BEYOND/BUILDINGS

THE DESIGN PROCESS ALWAYS MOVES FROM THE DYNAMIC INTERACTION OF THE EXISTING CONTEXT OF THE SITE WITH THE NEW ONE. IN THIS WAY, THE PROJECT TRIES TO BUILD AN INTERACTIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EXISTING LAYERS OF THE PLACE AND BRINGS A COMPLETELY NEW PERCEPTION OF THE OPEN SPACE. THE URGENCY FOR MORE AFFORDABLE INTER-GENERATIONAL HOUSING PROJECTS STARTS FROM AN ASSUMPTION: MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WILL LIVE IN MILAN IN THE INCOMING FUTURE. LAMBRATE IS ONE OF THOSE RESILIENT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT NEED AN INDEPTH URBAN REDEVELOPMENT, BOTH IN TERMS OF URBAN SPACES AND URBAN LIFE, AND OF HOUSING CONDITIONS. DESIGNING A HOUSING COMPLEX THAT PROVIDES HOMES THAT LAST OVER TIME AND ADAPT TO THE NEEDS OF THE CONTEMPORARY LIFE TO THE TIME PHASE – IN CONSTANT EVOLUTION, IS THE FOCUS OF THE PROJECT. THE URBAN AREA HAS BEEN FIRSTLY ANALYZED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THOSE WOUNDS THAT ARISE TODAY. LAMBRATE IS A MILAN’S GATE-NEIGHBORHOOD WITH HIGH POTENTIAL. THE PROPOSAL CONSISTS ON A HOUSING COMPLEX THAT – AS A UNIQUE METABOLISM – STITCHES UP THE URBAN FABRIC OF THE AREA BY INSERTING ITSELF INTO THE ACTUAL URBAN VOID. THE NEW CONSTRUCTION FITS INTO THE URBAN FABRIC INCORPORATING AND TRANSFORMING AN EXISTING BUILDING OF THE AREA, WHICH HAD THE FUNCTION OF A GARAGE, INTO THE PROJECT. THE BUILDINGS ARE ARTICULATED AROUND SHARED SPACES DIVIDED BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE: THERE ARE TWO HIERARCHIES OF COMMON SPACE, THE OPEN TO EVERYONE AND THE INTIMATE. THE INTIMATE COMMON SPACES - DEDICATED TO RESIDENTS ONLY, START FROM LEVEL ZERO GOING UP TO THE UPPER FLOORS, THEY ARE LOCATED IN DIFFERENT FORMS AROUND THE LIFT CORES AND EXPAND TO THE THIRD FLOOR TO ATTRACT OCCUPANTS FROM THE ENTIRE BUILDING, ENCOURAGING INTERACTION AMONG DIFFERENT LEVELS. THE OPEN COMMON SPACES EXIST IN THE FORM OF THE ACCESSIBLE GARDEN OF THE COURTYARD, IN ADDITION TO THE CULTURAL SPACES LOCATED ON THE GARAGE GROUNDFLOOR. THE NEW AXES OPENED IN THE GARAGE CREATES A DIRECT PASSAGE TO THE BUILDING AND ACCESSIBLE SPACES EXTENDED FROM THE CITY TO THE COURTYARD, WHICH PROVIDES SPACE FOR SITTING, CHATTING, PLAYING, AND SO ON.

THE BUILDING HAS - AS ITS MAIN FEATURE - THE ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENT OF THE RAMP WHICH ACTS AS AN EFFECTIVE MATRIX OF THE ENTIRE DISTRIBUTION OF SPACES, HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY. THE CONCEPT FROM WHICH THE DESIGN OF THE PROJECT DERIVES IS THOUGHT IN ORDER TO MAKE THE BUILDING MORE INTROVERTED TO THE CONGESTED URBAN SIDE WHILE IT IS EXTROVERTED TO THE SIDE FACING THE NEW NATURAL LANDSCAPE OF THE COURTYARD. IT INCLUDES THE SIMULTANEOUS WORK ON PLANS, SECTIONS AND FACADES OF THE BUILDING. INTIMATE COMMON SPACES ARE MOSTLY ENCLOSED BY THE FACADE, THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO LET THE INTERIOR SPACES BE PERCEIVED FROM THE OUTSIDE BUT IN REALITY IT HAS A VITAL CORRELATION WITH THEM. AS LAST TOPIC, THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME, AND FOR MY DESIGN GOALS - AS ARCHITECTURAL PLANS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE GRAPHIC ELEMENT OF ARCHITECTURE IN WHICH I BETTER FIND MY EXPRESSION. DURING THIS PROJECT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESEARCH THE WAY OF LIFE AND EXPERIMENT ON THE HABITAT OF THE PLACES OF LIVING: THE DESIGN OF THE DWELLINGS FOLLOWS THE IDEA OF CREATING A CENTRAL FUNCTIONAL NUCLEUS THAT CONTAINS THE DAMP ROOMS AND SERVICES [BATHROOMS, KITCHENS, WALK-IN CLOSETS], SO AS TO LEAVE THE REST OF THE HOUSE FREER AND MORE FLEXIBLE. THE CORE IS THE DESIGN MATRIX AND EVERYTHING IS CONCEIVED AND DESIGNED TO BE FUNCTIONAL AND ACCESSIBLE AT THE SAME TIME. IN THIS WAY IS POSSIBLE TO CREATE MANY HOUSING TYPOLOGIES AND A CERTAIN DEGREE OF FLEXIBILITY, WHICH WILL PROVIDE A WIDE VARIETY OF USERS.