Reflective Essays

Reflective Essay

Before entering the BAC environment my work was a deep study of living spaces in relation to client’s needs. I sat for hours in front of plans to work with space. Space in Italy is expensive. I had to make the most of the sometimes few square meters at my disposal and understand how to transform them in the most useful and rational manner. The study of the impact of those alterations on the environment or/and on the cultural and historical background of the building was often left as a lastminute resolution. More often than not it was simply left behind and then just forgotten. Sure, economics was the main reason but there was little effort to combine and refine in order to adhere to the roots and aesthetics of the immediate and near surroundings. There was limited observation, computation, and respect of what was already there.

This aspect is undoubtedly part of the Italian culture where very often the public realm is largely disregarded, and the private property is well taken care of creating a great impact when trespassing the threshold of the intimate space. It is very common to walk the streets of small Italian towns and think of them as very poor areas. However, when you enter one of those homes you are struck by the beauty and the care you find within. There are multiple historical reasons for this behavior, but this is a matter for another essay. Let me just say it is more complicated than it seems. What is evident to our eyes and our hearts is that this decadence has become part of the Italian experience and sometimes essential to attract foreigners and tourists to our towns. As designers it is important that we use our abilities to further help these towns to work on the public spaces preserving their folkloristic façade while maintaining the realism they represent. It would be a great loss if their worn look vanished so to acquire a modern and counterfeit new blanket.

Today, after being at the BAC for 3 years, I go back to that work and observe it from a different perspective. I am able to see the blindness but at the same time the cleverness that guided me through those projects and the things I did very well and those that could have done better. Nevertheless, I am very proud of my work, and I certainly acquired the ability to render small and sometimes awkward spaces into ergonomically comfortable homes.

Playa Grande

Playa Grande