage on the total area per Municipality Chirici G. et al. Submitted, https:// resilience-blog.com/2019/02/15/ coping-with-the-aftermath-ofstorm-vaia-in-north-east-italy/ 60. Driver arranges the load of lumber to be taken to the destination http://www.michelelapini.net/ portfoliocpt/tempesta-vaia/# 61. Alpine highways A 22 In the region of Trentino Alto/Adige, A 27 in Veneto region running till the city of Belluno Author’s own work


Part III 62. Carbonin station, between Cortina and Toblach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Dolomites_Railway#/media/ File:Treno_a_carbonin.jpg 63. Railway network, focus on Calalzo-Cortina-Toblach existing railway line Author’s own work 64. Longarone as a location of factory manufacturing residential modules Author’s own work 65. The Vajont Dam as seen from the village of Longarone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Vajont_Dam#/media/File:La_ diga_del_Vajont_vista_da_ Longarone_18-8-2005.jpg 66. Sawn logs along the Piana Marcesina http://www.michelelapini.net/ portfoliocpt/tempesta-vaia/# 67. Cortina d’Ampezzo - aerial view https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Cortina_d%27Ampezzo 68. Examples of organic spread of the village which follows the main road Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008 69. Example of organic spread of the village along the main road Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008 70. The church as a central element of the Alpine town Cortina d’Ampezzo Photo taken by Authors 71. Typical plan and elevation of the Alpine house with two floors with external staircase and two doors. Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008 72. Some of the solutions that

highlight the simplicity of the roof covering structure (large frame) and the multiple solutions for closing the attic space. Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008 73. Examples of balustrades made of wood Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008 74. Typical house in Cortina d’Ampezzo with the pitched roof and balconies with decorative ballustrades Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008 75. Example of the stone stairs with the full infill wall. Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008 76. Example of a cantilevered stone staircase placed in the wall of the building. Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008 77. Example of the typical simple facade with small windows. Prestinone, Val Vigezzo. Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008 78. Window with frame and shutter made from dark wood for external closure. Goglio, Val Antigorio Tronconi O., L’architettura montana, Maggioli Editore, 2008

All the following photos and drawings developed by the Authors if not stated dfferently. 1. Location of Cortina d’Ampezzo and the airport terrain 2. Aerial view of Cortina Airport - current state https://www.euroga.org/forums/ trips-airports/4990-cortinadampezzo-airport-to-re-openin-2016 3. The runway in Fiames https://www.euroga.org/forums/ trips-airports/4990-cortinadampezzo-airport-to-re-openin-2016 4. Aerial view of the airport https://www.msfsitalia.com/it/ aeroporto-cortina-dampezzobelluno-veneto/ 5. The proposal by AE Engineering for the new airport in Cortina aerial view https://ae-engineering.it/portfolio/ cortina-dampezzo-italy/ 6. The proposal by AE Engineering for the new airport in Cortina - service building https://ae-engineering.it/portfolio/ cortina-dampezzo-italy/ 7. The parking and camping site on the airplane runway http://www.fiorenzadebernardi.it/ SecondoLivello/AeralpiStoria.htm 8. Comic illustration from the local newspaper “Voci di Cortina”. In English: “Sustainable tourism Hooray, two tourists are coming by helicopter!” “Approvato il piano per la sistemazione dell’aeroporto di fiames” in: “Voci di Cortina”, numero 73, giugno 2010 9. The timeline of historic development of the area of the airport

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10. Information plate of the Natural regional Park of the Dolomites 11. Satellite view of the site - 2004 Google Earth 12.Satellite view of the site - 2017 Google Earth 13. View a. Entrance to parco naturale Dolomiti d’Ampezzo, infopoint for tourists, parking for campers 14. View b. Cross-country skiing arena 15. Existing functions, photo locations, scale 1:5000. 16. View c. Cross-country skiing arena 17. View d. Ski shop and school Google Street View 18. View e. Timber flooring shop 19. View f. Entrance to ex-airport territory 20. View g. Gas station Google Street View 21. View h. Hotel “Fiames” and highway SS 51 22. View i. Casa cantoniera 23. View j. Storage in the exairport territory 24. View k. Audi experience on exairport territory 25. View l. Asphalt pavement on the way to heliport 26. View m. Skiers crossing bridge 27. View n. Existing bridge on river Boite 28. View o. The open space of the plot area 29. View p. The river Boite 30. View r. Man practicing crosscountry skiing 31. “Organic spread” as an analogy for the masterplan of Olympic Village 32. Site design as an entrance of hiking trails of Dolomites 33. Natural boundaries on site 34. Follow Alpine urban fabric -

creating clusters 35. Adding functions for afterevent use 36. Masterplan, during event scale 1:5000 37. Masterplan, during event axonometry 38. View of the residential zone 39. Residential Zone 40. Operational Zone 41. Interior visualization of double bedroom 42. “Product” delivery process 43. Double module typology 44. Triple module typology 45. Plan module type - Triple, scale 1:50 46. Plan module type - Double, scale 1:50 47. Exploded axonometry of wall layers. The modules are fixed in total in the factory. 48.Vertical connection of the modules on the site. 49. Visualization of the cluster courtyard 50. Module connecting scheme 51. Axonometry of a cluster 52. Exploded axonometry of a cluster 53. Plan of a cluster - ground floor 54. Plan of a cluster - 1st floor 55. Elevation of shorter side of the cluster, 1:150 56. Elevation of longer side of the cluster, 1:150 57. Section of a cluster, 1:150 58. Section of a cluster, 1:150 59. Detailed elevation 1:40 60. Detailed section 1:40 61. Details 1:20 62. Visualization of the houses by the riverfront 63. Post-event cluster modifications. 64. Post-event redistibution of

modules 65. Masterplan, after event scale 1:5000 66. Cortina d’Ampezzo

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List of tables Part II 1. Companies and employees of the forestwood supply chain in Italy Berti S., Brunetti M.,Brunoni A., Il Legno Massiccio, materiale per un’edilizia sostenibile, https://www. federlegnoarredo.it/it/associazioni/ assolegno/attivita-e-servizi-peri-soci/pubblicazioni/il-legnomassiccio-materiale-per-un-ediliziasostenibile 2. Utilization of wood in Italy by assortment according to Eurostat (in thousands of m³) Berti S., Brunetti M.,Brunoni A., Il Legno Massiccio, materiale per un’edilizia sostenibile, https://www. federlegnoarredo.it/it/associazioni/ assolegno/attivita-e-servizi-peri-soci/pubblicazioni/il-legnomassiccio-materiale-per-un-ediliziasostenibile 3. Turnover of companies (thousands of euro) by sector of economic activity (*). Veneto Years 2017: 2020 Sistema statistico di Regione Veneto http://statistica.regione.veneto.it/ banche_dati_economia_imprese.jsp


Bibliography Part I Cottrell, R. C. (2003), The Legacy of Munich 1972. Terrorism, Security and the Olympic Games, in De Morgas, M., Kennet C., Puig N., The Legacy of the Olympic Games 19842000, International Symposium, p. 309-313.

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Di Campli, A. (2006), Il villaggio olimpico come materiale urbano, p. 7

IOC Calgary for the XV Winter Olympic Games Calgary 1988 (1988) XV Olympic Games: Official Report [online]. http://www.la84foundation.org/5va/ reports_frmst.htm (Accessed 5th December 2020).

Duckworth A, Krieger J., Hunt T.,(2020), “The impact of Covid-19 on security at sporting events”, in: “Sport and the Pandemic: Perspectives on Covid-19’s Impact on the Sport Industry” Pedersen P. , Ruihley B., Li B. Frasinelli S. (2005), La città degli atleti, in AA.VV, Torino MOI, Da mercati generali a villaggio olimpico, Officna Città Torino/Racconti Multimediali, Torino 2005, p. 33-43 IOC (1946) Olympic Rules - Charter of the Olympic Games. Lausanne: IOC. IOC (2005) Technical manual on Olympic Village. Lausanne: IOC. https://stillmed.olympic. org/Documents/Host_city_ elections/2020_CAP.pdf IOC (2015), Olympic Games Framework. Produced for the 2024 Olympic Games, May 2015 https://stillmed.olympic.org/ Documents/Host_city_elections/ IOC_Olympic_Games_Framework_ English_Interactive.pdf IOC (2018), Olympic Winter Games Villages from Oslo 1952 to PyeongChang 2018, OSC Reference Collection, The Olympic

IOC Lillehammer (1994) Official Report (Volume I-IV) [online]. Available at: https://digital.la84. org/digital/collection/p17103coll8 (Accessed 1st December, 2020). IOC Vancouver (2010), PostGames Report Guide: The Official Report of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Disc 1, 1.1 Vanoucver 2010 – Bid Report Krieger, J., Von Wagner, C. (2014) The transformation of the Olympic Village at the Olympic Winter Games: a historical analysis (Chapter 58, pp. 303-322). In, Palmer, C. (Ed.) The sports monograph: critical perspectives on socio-cultural sport, coaching and Physical Education. SSTO Publications, Preston, UK. ISBN:978-0-9566270-6-3 Müller M (2015), What makes an event a mega-event? Definitions and sizes, Leisure Studies, 34:6, 627-642, DOI: 10.1080/02614367.2014.993333 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/ 10.1080/02614367.2014.993333

Müller, M., Wolfe, S.D., Gaffney, C. (2021) et al. An evaluation of the sustainability of the Olympic Games. Nat Sustain 4, 340–348. https://doi. org/10.1038/s41893-021-00696-5 Muñoz, F. M. (1997) Historic evolution and urban planning typology of Olympic villages (pp. 27-51). In, de Moragas, M., Llinés, M. and Kidd, B. (Eds.) Olympic Villages: A hundred years of urban planning and shared experiences. International Symposium on Olympic Villages 1996. Lausanne: IOC Pratelli A., Bortolotti M. (2011), Abitare Olimpia: L’architettura dei villaggi per le Olimpiadi, Bolonia University Press, p. 22 Tzanoudaki S. (2003), The Modern City: The passage from Modernism to Post-modernism in Olympic Design, in Miquel de Moragas, Christopher Kennett, Nuria Puig (eds), The Legacy of the Olympic Games 1984-2000, Olympic Studies Centre of the International Olympic Committee, Lausanne 2003, p. 127-132 marassialp.altervista.org, “CORTINA - La storia delle Alpi, attraverso la visione delle fotografie fornite dalle cartoline d’epoca.“ http://marassialp.altervista.org/ foto_cartoline_d_epoca_montagna/ cartoline_antiche_dolomiti_cortina. htm


Part II Bergdoll B., Christensen P. (2008) Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling, MoMA Publications Berti S., Brunetti M.,Brunoni A., Il Legno Massiccio, materiale per un’edilizia sostenibile, https://www.federlegnoarredo.it/ it/associazioni/assolegno/attivitae-servizi-per-i-soci/pubblicazioni/ il-legno-massiccio-materiale-perun-edilizia-sostenibile Cameron, J., (2014) Hickory puts up six-storey prefab apartment block in record time, The Fifth State, https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/ innovation/engineering/hickory-putsup-sixstorey-prefab-apartment-block-inrecord-time/ Campeol G., Carollob S., Masottoc N., (2016) Infrastructural projects and territorial development in Veneto Dolomites: Evaluation of performances through AHP Chirici G. et al. Submitted, (2019) https://resilience-blog. com/2019/02/15/coping-with-theaftermath-of-storm-vaia-in-northeast-italy/ Comune di Longarone - Brevi cenni storici (2019) https://www.longarone.net/ myportal/C_E672BL/vivere/cenni_ storici Di Pasquale J., Innella F., Bai Y., Structural Concept and Solution for Hybrid Modular Buildings with Removable Modules,

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Sawhney A., Riley M., Irizarry J.(2020) Construction 4.0: An Innovation Platform for the Built Environment Smith R. E., Off-Site Construction Implementation Resource: Off-Site and Modular Construction Explained, University of Utah, https://cdn2.hubspot.net/ hubfs/11346/2019%20files/ Whitepaper%20OSMC%20 Explained.pdf Sistema statistico di Regione Veneto http://statistica.regione. veneto.it/banche_dati_economia_ imprese.jsp

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