chair of architecture & dwelling at Tu Delft
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Texts by Dick van Gameren Mario Fosso Birgit Jurgenhake
Works by Nina Aalbers Klaas Brouwer Susanne Kok Ellen Struijk Reijer Bets Tom Hartmanns Lysanne van Hoek Thijs Schokkenbroek
Studio:
Living in Sesia Valley
Studio:
Living in Sesia Valley
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Prof. Dick van Gameren is professor of Architecture and Dwelling since 2006. Currently, he is also chair of the Architecture Department. He graduated from TU Delft in 1988. After partnerships with Bjarne Mastenbroek and De Architectengroep, he runs his own architecture firm Dick van Gameren Architecten. From 2013 on Dick van Gameren is partner of Mecanoo.He has been awarded various prestigious awards among which are the 2007 Aga Kahn Award for the Dutch Embassy in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, and a first prize in the second Europan competition, 1991.He is the author of ‘Revisies van de Ruimte / Revisions of Space’ (010 publishers, 2005). He is an editor of DASH, Delft Architectural Studies on Housing (NAi publishers) and was an editor of the magazine Forum (1997-2001). He has taught at various institutes, among other the Berlage Institute and the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture.
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Prof. Mario Fosso is professor of Architectural and Urban Design at Politechnico di Milano and works passionately on the research about Sesia Valley and the subject shrink. During the years, he already organized several workshops and summerschools in collaboration with other universities. Professor Mario Fosso has built up a collaboration with the municipality of this region already for years, offering his students an interesting field of study and the municipality an interesting platform for discussion and new ideas to reverse the situation.
Birgit Jürgenhake studied architecture at the University of Technology in Karlsruhe, Germany, during which she enjoyed external traineeships in Finland and the Netherlands. She worked in various architectural offices on housing projects and public buildings, among others WGK Karlsruhe, Mecanoo, Erick van Egeraat, and KCAP. In 2001 Birgit Jürgenhake founded her own company. She is also the co-founder of Startruimte010, a startup for young designers. Since 2004, she is assistant professor with the chair of architecture and dwelling. She is currently working on her PhD research ‘Dwelling from the inside to the outside – from private to the public’ which focuses on the facade as the filter between the inside and the outside and as the face to the public realm.
MSc3/4 Studio: Living in Sesia Valley INTRODUCTION
SUMMER SCHOOL
CATALOGUE
00 Introduction to the Graduation Studio Architecture Dwelling – Birgit Jürgenhake
00 Exploring a different way of living - Birgit Jürgenhake 00 Mario Fosso Politecnico di Milano
00 Items that mark the urban room 00 Nina Aalbers 00 Klaas Brouwer
00 Introduction to the collaboration between Milano and Delft – Birgit Jürgenhake 00 Introduction to site plans Sesia Valley
00 Collectivity in a residential building 00 Ellen Struijk 00 Susanne Kok
00 Transitions within the residential community 00 Reijer Bets 00 Tom Hartmanns
00 Enhanced relationship between living and nature 00 Lysanne van Hoek 00 Thijs Schokkenbroek
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
Introduction to the Graduation Studio Architecture Dwelling The chair of architecture dwelling, which is run by Prof. Dick van Gameren, offers an interesting Master program for its students. We always challenge our students to think about recent problems of housing, in the city and in the rural area. Against the background of changing economic situation, the changing of social patterns, emerging technologies and the urgent needs for sustainable solutions in housing, we rethink and rework existing architectural concepts together with our students in order to find new solutions for dwellings today and tomorrow. The main task of the studio is a design proposal for a selected site and its problems. Next to this the students make an individual contribution to the research field of the studio. The research may involve typological research, plan analysis, historical precedents or other themes related to the student’s design work in the studio. As in the future the urban population will increase (by 2030 the population of the world will be almost 70% with urban dwellers just numbering under 5 billion) the focus of our graduation studio very often is the city. The city with its density of construction, its diversity (both social and functional) and its constant coming and going of people, makes living there a worldwide phenomenon very different from residing in the countryside. At the same time we cannot neglect the shrinking of the population in areas that are economically less interest and will be inhabited by only very special lifestyle groups like tourists, artists or elderly who are less dependent on the urban fabric, on the working place, people who search for nature and leisure preferring shrinking areas as their place of home. The discussion about shrinking cities and areas is current in The Netherland as it is in other places of Europe. Therefore the collaboration with Prof. Mario Fosso from the Politecnico di Milano, who is dedicated to this problems of shrinking, was very welcome for us to rethink the situation of shrinking areas, not only in Italy, field of experiment in that studio, but as well in the Netherlands. This booklet summarizes the collaboration with Mario Fosso in the summer school which took place in August 2011 in Varallo. It gives an idea about the researches the students developed in small groups and it shows the design results that had been developed during a year after the starting point of the summer school. The summer school can be seen as an extra activity before the official graduation semester started. It was a very interesting addition to our normal program. Staying in a totally different place opened the eyes to see more and to develop a critical attitude towards the worldwide problematic of feeling home.
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Birgit JĂźrgenhake
Birgit J端rgenhake
introduction to the collaboration between Milano and Delft The graduation studio Living in Sesia Valley, North Italy, was an invitation to investigate the present situation of a rural area like Valesia, a valley in the North of Milano, Italy. In this area like in many rural areas in Europe the contemporary condition of living has changed profoundly from its origins as an agricultural community. High cultural heritage and the Alps make this area a touristic one, while the living conditions of the inhabitants have changed and permanent settlement percentage is still shrinking.
studio was invited to discuss, rethink and rework existing architectural concepts in order to improve the urbanity of these areas. Within the studio we needed to analyse the original and the contemporary conditions of the area, the vernacular characteristics, value and architectural elements and we needed to compare them with the present situation, to look after the present problems and to develop transformations and additive buildings, which the community needs for Living in Valsesia.
Professor Mario Fosso has built up a collaboration with the municipality of this region already for years, offering his students an interesting field of study and the municipality an interesting platform for discussion and new ideas to reverse the situation of shrinking. Against the background of changing social and economic patterns in these rural areas, migration of the inhabitants and disappearance of working possibilities, our graduation
How could new living and working programmes re-activate Valsesia? What kind of intervention suits these rural areas like Valsesia? These questions called for a carefully evaluation of the current situation, an investigation of new strategies, new programmatic ideas. The students attended a 10 days summer school which was held together with Prof. Mario Fosso of the Politecnico Milano and a group of students of this school. During the Summer School, Dutch and Italian students worked together. They analysed the area
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and even interviewed the locals. A workshop was held, together with local designers and experts in Varallo, Italy.
Introduction to the collaboration
Summer School workshop organised by both universities, together with local designers and experts in Varallo, Italy
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Author
Birgit J端rgenhake
introduction to the site plans of Sesia Valley Sesia Valley is situated in the mountainous northwestern part of Italy. The upper part of the valley is well known as a winter sports area and attracts thousands of tourists each year. At the lower part of the valley, the river Sesia connects all the villages and towns of different sizes together. Each village or town is well distinguished by its own characteristics. For example, Alagna, the last village before the Alps are rising up, is a small historic settlement with its own typology of housing. One of the houses has been transformed into a museum and shows the former lifestyles of the Walser people.
the winter, these micro-communes are confronted with temporary increase of tourists. Thus, the population numbers of such centers have a seasonal increase far beyond the initial amount of inhabitants.
In the nineteenth and twentieth century, the smaller towns in Sesia Valley experienced a massive population decline. This is mainly due to the migration towards the most industrialized centers at the lower part of the valley or abroad, mainly to France. Towns with a bigger amount of inhabitants, such as Boccioleto, Celli, Cravaliana, Fobello and Rimella are also becoming micro-communes. Especially in the summer and in
Varallo and Borgosesia have both benefited from the industrialization. The growth of Borgosesia is mainly driven by the development of the wool industry and the production in general. The train does not go further than Varallo, which causes a poor connection in the valley from Alagna and Varallo to Borgosesia and subsequently to Milano. The impact of this is noticeable in the aging areas and the vacancy rate, which fluctuates throughout the year. Due to limited financial resources, old buildings fall into disrepair and the new buildings are mainly for those who need a second dwelling to spend their holidays in. Since tourism is a major source of income, this seems to be the most logical solution. Yet, this solution also has its downsides, because the inhabitants are not present outside the holiday seasons and the shutters of
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their dwellings are literally shut during these periods.In this graduation studio, a few research and design sites are chosen for students, for which they could develop a design proposal. One of those sites is situated on a green meadow of Scopello, the first village to the north of Varallo, which is not reachable by train and thus much less inhabited than in its neighboring town of Varallo, and Varallo is the last town which is connected by train with Borgosesia and Milano.
Introduction to the site plans
Scopello Scopello is a characteristic town in the middle of the valley, along the Sesia River and surrounded by mountains. The nature and the town are closely related. The river runs literally through Scopello and the mountains are always visible. This area is very hilly and there are beautiful views. The situation near the mountains is stimulating many outdoor sports like hiking, water sports and winter sports. Scopello is close to Alagna, a village at the end of the valley, near the Alps. From Alagna you can easily reach a large ski resort. Therefore, many people own or rent a holiday dwelling in Scopello and go to Alagna for skiing or other outdoor sports. This results in a population growth of Scopello from 450 to 6000 during the winter. During the summer, the population amount will grow to 2000. Such a big amount of visitors is economically very attractive for Scopello and tourism is therefore the largest source of income for Scopello. In fact, the success of Scopello depends on tourism. One of the qualities of Scopello is the historic center, which originates from the Walser history. It mainly shapes the character of Scopello. The emergence of the tourism in Scopello has changed the focus of its economy. The holiday dwellings have no morphological relation with the town center. There are just placed in the landscape, without any coherence with the existing context. Three Dutch students from our group focused on this issue during the graduation project and tried to come up with a proposal regarding the future of Scopello. All of these students have developed several programs that could result in an economic growth of Scopello. Their design proposals are documented in the catalogue.
Walser house (Alagna)
Walser houses (Alagna)
Walser house roof (Alagna)
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Birgit J端rgenhake
Historic center (Varallo)
Varallo
The vacant hospital (Varallo)
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Introduction to the site plans
Varallo Varallo is more urban, with more amenities and inhabitants. It is bordering the Sacro Monte, the holy mountain for many pilgrims. There are several churches in the town and (religious) art is an important part of the culture of Varallo. The town is situated right next to the Sesia River and is crossed by the Torrente Mastallone. Thereby, the town is deeply rooted in its natural environment. The sacred mountain and the picturesque location on the two rivers make Varallo a place for a high quality stay. However, the qualities are not fully exploited. On one of the most beautiful viewpoints, at the foot of the holy mountain, there is a plaza with the beautiful name Piazza Madre Margherita Maria Guaini. Only two hundred meters away, there is a large parking garage, which occupies a lot of unnecessary space on this special place. In the catalog of this booklet, a student shows her design intervention to transform this car park.
Riverside (Varallo)
Further on, in the middle of the town, there used to be a small hospital. Nowadays. There is only a general practice cooperative left and the building is for a large part vacant. Shrinkage is very present and noticeable in this area of the town. The new hospital in Borgosesia causes the vacancy of this small hospital. It is no longer necessary and economically not feasible to maintain two hospitals. Four students picked this up as an interesting topic to work on and developed their design proposal for this vacant hospital. Riverside (Varallo)
The holy mountain (Varallo)
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Birgit J端rgenhake
Summer School
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Birgit J端rgenhake
exploring a different way of living Starting from the results of the research and studies carried on in the previous academic years at the Milan Polytechnic Faculty of Architecture of Milano-Bovisa, the goal of the Summer School was to develops preliminary ideas for architectural and urban design proposals, applying to the themes related to civic life and settlements in a natural landscape of high profile such as the Valsesia valley. Both environmental and historical-cultural backgrounds were involved. The sites of intervention were especially dedicated to the functions of: Living, Transport, Services and Tourism.
of Spittal (Austria) was invited for a two days stay and held a lecture about rural architecture. Professor Dick van Gameren, chairholder of the chair of architecture and dwelling came to be a very critical discussion member at the end presentation after ten days of work.
During the Summer School 8 Dutch students and 10 Italian students worked in small groups. Guided by assistant Professor 端 Professor Mario Fosso (Milan Polytechnic), the various aspects of research and project had to be fully integrated into a laboratory activity, by means of site investigations and of seminary presentations. Prof. Peter Nigst of the Faculty of Architecture of the University
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Summer School
Sketches during the workshop - Nina Aalbers
Dutch students during the Summer School - 10/08/2011-20/08/2011
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Birgit J端rgenhake
Informal presentations in the afternoon
Prof. Mario Fosso (right) with local friend (left)
Nina Aalbers (left) and Birgit J端rgenhake (right)
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Summer School
The Summer School took place at the Liceo D’Adda, a secondary school of Varallo Sesia which we were offered to use every day and night. Every morning we met at the Liceo, formulated the day program, organized the groups and started the fieldwork. During the Summer School we went on excursion to typical Italian rural villages investigating about the way of living, building and organizing the dwellings. One excursion led us to Alagna where we could study the Walser House. A second excursion brought us to Rimella, one of the smallest and authentically villages at the bottom of the Monte Rosa mountains we ever had seen. Here every house was built by wood with wooden details and connections. A third excursion brought us to the holy mountain of Varallo where we could study the architectural and landscape elements built up as sequences between the visitor and the built scenery of the story of Jesus. Students were asked to make sketches and detailed drawings to make sure they would understand the way of building in the mountain area (especially in Rimella and Alagna). Next to the excursions the students worked on profound analysis of Scopello and Varallo. They were asked to analyse the urban structures and morphologies, the dwelling pattern, the problems of the selected sites and their environment, the border between nature and urbanization, transitions between outside and inside as well as the typical materialization and details of the Italian architecture. To understand the population and their demands the students elaborated a survey. This was done in groups of Italian and Dutch students (to avoid language problems). The survey seemed to be a great success as the groups had lots of interviews and the Dutch students learned about Italian habits of living in a very direct and informal way. The evenings were filled (after a good dinner) with informal presentations of the day results. The Summer School was finished with a public
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Birgit JĂźrgenhake
asession in which the program, the locations and the preliminary proposals were shown to the municipality of Scopello and Varallo. After finishing the Summer School, back to Delft, the graduation studio followed. Herein the elaboration of a research booklet related to the theme of the studio, and residential detailed projects comprehensive of aesthetic and technical aspects were asked. The frame for the proposed locations where linked to a new railway project between Varallo Valsesia and Alagna, technically proposed and solved before the workshop by the Milan Polytechnic Faculty of Architecture. Halfway of the graduation year we went back to Varallo, as we were invited by the municipality to show the progress of the design proposals again. The individual end presentations of the graduation projects were presented in Delft. Mario Fosso and the Italian students were invited.
Research by Reijer and Tom
Reijer Bets
Tom Hartmanns
“Transitions within the residential community”
Design “A hotbed for creativity”
Design “Living between the edges”
Research by Lysanne and Thijs
Lysanne van Hoek
Thijs Schokkenbroek
“Enhanced relationship between living and nature”
Design “Il cuore verde di Varallo Sesia”
Design “Creative Injection”
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Research by Nina and Klaas-Melle
Nina Aalbers
Klaas-Melle Brouwer
“Items that mark the urban room”
Design “Body language of home”
Design “Living in Valsesia”
Research by Ellen and Susanne
Ellen Struijk
Susanne Kok
“Collectivity in a residential building”
Design “Casa della Salute”
Design “Falling stone”
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Catalogue
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Research by Nina Aalbers and Klaas-Melle Brouwer
“Items that mark the urban room” In each city, one will find a series of urban places in which the distinction between private and public is defined in different ways. For example, one will find that a sidewalk in the Netherlands usually belongs to the passer-by, whereas in Japan it is often used as a front garden for the dweller. The rules for occupation of urban spaces are made explicit by the objects that are present: fences, greenery, walls, and etcetera. In this research Nina and KlaasMelle are looking for the “items that mark the urban room” and defining those as communication tools, which can be used by architects to give meaning to a place, while designing the urban environment.
of the places. Passing through a series of urban places, the research shows that each place is defined by a set of items: facades, windows, entrances, greenery, vehicles, garbage cans and so on. The collage of present items presents, consciously or unconsciously, the characteristics of places. These places seem to have rules for usage, given by the items and elements from which the places are built up. To go into the subject of rules for usage of public spaces, there is a distinction between formal and informal places. In formal spaces people find themselves controlled by a set of rules, written or unwritten. On the other hand, in informal spaces there is a sense of freedom of activities.
This fascination derived from the big differences and the difficulties in the way users understand the language of a city. While visiting the location of the project, Varallo in Sesia Valley, those differences were noted in comparison to the urban spaces in the Netherlands. By analyzing different case studies, the items are categorized by their impact on the character
While analyzing the different urban places, items that mark the urban room will be found in different scales. The places are an interior room with façades as walls, the ground as the floor and the sky as the ceiling. In these rooms there are transitions made to other rooms and different zones within the room. There is furniture, such as balconies and
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seats. The walls and floor can be cladded and there is facilitation of water and electricity. Also the surrounding buildings play an important role by shaping the urban rooms. Symmetry is a sign of control; irregularity shows that changes are an option. Further, the way the users are occupying those urban places mainly represents the character of the urban rooms. Most of them have to deal with a lot of passing traffic. People, cyclists, cars and busses and trains take a part of urban space. The urban places give direction to their movement, or tell them that the place is occupied for something else. All these together form a vocabulary for the language of the city. And each city has it own vocabulary and communication tools. The research dives into different languages of cities to understand the differences and enlarge our vocabulary of means for designing urban places.
Catalogue
One of the case studies and also the design location, Varallo
Different elements are used to shape the urban room in this typical medieval street Via Alberganti. Characterizing elements are such as small stairs that lead to the houses behind the walls; decorated balconies that define the sequence of rooms and eaves considered as ceiling elements. These elements give the impression of an over- all system of randomness, but yet easily readable as place for transitions and movement.
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Nina Aalbers and Klaas-Melle Brouwer
Nina Aalbers Body language of home The house as a tool for communication in the urban places of Varallo
Whereas elderly stay behind in shrinking cities, carrying the memory of the place, tourists are taking over parts of the city with efficiently built apartments. In the situation of Varallo, these two groups of inhabitants seem to have conflicting interests. The aim od Nina’s project is to generate a design solution for a mix of these groups of inhabitants, in which they go well together instead of conflicting.
space between the houses. By designing the urban rooms the main focus is to strengthen and to exploit the qualities and the sustaining function of Varallo, so the shrinkage of the city will be minimized in the future. If the residents and the tourists are staying, then the facilities will remain in the city too and vice versa. The design solutions of this project are multifaceted, by using a combination of rehabilitation and new construction.
With the results of the research about the items that mark the urban room, Nina’s design is composed of two programs: hotel and elderly care center. The versatility of the different “rooms” and “urban rooms” communicates with the demands of both groups of inhabitants. The character of the urban envorionment, de presence of the river and the Sacro Monte emphasize the uniqueness of the city. This supports the significance of the research which addresses the urban room‘, the
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Catalogue
Situation plan Nina’s design is composed of two programs: hotel and elderly care center
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Nina Aalbers
Section The character envorionment, the river and emphasize the city.
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of the urban de presence of the Sacro Monte uniqueness of the
Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
Catalogue
Rooms Mixed use of spaces and sharing facilities would strengthen the image of the area, to attract and retain inhabitants
event hall offices
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hotel facilities hotel rooms
care centre
Nina Aalbers
commercial space care dwellings
inidividual housing
The space inbetween for encounters and interactions
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Catalogue
A new urban room The usage of the urban room
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Nina Aalbers
Klaas-Melle Brouwer Living in Valsesia The role of architecture should be exploited as a strategy, which stimulates economic growth in demographically shrinking region, such as Varallo. The aim is to achieve a maximum in growth by an architectural intervention in which the values of the area are combined and amplified. Shrinking areas have mostly unique economic, cultural (landscape) and social values, which are the potential factors to stimulate the economic growth. In Klaas’ project, the close relation between the nature and culture is an existing value, which can be exploited to strengthen the economic and social values in the area. By exploring the existing context as one of the case studies during the research, some important elements in the existing urban interior can be used as a guideline for the design proposal, such as different ways of paving as zones, urban tissue of the space in between buildings which shape the streets and squares as urban rooms. The rhythm of the streets and squared
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shows the identity and the use of public space in Varallo and this becomes an important theme is Klaas’ design proposal. Furthermore, Varallo is a town with a lot of interesting art objects. However, the town on its own can also be interpreted as an art object with many cultural values. This leads to a potential program, which can result in an economic growth in the area, namely dwellings for artist and an urban space to create the possibility for exhibitions. This will be a catalyst for the art to enrich the cultural value on the one hand; and economic value on the other.
Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
Catalogue
Situation plan The program includes dwellings for artist and an urban space to create the possibility for exhibitions
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Klaas-Melle Brouwer
The art gallery An urban room for exhibition
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Catalogue
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Klaas-Melle Brouwer
The transition between the art gallery and the dwellings
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Catalogue
Connection between indoor space and the new urban rooms
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Klaas-Melle Brouwer
Research by Ellen Struijk and Susanne Kok
“Collectivity in a residential building” The fascination for the collective space emerged during the excursion to Varallo. Alleys and courtyards were commonly used for private activities. This is clearly distinguished from the public space; the main streets with well-maintained façades decorated with ornaments and balconies with potted flowers. Sometimes, the houses were interrupted by a pathway up to the Sacre Monte, or a pathway downwards the river. These pathways were sometimes just as beautiful as the Main Street, but dark and very different in character. They were mostly privately appropriated with washing lines, bicycle sheds. The collective owns this buffer zone between the main street and the dwellings. However, you can also feel the tension between the public space and the private rooms. It contains elements, which are characteristic for both or don’t belong to both either.
shifts more and more to a private space over the years. The result of this is that the public space is more often appropriated by private activities and people are showing more often private behavior on street. And this is when the collective space, the in between domain of the public and the private, is rising up. Richard Sennett describes this phenomenon as “the decline of public space”. He attributes this to the increasing importance of personal values and the intimate private domain. With this change in use, the design and the importance of public space is up for discussion again. The question nowadays is how the physical space of the collective domain should be shaped. It is on a intermediate scale of urban space. Will the public space still exist or will it remain in a series of different collective spaces, appropriated by residents, community groups or by upcoming commercialization?
The relevance of the research question; what is collective space in a residential building and how is this architecturally articulated; lies in the change in the use of public space, which
This personal fascination continues in a problem statement for the graduation research. There are different approaches taken to answer the
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research questions. The first is a literature study on the history of collective living to understand the emergence and the changing forms of the collective space. The second step is to find out whether there is an architectural language exists for collective living by analyzing different case studies. Different themes will be set up to categorize the findings, such as morphology, accessibility, borders and signs. The results of the research will be the starting pots for the design phase, which continues in the question; what does collectivity mean for the design location in the shrinking area Varallo?
Catalogue
The fascination for the collective space emerged during the excursion to Varallo. Alleys and courtyards were commonly used for private activities. Different case studies are analyzed to find out whether there is an architectural language exists for collective living.
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Ellen Struijk and Susanne Kok
Ellen Struijk Casa della Salute The studio Living in Sesia Valley, is a unique practice that fits today’s developments, whereby shrinkage and dwelling come together in a specific social context. The existing vacant hospital, due to its location and the historic values, offers a great opportunity to amplify the existing qualities of Varallo. Considering the growing number of elderly, the need for health care will also increase. Therefore, this existing building plays an important role in Ellen’s project.
spaces where inhabitants can come together for art exhibitions, community gardens and other popup initiatives. This makes it a fun and flexible place that still has room for creativity, change and ultimately for growth in the future. The collective nature of this project contributes to meetings and community bonding between the inhabitants.
The dwellings in Varallo are mostly suitable for two-person households. Some exceptions are single dwellings or family dwellings. The building now only offers health care for the inhabitants in the neighboring dwellings. But it should also be available for the rest of Varallo. Then, it is about a different scale of collective facility; a policlinic, combined with a medical spa for the whole town of Varallo. The addition to the existing building creates new public
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Catalogue
Model of the urban intervention
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Ellen Struijk
This project contributes to community bonding between the inhabitants Flexible montage system
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
Catalogue
Creating flexible public spaces where inhabitants can come together for art exhibitions, community gardens and other pop-up initiatives
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Ellen Struijk
A fun and flexible place that still has room for creativity, change and ultimately for growth in the future
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
Catalogue
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Ellen Struijk
Susanne Kok Once was the Sesia valley in the northern of Italy an attractive area for tourism and dwelling, but nowadays it is a shrinkage area. Varallo is one of the little towns of this valley and has also to due with shrinkage. Before the shrinkage issue Varallo was a touristic place for culture and religion. This is because of the churches, the museum and the Sacro Monte as pilgrimage. Besides these qualities there are also the qualities of the city itself, such as the culture of the people who live there, the main road, the houses and the inbetween spaces. This last quality is the main theme of Susanne’s design.
The location can be seen as an in-between for city and nature. The city in this case is Varallo and the nature is the Sacro Monte.
Between the public and the private there is the collective, the in-between, which is a fascinating phenomenon in Varallo. This can also be seen as a factor to stimulate the growth of population in this small town. Along with the information from the research and the literature about shrinkage the project resulted in the theme In-between. This is also for the design location, in the north of the city center, an important theme.
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Catalogue
Situation plan The in-between spaces is the main theme of Susanne’s design
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Susanne Kok
Model of the streetscape The transition from the public to the collective domain
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
Catalogue
Model of the urban intervention The inbetween space between the public and the private will create a new quality for living
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Susanne Kok
Facades of the dwellings
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Catalogue
The dwellings are defining the space between the city and the nature
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Susanne Kok
Research by Reijer Bets and Tom Hartmans
“Transitions within the residential community� The fascination for this research topic arose during the workshop in Italy. In the valley, there are different settlements with its own communities. In each community, the inhabitants have the same kind of identity and lifestyles and share the same interests. This sense of community provides a positive effect on the quality of life of residents. The communityenvironment as an important factor for a sustainable society is an interesting topic to do research on. The collective domain acts like a binding factor between the public domain and the private domain. The transition between these domains and the transitions between the different communities are important parts within the research.
itself. Functions and meanings of the borders and territories are obvious and clear for interpretation. Living in a community becomes popular because there is a growing desire for social cohesion. Inhabitants have a need for a socially sustainable environment, which can be provided while living within a community. Case studies of existing communities will be used to find architectural elements, which indicate the transition between the different domains within a community to define the meaning and importance of the community.
The living area is an environment in which one lives according to agreements. It has a recognizable identity, sometimes, collective facilities with collective administration. It is important that a residential area is readable and recognizable as a territorial unity of the inhabitants, for the visitors as well as for the inhabitants
One of the 22 settlements in Alagna is used as one of the case studies to understand the existing context. By categorising the findings of different case studies, the research results in a matrix of different architectonic elements, which define the residential community. These findings are useful in the design of a residential community. A follow-up study is necessary to experiment and find out what the actual effects are on the social sustainability of such
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a residential community in a specific context. The intention of this study is not to find out how to create an ideal living environment. However, this study does provide the various options, which can be applied for the design of the transition between different domains. By defining a new concept, the residential community and its definition, the intention of this research is to meet the demand for a sustainable environment within a residential community, based on the lifestyles nowadays.
Catalogue
One of the 22 settlements in Alagna is used as one of the case studies to understand the existing context. By categorising the findings of different case studies, the research results in a matrix of different architectonic elements, which define the residential community.
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Reijer Bets and Tom Hartmans
Reijer Bets A hotbed for creativity The presence of the temporary residents is economically very attractive for Scopello. The economy of Scopello depends mainly on tourism. The problem is that the dwellings of the temporary population seclude themselves from the permanent community and privatize their own territories. This causes the backdrop of the original agricultural community and the change of the living environment. The result is that the number of permanent residents of Scopello is shrinking because the bond with the living environment is becoming weak and there is no sense of community anymore, which was the main reason for the residents to choose to stay and live in Scopello. The term “community living” is a combination of the definitions of “community” and “living domain.” Reijer’s design proposal includes a new residential community, due to the examination of the structure and organization of the residential community.
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Living in a quiet, peaceful environment and in close proximity to the greenery are the main reasons why people choose to live in rural areas, but especially the social cohesion, which is missing in the urban environment. Therefore, the intervention will be an addition to the existing context, which will return the social cohesion and subsequently the livability to this rural town. Also, this will be an attempt to answer the main theme of the studio; shrinkage. The new residential community will be shaped as a creative incubator in Scopello, which stimulates interaction between the newcomers and the permanent inhabitants. In this way, the monofunctionality of this area and the division between the permanent and temporary inhabitants will be interrupted.
Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
Catalogue
Situation plan The new residential community will be shaped as a creative incubator in Scopello, which stimulates interaction between the newcomers and the permanent inhabitants.
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Reijer Bets
Section The graduatual transition between the different domains
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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Impression of the inbetween space showing the quality of community living
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Reijer Bets
Model of the dwelling Model of the facade detail
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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Floor plan of the dwelling Sectional model of the dwelling
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Reijer Bets
Tom Hartmanns Living betweeb the edges Frazione Scienze gastronomiche
During the intensive workshop in the Sesia Valley, the fascination emerged for the development of the traditional settlements in the Alpine area of Italy. The threat of losing the culture and identity of this rural environment has inspired Tom to investigate on the building typology of the traditional communes of the Walser people. The operation of a “community� environment as a key factor for the sustainability is the inspiration for this research and project. The research has shown that physical boundaries, such as fences and gates, have a negative influence on the bonding between user and the visitor of the community. The collective domain becomes private and there is no gradual transition from the one to the other. The school of gastronomy offers an opportunity for a practice-based education and the possibility for temporary residence for students at the same time. Furthermore, by education, the knowledge about
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the traditions and culture will be passed to the next generations. Apart from the programmatic approach of this project, the design proposal is also about the existing identity of the valley. The architectural concept is based on a modern reading of the traditional building and construction and the search for original materials and traditional structural method combined with modern living concept and contemporary technologies. This smart combination of modernity and the tradition of a specific context has led to a unique and special project.
Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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Situation plan The school of gastronomy offers an opportunity for a practice-based education and the possibility for temporary residence for students at the same time
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Tom Hartmanns
Model of the urban intervention The group of temporal dwellings for students offer a “community� environment as a key factor for the sustainability
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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Tom Hartmanns
Model of the dwelling Ground floor plan and split level
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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Sectional model of the dwelling
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Tom Hartmanns
Research by Lysanne van Hoek and Thijs Schokkenbroek
“Relationship between living and nature� In Sesisa Valley, the nature is one of the most important qualities, because it offers space for housing, tourism, sports and health. Design, which focuses on the nature, will help to maintain and amplify the local qualities of the valley. The context of Sesia Valley offers an excellent opportunity to develop these characteristics in a new way of living, which is not possible in urban areas. With nature as a starting point, a new type of housing can be found during the redevelopment of the valley. To understand this potential for a new way of living, this research is about architecture in relation to nature.
will be translated in the themes such as material, view, space and shape. In this study, the elements, which create the relationship between living and nature, are found on the pictures, in and around the case studies. This study provides us architectural elements to optimize the qualities of the design context, which is located on the border between the city and the nature. The next phase of the project is to find out how to use these elements to respond to the existing problems of the area, such as shrinkage.
One of the important aspects is the direct connection between architecture and the natural environment, which can be found in the research of Frank Lloyd Wright. It inspired Lisanne and Thijs to analyze in different case studies, the transitions and relations between nature and architecture. The connection between the object and its surroundings, the transition between interior and exterior
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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The design context, which is located on the border between the city and the nature
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Examples of case studies
Lysanne van Hoek and Thijs Schokkenbroek
Lysanne van Hoek Il cuore verde di Varallo Sesia The qualities of Varallo are the Sacro Monte, the Sesia River and Torrente Mastallone, exactly where the nature and the culture meet. The spatial problems are particularly situated along the Torrente Mastallone and on the outskirts of the city. These elements come together at the Parcheggio Muntisel, the parking place located on the beautiful Piazza Margherita Maria Madre Guaini. This parking place on the outskirt of the city becomes unpopular because of a new car park in the city center. In Lysanne’s design proposal, the qualities of the river can be exposed again.
jobs and the dwellings provide a flexible way of living, of which parts can be sublet.
It is about a versatile intervention in the existing context. There has been an attempt to integrate the spatial language of the mountain into the detailing and the use of materials of this project. The programmatic implementation will include dwellings, gardens and a hotel, which marks the entrance to the city and will expand the connections from mountain to river. The gardens will create
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
Catalogue
Situation plan In Lysanne’s design proposal, the qualities of the river are optimized by the combination of dwellings, gardens and a hotel
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Lysanne van Hoek
Model of the urban intervention Looking up from the river Torrente Mastallone
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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Floor plan A composition of gardens and dwellings
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Lysanne van Hoek
Sectional model of the dwelling
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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Model of the dwelling
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Lysanne van Hoek
Thijs Schokkenbroek Creative injection The historic center of Scopello with its characteristic existing buildings has the potential to be a blooming center, by adding new functions and renovating the poorly maintained buildings. There is a demand for new activties to stimulate the economic growth, apart from tourism. wwThis input has to come from a certain target group, which is able to ensure the qualities of the nature and the identity of the historic center. Artists could be the target group for this proposal. They can use the environment as inspiration for their work and add value to the identity and history of the place at the same time.
exhibitions. By creating a livable place for artists, opportunities for sharing knowledge and arts become important factors in order to stimulate new target groups to visit Scopello.
The study about the relationship between architecture and nature has ensured that the dwellings of these artists are well oriented and organized, so that the interaction with the surroundings is optimized. This is done in the urban design, openings in the facades and materialization. The location plays an inspiring role in organizing events and
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
Catalogue
Situation section Situation plan By creating a livable place for artists, opportunities for sharing knowledge and arts become important factors in order to stimulate new target groups to visit Scopello.
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Thijs Schokkenbroek
Section The location plays an inspiring role in organizing events and exhibitions.
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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Thijs Schokkenbroek
Impression of the dwelling and the transition from the exhibition space to the private space of the dwelling Floor plans of the studio dwellings
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Studio: Living in Sesia Valley
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Impression of the art street
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Thijs Schokkenbroek
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DWELLING GRADUATION STUDIO 2011/2012 LIVING IN SESIA VALLEY Chair of Architecture and Dwelling Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment Delft University of Technology Julianalaan 134 2628 BL Delft Postbos 5043 2600GA Delft EDITED BY Birgit J端rgenhake, Helen Zhang GRAPHIC DESIGN Hans Gremmen STUDENT ASSISTANT Helen Zhang PUBLISHER Chair of Architecture and Dwelling Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment Delft University of Technology All images and photographs presented in this booklet were provided by tutors and students www.dwelling.nl Chair of
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architecture & dwelling