portfolio

ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO Maddalena Celli

Selected Works

Lisbon Housing Complex Social Housing Public Space Modularity Relationship with the city

On Exhibition: pages in progress Exhibtion Space Media Archive Axonometry view 1:200

Sarajevo University Complex Reuse Community space Urban regeneration Parasite

Adaptive Reuse of Cusago Castle Restoration Adaptive reuse Cultural heritage Community engagement

Lisbon is facing an increasing housing challenge due to rising migration, influenced by its colonial history. This project aims to address this issue by designing a residential complex that not only offers housing but also incorporates services for residents and the broader community.

Context and Site The project is located on Lisbon's riverfront, separated from the city by a railway line. Recent developments have turned this area into a public space, renewing the city's connection to the river. The design integrates the river, topography, and urban grid to create a seamless relationship between the site and its surroundings.

Lisbon Housing Project

Lisbon Residential Complex: Addressing Housing and Public Space

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Design Concept and Public Spaces

Apartment Design and Modularity

The complex is composed of two main residential volumes, connected by perpendicular blocks that host communal functions.

The ground floor is designed to engage with the neighborhood through accessible public services and activities, with courtyards that reinterpret Lisbon’s traditional courtyard typology to foster social interaction. A central feature is the bridge promenade—a long elevated walkway that links the residential area with the opposite side of the railway. Ending in a bar and a conference room, it is fundamental for the revitalization of the riverfront, creating a fluid transition between the complex and the urban fabric.

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Chapter III | Plans

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Chapter III | Plans

The apartments are conceived as a mix of single-level and duplex units, organized around a central core for services to optimize sunlight and cross-ventilation.

Modularity plays a crucial role in the project, with a structural grid inspired by monastic layouts that introduces a calm, rhythmic repetition of spaces.

This regular system allows flexibility in housing types while maintaining a clear spatial hierarchy between private living areas and shared spaces, promoting a sense of order and harmony throughout the entire complex.

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Chapter III | Plans

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Chapter III | Plans

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What is an exhibition today? More than just a physical space where objects are displayed, an exhibition can be a narrative that unfolds across time and space—a platform for reflection, dialogue, and provocation. This project questions traditional formats, proposing new ways of understanding exhibition-making by exploring two-dimensional, everyday platforms like newspapers.

Context and Inspiration The project draws on the work of museum in progress, an Austrian initiative that between 1994 and 1996 transformed the national newspaper Der Standard into an exhibition space. Through this collaboration, contemporary art—photography, painting, text-based works, and essays—was printed directly in the newspaper, making art accessible in the most ordinary of formats.

This redefinition of exhibition challenged the conventional limits of the gallery and brought art into daily public life.

On Exhibition: pages in progress

Beyond the Gallery: Rethinking the Exhibition Space

Curatorial Approach Our curatorial concept revisits this historical example to examine how newspapers can operate as platforms for artistic expression.

Can a newspaper still function as an exhibition space today?

How has our relationship with printed media changed in the digital era?

The project reflects on these questions, drawing comparisons between past uses of print and today’s visual culture dominated by social media.

Exhibition Design and Experience The exhibition unfolds in four zones. Visitors enter through a reading area designed as a traditional news kiosk, offering a tactile, immersive introduction. A first gallery space showcases original materials from Der Standard. This is followed by a coffee and workshop area, for discussion and reflection. The final section encourages critical thinking on the evolution of media as a curatorial tool, inviting visitors to consider how exhibition spaces continue to shift in form and meaning.

projection kiosk's canopy shelf fabric curtain led screen 200x200x10mm eletronics components of the screens support steel grid for the led screens

wooden beam 60x80mm

connection stirrup wooden pilar 60x80mm aluminium outer cover 40mm

projection kiosk's canopy shelf fabric curtain led screen 200x200x10mm eletronics components of the screens support steel grid for the led screens

Kiosk outer layer

showcase panel's wooden frame aluminium display window's frame and pin rigid wooden panel plexiglass

panel connection pin connection stirrup

Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is set within a striking landscape of mountains and valleys—a geography that historically made it a strategic military zone.

As a result, the city is surrounded by numerous military brownfields, many of which have been abandoned, dismantled, or repurposed.

Context and Site The project focuses on one of these brownfields, currently used by the University of Sarajevo but still in need of renovation to better serve academic and community needs.

The goal is to transform the existing military infrastructure into a vibrant university campus while preserving as much of the original structure as possible.

Sarajevo Univeristy Complex

Sarajevo University Campus: Transformation of a Military Brownfield

Design Concept

The design proposes a minimal-demolition approach, adding new buildings and "parasitic" structures to the existing ones.

The campus is organized along horizontal strips: one administrative, one open to the community, and one dedicated to academic faculties.

Section Special attention is given to the main entrance, envisioned as a social center with conference halls, study rooms, a canteen, Section exhibition spaces, and a theatre.

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Architectural Elements The complex includes two preserved linear buildings, two new symmetrical volumes in a contemporary style, and three elevated parasitic structures.

These are supported by vertical cores housing circulation and services, as well as distinctive V-shaped concrete elements. The choice of exposed concrete and structural clarity recalls Sarajevo’s brutalist architectural heritage, creating a dialogue between past and present.

Cusago is a small town in the province of Milan, easily accessible from the city center and surrounded by the Parco Agricolo Sud. Its strong agricultural identity, combined with its proximity to Milan, made it a significant location throughout history. It gained importance during Roman times and later under the Visconti Dukedom, which led to the construction of a castle—part of the "Castelli dell’Antico Ducato di Milano – viaggiare a pelo d’acqua." After various uses over the centuries, from a noble residence to agricultural refuge, the castle now stands abandoned and in need of restoration and a new purpose.

Site and Historical Research The first phase of the project focused on researching the history of the site through archival materials, libraries, and historical cartography. This research aimed to reconstruct the castle's past functions and architectural transformations, laying the foundation for informed intervention strategies.

CUSAGO General overview

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1855-57 https:/ arianna4view.archiviodistatomilano.beniculturali.it/patrimonio/8aa518b8-2a94-46ad-b2f3-be4dc33a400d/5270-cusago-comune-censuario-1855-1857

1865-87 https:/ arianna4view.archiviodistatomilano.beniculturali.it/patrimonio/21e7003c-12ae-43a4-9462-01c5dbdd9ef2/2709-cusago-comune-censuario-1865-1887

1897-1901 https://arianna4view.archiviodistatomilano.beniculturali.it/patrimonio/a10506c8-ad6d-43f3-905c-dca1433045c7/189-cusago-comune-censuario-1897-1901

Historical Timeline

Adaptive Reuse of Cusago Castle

Cusago Castle: Restoration and Adaptive Reuse

Site Survey and Decay Analysis After the historical research phase, the team carried out a detailed on-site survey focusing on the castle’s largest room, identified as the project’s central space. The survey produced an accurate geometric record of the interior, serving as the basis for subsequent analysis. From this data, a decay mapping process was conducted, documenting the materials and identifying patterns of deterioration. This diagnostic phase was crucial to understanding the building’s current state and informing appropriate restoration strategies.

Sources: Google Maps:Cusago https://www.comune.cusago.mi.it/hh/index.php

Adaptive Reuse Strategy The project proposes an adaptive reuse approach that transforms the castle into a vibrant cultural and social center. The restored spaces would accommodate exhibitions, fairs, and public events, attracting visitors while reinforcing the building’s historical significance. Simultaneously, the intervention includes flexible areas for community use,ensuring the castle remains an active civic landmark. This vision not only preserves the architectural heritage but also reintegrates the structure into the daily life of Cusago.

General Photo Survey of the Area

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Politecnico di Milano - Scuola di Architettura Urbanistica Ingegneria delle costruzioni

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