1 minute read
THE DEGENERATE MENAGERIE
The Death Of Casa Veriti
STUDIO: ARCH 571
Advertisement
ADVISOR: MICAH RUTENBERG
Individual Project Fall 2020
The architecture of Carlo Scarpa is famous for its craftsmanship. Casa Veritti is a masterpiece of architectural stratification and striking materiality, with lovingly crafted wood at the heart of the building. This project proposes a death for Casa Veritti and coreographs the ruin of a work of art.
A parasite, the strangler fig, engulfs and frames the architecture. Termites, degenerates in nature, metabolise only dead wood. They break down the existing architecture, revealing a literal reframing of the structure. What is left is the phantom of Carlo Scarpa; the final occupant of Casa Veritti is the shadow of a parasite. The tectonic circle is completed when the materiality of Casa Veritti is decomposed and returned to the site in its most raw form, a living plant.
Despite their facade of stability, buildings exist in a state of active decay from the moment they are built. Once a site has reached a state of philosophical inertia, its death should be thought of as part of the architectural system - a celebration of life, rather than a prevention of death. This project recognizes the secret ephemerality of architecture and questions preservation tactics in the profession.
Growth
STRANGLER FIG GROWS ON EXISTING BUILDING
Decay
TERMITES DEGRADE EXISTING STRUCTURE
Phantom Impression Of Architecture
TIDEWATER GLACIER
