03870 - Architecture and Architectural Composition 2 (A)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, which has as its objective the residential architecture project, the student knows the typological and distributive aspects that are appropriate to the theme and the ways in which it is defined through the composition and architectural design in relation to the character of the places. The student, through the design of buildings with mixed uses such as residences and services, which is carried out in consolidated urban areas existing within Italian and European cities, acquires the critical skills necessary for the design interpretation on an architectural and urban scale.

Course contents

The theme of the course is the residence as a place of human life and according to its historical role as the main architect of the spatial, functional and formal characteristics of the city. The specificity of the morphological and typological characters and the natural stratification processes that over time have given rise to the sedimented city will be measured by the most recent transformations and by the fragility of indefinite and uncertain urban structures. The course is divided into successive learning phases. At the start, the student will conduct a cognitive survey on the urban fabric taken as a reference and will deepen the study of the types belonging to residential architecture in relation to the collective space of the city. Through the analysis and design of the various elements, he will have to be able to recognize, compare, distinguish and summarize the observations collected, synthesizing them and developing a reflection on the topics enucleated.
Subsequently he will engage in the formulation of a design hypothesis that from the urban scale, in which he will aim to remodel the unresolved or confused nodes of the urban space, will develop up to the architectural scale and architectural detail, making contact with the construction techniques and materials that define the urban scene. The core of the historical settlement of reference and the architectural artefacts that compose it will constitute the essential reference to look at in order to formulate coherent design hypotheses. The spatial organization of the residence will seek a natural integration with the design of the urban public space and with the surrounding landscape, in balance between the private dimension of the accommodation and the collective dimension of the urban. In the phase dedicated to the deepening of the architectural scale, the student will arrive at the definition of the accommodation intended as an artifact in which different spatial devices are composed in relation to the contemporary practices of living. Also on the basis of the theoretical texts recommended, everyone must know how to motivate the design solution developed.

Readings/Bibliography

C. Martì Aris, Le variazioni dell'identità. Il tipo in architettura, Clup, Milano 1990;
J. I. Linazasoro, La memoria dell’ordine. Paradossi dell’architettura moderna, LetteraVentidue, Siracusa 2015;

F.Távora, Dell’organizzazione dello spazio, Nottetempo, Milano 2021 (a cura di C.Torricelli)

Other bibliographic information will be provided on a case-by-case basis during lectures and seminars and for the revision of the papers.

Teaching methods

The laboratory will proceed through lectures, seminars and analysis and project activities on the proposed case study: the area of the city of Cesena between Porta Fiume and the Caps barracks. The study of the identified area will require an in-depth knowledge of all the elements useful for defining its problems and opportunities as well as identifying the possible relationships of the project with the context. Starting from this survey, the students, through the analogical comparison of one or more projects taken as a reference, will specify the themes they intend to develop in the project. The design and the architectural model will be the privileged tools both for the study phase and for the final verification. Weekly reviews of the analysis and design work around the case study will be carried out. The work will be organized in groups of two students and the design hypotheses, developed using the tools and techniques deemed most suitable and agreed with the teacher, even when produced using digital instruments, will be illustrated and checked with the teachers and tutors printed on paper. A collective seminar to present the progress of the work activities will take place before the Easter break. The lectures will be given in direct relationship with the students, in some cases they will be accompanied by discussion seminars on the proposed bibliographic materials.

Assessment methods

During the course the student will develop the analyzes and the design applications by confronting the teacher who will constantly check the progress of the studies. Intermediate verification seminars will allow students to build moments of mutual exchange, participation and criticism of the work done. The exam will verify the knowledge acquired through the development of the design exercise and the preparation on the topics covered in the lessons held within the course and the didactic modules coordinated with it.

Teaching tools

The thematic bibliographies provided during the course will constitute the main reference for the acquisition of the information necessary for the development of the project analysis. The use of audiovisual materials, the planning of thematic seminars, the organization of inspections on the project site are foreseen

Office hours

See the website of Antonio Esposito