LONDON-POST COVID19 OFFICE

LONDON-POST COVID19 OFFICE

Program: Strategy for the relocation of the Chubbs London Headquarters and spatial concept for new office culture.
Budget: N/A
Client: Chubb Global
Location: London, UK
Design: 2021
Team: NAUTA architecture & research, CIPENSO Creative Project and Design Management

3 Scenarios:
61.000 sqft/600 desks
76.000 sqft/600 desks
91.000 sqft/600 desks

What is the right balance between working from home, improving our lifestyle, minimizing daily commuting, reducing the risk of the COVID 19 and future pandemic infections, while enhancing teamwork, social collision, knowledge exchange?
Global insurance company CHUBB has commissioned NAUTA and CIPENSO Creative Project and Design Management, research by design study for the relocation of the London office in the heart of the British capital.
The study reflects on the consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic and the new forms of remote work, to optimize the office space of the future.
The Covid19 pandemic has radically changed our way of working, forcing a large population to work remotely from home. This change has brought negative effects for the psychophysical condition of many workers, as many started to experience stress due to seclusion and loneliness.
On the other hand, this new trend has generated a debate on the positive assets of remote working. Working from home has multiple positive assets: no need to commute and relative reduction of emissions, optimization of time and a renovated balance between work and private life. It has as well generated a massive action for rethinking the office space. Many enterprises saw in the pandemic an opportunity to reduce costs by updating an obsolete culture of sedentary desk work, embracing the needs for a dynamic lifestyle even during work hours. These trends bring as well positive consequences for the climate, as the reduction of office space use has a positive impact on carbon reduction and circularity.
The project combines these reflections into research by design process, investigating how to rethink the traditional office culture on the base of Chubb’s values and wishes.
The study combines stakeholders’ interviews and design explorations. It proposes scenarios of space usage based on different office size, number and typology of workstations and several new concepts of work and social collision points that will absorb the changes coming from post-pandemic social relations and new technologies applied to the future of work.

 

NEW YORK STATE- CANAL SYSTEM

 

Program: Spatial and economic regeneration of the New York State canal system, comprised of the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and the Champlain Canal.

Size: 524-mile water network

Budget: N/A

Client: New York State, Canal Corporation 

Location: New York State, USA

Design: 2017-2018

Team: NAUTA architecture & research, ARCADIS New York, New York University, HZ University Vlissingen (NL)

 

As a first stage of the competition, publicly available data have been collected to gather a broad understanding existing conditions along the Canal. The collected data includes: infrastructure, existing paths and trails, harbors and ports, population, ecological networks, locations of touristic activities and energy resources. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis (SWOT) was carried out to identify areas of opportunity. Some of the findings include an abundance of spaces for tourism and recreational activities, an initiated shift towards renewable energies and a fair national and local infrastructure. The project goals can be accomplished by building upon these strengths and opportunities, as well as mitigation or preventive actions can be undertaken by analyzing threats and weaknesses.

During the implementation phase, additional information will be collected such as land use, flood risk maps, topography, surplus properties, historical sites, ecological networks, existing paths and trails. This information will be layered in an interactive map which will be used as a tool that helps in decision-making. The data will be consolidated in an opportunity index along the Canal, generated upon diverse characteristics and assets along it. Specific areas of opportunity for development and project implementation will be identified and carefully evaluated through this methodology.

Through mapping problems and opportunities, our analytical methodology allows us to proceed identifying focused areas of interventions, in which multiple phenomena occur simultaneously or singularly, making clear which actions could better enhance the specific local condition. This operation allows as well to control both scales, regional and local, in order to address different solutions and allocate them into proper planning instruments (whether regional or local). This process results into Macro and Micro strategies along the Canal, in order to achieve the project’s goals on long and short terms. Each strategy  is described below as they relate to the project goals.

Promoting the Canal System as a tourist destination and recreational asset

Bringing people to the waterfront.  New ways of interacting with the river can be implemented by taking advantage of existing conditions of the Canal. Specific examples include densifying along the river edge with sustainable and well-proportioned residential and commercial developments. Nature trails will be completed to allow for recreational activities along the Canal. Increasing access points to the Canal will promote its use for aquatic activities. The development of infrastructure can include parks and outdoor theaters providing spaces to interact and engage in leisure activities. The new developments and infrastructure along the river shall observe impacts to current topography, nature, flood risk, storm water re-directioning, etc. to ensure a long-term project life cycle. Focus of the tourism strategy will be the careful monitoring and avoidance of negative gentrification and the promotion of a healthy commercial development based on the real resources along the canal. This implies a continuous cooperation with locals and a constant evaluation of positive and negative effects of each change, with the purpose of promoting and informing wise investments.

Promoting the heritage and historic values of the Canal System

Efficient decision making through community engagement. To abide by the interests of different jurisdictions administrating the same area and the combination of national, county and local governance, a participated planning process will be implemented. It will be focused on inclusive involvement and active communication on all steps. Including all governances and collaborating with historians, will allow the development projects to be aligned to the historic values, preserve and promote the heritage of the Canal System. Participated planning and inclusive design help to ease decision making, informing all political, social and commercial parties involved. It preserves transparency in the process, budget control; it enhances team work and facilitates proactivity in the implementation of smaller projects. It helps as well to reduce the governance complexity by promoting self-initiated projects and low budget implementations, either for the long term or for provisionary actions. It is proved from international examples that participated design is worldwide becoming a practical tool to make things happen, avoiding bottleneck effects in decision making.

Other aspect to address concerning heritage preservation, is related to the rich stock of vacant buildings along the canal, most of which presenting relevant industrial quality. This becomes an important opportunity to preserve historical values, as well as reducing building costs by retrofitting and reuse operations. The volume of this phenomena is important enough to become a real chapter of our strategic framework, because it implies as well a requalification of very decadent public spaces.

Promoting the long-term financial sustainability of the Canal System and sustainable economic development along the canals and beyond

Shift to a circular economy. By promoting local engagement and employment in the cultural, tourism, agriculture, commercial markets. This strategy encourages the inclusion of the most socially fragile layer of the community, unemployed or in complex familiar situations. Promoting local employment contributes to fostering social health, wellbeing and safety. 

Enhance residential densification. Urbanization and densification are positive actions for a sustainable development, when density is adapted to the real local conditions. This means that, in order to pursue a sustainable development, it is necessary to spill program on the canal, as well as adding a reasonable stock of residential opportunities (living, lodging, health assistance, student residences), that can improve the human frequentation of the spaces, their social control, safety and livability. Specific areas will be identified where the natural context and the presence of human settlements coexist in a healthy balance. (It means that keeping communities too small is not sustainable for a long term development. It is proved that all world populations are attracted by metropolitan areas, for all the opportunities that they offer, for work, culture and lifestyle. This means that promoting a rural model is a failure and that in order to promote a sustainable long term realistic economic development of the region, it is necessary to transform the current fragile pattern of shrinking centers into a constellation of micro cities, possibly complementary in economic specialty. This is associated with a sustainable mobility system that allows those cities to work as a metropolitan network. This concept is quite wide and complex, I am aware of that, but it is key to solve any contemporary urban development. Therefore we need to explain this with practical reference to the actions to promote it, such as the addition of new inhabitants and work opportunities that can bring a reasonable demographic volume for a long term economic success and avoid possible future migrations). 

Enhance sustainable mobility

Complete the network of all mobility layers by adding a soft layer of sustainable mobility (bikes, walking paths, electric mobility, bus or shuttle etc.). Integrated to this, implement a sustainable temporary strategy for parking areas/buildings, leading to the progressive elimination of cars and switch to a TOD (traffic oriented development) on the long term. Parking facilities will be progressively transformed to new uses.

Promote the culture of waste recycling in all scales and forms. Waste is proved not only to enhance the culture of environmental preservation (global warming fight and all related matters) but most importantly to activate an upcycle of economic development that can generate new entrepreneurial opportunities and technological innovations. It is a true opportunity for economic differentiation and growth. (Waste is not only meant anymore in the conventional cycle of lower use – from paper to toilet paper for example- but in a new cycle that generates higher quality products. Think for instance about the Nike shoes produced with plastic bags found in the ocean and similar cases. This is a true future economic field of investment and leadership.

FEZ-BAB JDID-CARPARK

Restricted Competition

Status: THIRD PRIZE

Program: Parking hub, public park and amenities

Total area: 8.4 Ha

Budget: 5,2M €

Client: ADER

Location: Fez, Morocco

Design: 2017/2018

Team: NAUTA architecture & research + Cabinet d’ Architecture et de Design Najiba el Alami Malti

How can we design a parking area capable to be transformed in time, adapting to the future of urban mobility, in which cars will be banned, especially from historical contexts? How can we dignify such an important part of the urban landscape, while supplying a necessary facility to support the access to the Medina and improve the local mobility? How can we design a car centered space, while focusing on sustainable principles that can enhance the environmental quality of the city?

Based on these questions, we thought of a rational structure of parking lots as a structuring pattern for both, the design of the parking, as well as the adjacent park. The area will be very visible from the upper hill of the Medina, making it an important visual scenario from the historical center. This makes its perception very important and delicate.
We structure a pattern of funnel shaped canopies, based on the use of two modules. The canopies contribute to shade the parking lots, especially during the warm seasons. At the same time, being distributed on different terraces, they articulate a sculptural landscape. The canopies, as well as the parking lots, are distributed following a color code according to each parking sector, facilitating the orientation. The tridimensional landscape is integrated to the design of the landscape: the patterns of the canopies and of the trees dissolve into each other, connecting artificial and natural landscape in a unique composition. From the upper Medina, the colorful area assumes the visual power of a land-art composition, where nature and technology create a powerful visual symbol, memory of local traditions, such as the ceramics and the leather tannery.
The canopies are as well integral part of the sustainability strategy; The funnel shape contributes to canalize the rain water into underground collectors, which are connected following the inclination of the terraces. The topography helps to canalize the water to the lower site, where tanks redistribute the water to the park and use it for gardening and public toilets. The flow of water between terraces contributes as well to lower the temperature of the spaces under the canopies during warm seasons, working as a natural cooling system.
Every canopy is equipped with a solar panel, capable to supply energy to the led lights illuminating the canopy; Every canopy becomes energetically autonomous, reducing maintenance costs and promoting a sustainable model to run the parking.
Fez tradition of Andalusian influence is the base of the park design. Following the linearity of the parking terraces and the regular pattern of the canopies, we create a unique composition between parking and green area, echoing the Andalusian influence. The resulting composition makes nature and artifice a unique gesture, broken by the irregular geometry of the archeological ruins crossing the site.
The project envisages a parking complex capable of adapting in time to the new mobility innovations. This is the key starting point to design a space that can host in time different social and commercial functions. For this reason we imagine the linear structure of the parking terraces as capable to host a market or public spaces, a sort of contemporary Medina that can extend the program of the Fes El Bali.

TARANTO-HISTORICAL CENTER RENEWAL

International Competition

FINALIST

Program: Masterplan for the requalification of the historical center of Taranto

Total floor area: 15 ha

Budget: N/A

Client: Comune di Taranto, Invitalia

Location: Taranto, Italy

Design: 2017

Team: Alvisikirimoto, NAUTA architecture & research, Deltastudio, Milan Ingegneria;

consultants: Antonio Calafati (urban regeneration and business development), Christian Iaione (sharing economy, public and urban policy), Francesca Franceschinelli (comunication and culture), Petra Blaise, Jana Crepon (landscape), Enrico Moretti (sustainable mobility), Giuseppina Caroppo (curatorial and art consultant), Cecilia d’ Ercole (archeology), Eloisa Susanna (energy), Costanza La Mantia (participated process), Cristina Alga (community engagement), Luigi Corvo (social and ecology economy, value chain).

 

The island separates the center of the urban life from the area in the north, where the metallurgic factory and the Tamburi district are considered the most problematic for pollution and poor social conditions. For this reason the center has the potential to inject new life on a systemic level in the city. The project is articulated with material and immaterial interventions, with the goal of bringing the island back to a functional and effective performance.

The Basic infrastructural strategy has the goal of making the general infrastructure efficient and modern. His intervention should help the island to get rid of the traffic, coming from its role of connection/crossing. The general decongestion would help as well to re-educate the inhabitants to use new maximized public transport, new alternative transportation (via water) and pedestrian bike circulation. The diffused re-qualifying strategy is partially developed simultaneously to the first one. It includes the punctual restoration of the existing building heritage, the restoration of those structures with artistic and historical value, till the demolition and reconstruction of new parts. This strategy includes as well the improvement of the public spaces and circulation enclaves. The Performing infrastructural strategy focuses mostly on the waterfront and the interventions within the inner fabric (squares, terraces), which will duplicate the pedestrian and circulation apparatus of the island and will unable it to absorb a new cultural program for the long term. The new waterfront infrastructure is light and with a low environmental impact. This strategy wills to limit the physical intervention, leaving space to a rich future curatorial program of events and socio-economic scenarios. The socio-economic strategy is the most immaterial, yet the most important for the long term. Parallel to the precedent interventions, it defines the base for the future evolution of the island and its capability to welcome the new generations. A unique cultural program, developed by a pool of experts, will boost the image of Taranto among the list of the places to visit, contributing to combine micro and macro economy actions. These actions might help, on the long term, to transform the actual industrial paradigm of the city into a new service oriented one.

 

Il centro storico è il filtro tra la Taranto vissuta ed amata dai tarantini (quella del borgo ottocentesco) e quella più discussa dell’Ilva, del quartiere Tamburi, considerato da anni luogo di degrado ambientale e sociale. Il centro storico, come cuore fisico della città, deve tornare ad assumere il proprio ruolo di centro città. Le ragioni di questa perdita di leadership risiedono prevalentemente nel profondo handicap infrastrutturale del centro storico che ha reso l’isola incapace di evolversi con la città, con la sua economia e società. Come un corpo amputato, il centro storico necessita la sua protesi per tornare a correre al lato del resto della città ed a svolgerne il ruolo di cuore culturale ed economico. Per questo il progetto si materializza come processo dinamico, composto da strategie materiali e immateriali, che riportino a lungo termine il centro storico ad una performance adatta alla città contemporanea.

La strategia infrastrutturale di base ha l’obiettivo di rendere il centro storico capace di funzionare in maniera sufficientemente efficiente nell’immediato. Si porta l’isola ad eliminare il traffico dovuto all’infrastruttura insufficiente. Attraverso la fluidificazione dei flussi più aggressivi, si da il via a una nuova fase educativa degli abitanti locali, attraverso l’inserimento di potenziati mezzi pubblici, possibili vie di comunicazione alternative (per esempio via acqua), e la sensibilizzazione all’uso di mobilità pedonale e ciclabile. La strategia risanante diffusa inizia contemporaneamente alla prima fase. Essa comprende il puntuale risanamento della massa edilizia presente nel centro storico, secondo un suo attento cronoprogramma proporzionato allo stato conservativo dei manufatti. Dall’eliminazione di quelli pericolanti, alla ristrutturazione e restauro di quelli di pregio fino alle future nuova edificazione di aree liberate da inutile superfetazioni o edifici non recuperabili. Si includono inoltre gli interventi immediati di ripristino di spazi pubblici e viabilità interclusa che al momento inibiscono ogni possibilità di vivere la città in maniera funzionale. La strategia infrastrutturale performante s’incentra principalmente sul waterfront e sui macro interventi interni al centro storico (per esempio nelle piazze e sulle terrazze) che porteranno l’isola ad usufruire di una nuova infrastruttura efficiente, dal ridotto impatto ambientale, capace di permettere all’isola di accogliere un nuovo programma curatoriale a lungo termine. L’idea di un elemento lineare flessibile permette di pensare ad un’infrastruttura leggera, dal limitato impatto ambientale, dal ridotto budget di costruzione, facile realizzazione in fasi e dalla capacità di supporto al programma futuro. L’obiettivo è di ridurre al minimo l’intervento fisico per lasciare spazio al futuro sviluppo programmatico del programma culturale e socio-economico dell’isola. La strategia socio economica è la più immateriale ma più importante a lungo termine. Spalmata a cavallo delle precedenti fasi e nel futuro, essa getta le basi per un rinnovato funzionamento del centro storico, capace di ospitare le nuove generazioni di tarantini (e non), con nuove idee imprenditoriali. La ri-funzionalizzazione dell’isola permette, attraverso le attività aggiunte, di attrarre nuovi ed eterogenei gruppi sociali, capaci di aggiungersi all’importante strato esistente degli abitanti storici dell’isola. Un ricco programma curatoriale, sviluppato da un gruppo multidisciplinare di consulenti per la municipalità contribuirà a posizionare Taranto sulla lista dei posti in cui la nuova micro economia genera un nuovo paradigma urbano.

SHENZHEN – YANTIAN DIFFUSED HOTEL

International Competition
FIRST PRIZE
Program: Urban re-qualification of the Dameisha urban village, through the introduction of a “diffused hotel”
Total floor area: N/A
Budget: N/A
Client: Yantian local Government
Location: Shenzhen, Yantian district, China
Design: 2016, on going

Within Shenzhen, Yantian plays a specific role, due to its special natural qualities, tourism attractions and proximity to Hong Kong. By looking at the geography of Shenzhen and its landscape conformation, it is evident that Yantian plays an important role in the preservation of natural values, important for the whole metropolitan area. In fact, the presence of the highest mountain within the municipal boundary, as well as the most valuable bathing beach of the city, make this location a top destination for the tourism industry of Shenzhen.

The district hosts some of the oldest urban villages in Shenzhen, base and origin of this city, thus integral part of the cultural and historical evolution of the region. When entering the village from south, Dameisha presents a central area with low density and buildings ranging between one and two floors. The east and west areas present higher density, similar to the dysfunctional urban villages that we find in other parts of the city. The central area, besides presenting lower buildings, is characterized by an irregular pattern of public spaces, more or less defined but definitely more generous than the common narrow alleys. At the moments this sequence of spaces is very disorganized and constantly occupied by parking lots that make the whole area useless for public use. The centre is as well signed by several commercial activities, street food, convenience stores and small entertainment places.

The most interesting feature of this village though is its incredible proximity to the beach, the best bathing place in Shenzhen, as well as being surrounded by almost 200 hotels only in Daimesha district. By analyzing the local tourism offer we noticed how homogeneous it is at the moment, offering very extensive traditional hotel developments with no typology variations. The natural qualities of the area as well as the cultural attractions in the whole Yantian make possible to extend its tourism targets, including younger as well as cultural oriented groups that are interested in the authentic experiences of the place.

Backpackers, tourists well travelled and flexible to adapt to the local conditions, not interested in the global luxury experience of a chain hotel, would be perfect visitors for Dameisha. Its proximity to Hong Kong, as well as its good connection to the beach and the city centre of Shenzhen, could transform this area in the tourism heart of Shenzhen. For this reason our plan proposes to establish in this village a first example of Diffused Hotel, a prototype we believe will be easy to implement by the cooperation of different housing owners. It will be as well the spin off for several activities and cultural events that will transform the area in a new and different city centre.

In our vision Dameisha becomes the centre for many events and business activities: the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture, an Art festival, a fashion event, an Urban Agriculture expo and congress, street food events and many more.

The phasing of the development starts from the free initiative of few owners who would start with a Air B&B formula, promoting via web their rooms and attracting the first tourists interested in the local experience. The second phase, upon success of the first, would include a central reception hall, an associated restaurant and bakery to offer breakfast and meals, as well as more associated rooms. Further phases would extend the rooms stock, as well as the range of services offered by the hotel, such as gym, spa, all rigorously scattered in the village. However the most important effect of the DH in the long term is the renovated sense of community and the spread of common awareness and the collective interest in preserving the décor and the hygiene of the public space, condition for the stable operation of the hotel.

The DH proved as well to become such an important instrument for a positive gentrification, generating as well private housing re-qualification, improving the general performance and look of the villages involved. This could enhance a systemic improvement of the village and its easier integration in the city fabric. This model might help to free the urban villages of Shenzhen from a sad chronic thread of demolition and finally unveil economic opportunities that could save the historical and social heritage of the villages, real soul of Shenzhen city.

SHENZHEN – UABB BIENNALE 2015

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URBAN AGRICULTURE PROJECTS IN CHINA

Commissioned project.
REALISED
Program: Exhibition
Total site area: NA
Location: Shenzhen, China
Year: 2015

One of the main worries of the Chinese megacities is the insufficient resources to feed the growing migrants’ population. Local measurements range from protecting basic cultivated land to encouraging higher productive local agriculture projects, not only to ensure enough local produce but also to simplify the circulation process and shorten the transportation and supply distance, thus reducing pollution.
As opposite to the big cities’ problems of shortage of resources for the growing population, the rural areas, where the migrants come from, encounter the opposite problems of shortage of work power for farming works. This generates abandoned farmlands and a series of connected social issues, such as unhealthy mental condition of left-behind children. On the other hand, their parents, facing soaring house price and high-level education required in the city, suffer as well the risk of unemployment in their new life. In some cases they become so-called “instability factors” in urban society.

NAUTA is investigating the potential of Chinese cities to base the design of the urban landscape on agriculture intensification. We believe that, either by completing urban voids or planning new extensive areas, urban design can offer both, beautiful social areas as well as an additional food bank for the growing Chinese population.
By doing so, NAUTA started to test these principles with a rich group of consultants, in order to test the possibility to reuse lost areas within Beijing, introducing new forms of management, such as land leasing, as well as shortening the food distribution chain and reduce pollution from transportation.

Parallel to this, NAUTA’s Bao’an project in Shenzhen investigates the possibility of using agriculture as a tool for the holistic design of the coast facing the Pearl River delta, capable to combine simultaneously social uses and productive landscape.
From local urban gardens to innovative vertical farming, hydroponic, aquaponic technologies, our studies investigate the potential of transforming the metropolitan landscape into a social productive reserve.

城市农业银行

委托项目
项目进度: 研究完结
节目:展览
地点: 中国深圳
设计时间: 2015

粮食不足应对持续成长的大量外来人口已成为中国大城市的隐忧之一.当地的方法从保护最基本的耕地到鼓励大量的高产出的当地农业,不仅是为了确保产地的产量同时也能简化物流的程序和运输的距离进而达到降低污染.
相较于因为人口增加而导致资源短缺的大城市,相反地郊区正面临著农业上人力缺失的问题. 这会产生废弃的农田和一系列连接的社会问题,如留守儿童的不健康的心理状态.另一方面,他们的父母,不仅面临著飞涨的房价和高等教育的需求同时还有失业危机. 在一些情况下,它们成为在城市社会所谓的“不稳定性的因素”.

NAUTA致力于发现中国的城市在城市景观上和集约农业的潜力. 我们相信不论是通过完善在城市中的空隙或者计画新的扩张区域,城市设计能同时提供既美观又符合中国城市人口成长的的食物银行.
通过这样做,NAUTA和其他顾问团队开始测试这一系列的原则去探索如通故过引入新的管理方式去减少在北京市失去可用地的可能性.例如,土地出租,以及缩短食品配送链从运输减少污染。

与此相对应,NAUTA在深圳宝安的项目中,调查农业在城市使用的可能星作为在珠三角完整设计工具同时结合了社会使用以及可生产景观的双重性功能.
从当地的城市花园到新创的垂直农业,水培和汔培技术以及我们的研究.我们彷佛能预见大都会景的城市观转变成社会产能转变得潜力.

SHENZHEN – PINGDI LOW CARBON CITY

深圳垂直低碳城市村落

International urban design competition
Status: Awarded
Program: Strategy for a sustainable self supporting urban neighborhood
Total area: 11037,76 sqm
Location: Shenzhen Pingdi, China
Year: 2015

Shenzhen is aiming at becoming a model of sustainable future city. Nevertheless the problems that it has to face are those of most of the fast growing Chinese cities that are attracting new masses of migrants, seduced by the promises for a better urban life after an unhappy rural past.
For this reason, Shenzhen is working on developing new districts through new forms of planning that could enhance low carbon and sustainable principles for a prosperous future and help the city to grow in a healthy way.

When looking at the main problems of unsustainable development in Shenzhen (as in most of the fast growing cities), we can list car based transportation, lack of multifunctionality, of natural landscape and arable land, social seclusion, too centralized business, lack of dynamism in its urban geography and, most of all, poor public space and human scale.
All these issues need a fast upgrade into new forms of living.
But when summarizing one of the striking effects of this fast urbanization, one special element can become iconic: high density.
Density brings social seclusion, lack of dynamic interaction, distance from the public space. It erases spontaneity and all forms of customization and identity, neutralizing any sense of belonging.
On the other hand, the skyscraper is a friend of sustainable urbanization as a tool to fight the historical cancer of sprawl in modern cities, where low density has proved to be the biggest origin of unsustainable urbanization. A horizontal city extends distances, imposes long transportation (increasing pollution), separates people and their chance to interact and limits the growth of local economy . It brings as well social seclusion and lack of mixture.

On this base then, if high density and sprawl represent opposites of the same failure, what is the solution to the problem of planning the future livable town?
The answer, somehow banal and generic, is ‘mixture’.
Mixture of functions, building types, infrastructure modes, density and green, social mixture, are the essence for a vibrant and entrepreneurial city that looks to grow prosperous.

But sometimes mixture is difficult to achieve. This is the case of many Chinese cities. It is the case, for instance, of Shenzhen, which needs to grow constantly but that needs as well to manage its land use in a wise way.
How can we intensify a city with dense new developments, avoiding the negative effects of extensive high rise life? How can we extend the city vertically but guarantee that the same lifestyle and sociality of old villages can be preserved?
That social participation, its dynamics, its networking, are the keys for Chinese growth in history; they are the ruts of its civilization, economy, family patterns and they need to be preserved in a sustainable future city.
This means that, when planning a future low carbon city, we need to think not only about technological applications to reduce the impact of construction, but think as well of new inclusive forms of living that can perpetrate social principles, pivotal for the local growth.

For this reason our proposal envisages the possibility to base this new planning strategy on mixing the scale of planning with the architectural type of the skyscraper.
The traditional urban plot becomes a piece of land that can be vertically multiplied, preserving the qualities of the district and its socio-economical dynamics, intensifying the use of land and produce a compact city.

We imagine a scheme in which entire city blocks correspond to a high rise floor, a vertical overlap of districts, a superimposition of landscapes, a vertical city. Here each floor offers the communal dynamics of a traditional village.
Not least the possibility to preserve the spontaneity and the flexibility of a village.
A floor can be developed by single investors, residents’ cooperatives, international investors. All parties can, by following the urban regulations for implementation, develop one or part of a vertical village.
The structure of the complex is based on very simple principles, inherited from the modern period: horizontal floors and vertical columns. In this scale context, these elements embed in themselves the structural as well as the technological and logistic apparatus that is necessary to support a portion of the city. These plateaus become the base for local flexible developments based on modular constructions, locally assembled, transported on site. A self buildable new town where modules can be prefabricated and transported on site, based on the most natural technologies and material applications from the area. Wood, bamboo, row hearth (or clay?) are building materials traditional of the Guangdong region.
The new vertical city could as well be built preserving local techniques, without loosing its image of modern metropolis but rather maximizing the environmental properties of local techniques, such as natural ventilation, energy collection and wall natural transpiration. All elements that, summed up on the urban scale of the village, will tremendously reduce the energy consumption of the district.

The vertical landscapes can as well supply all the necessary vital services and activities to help the self sustainable community, such as commercial activities, business, housing, social services, public spaces and, very important, productive agricultural landscape.
Beside the evident social benefits, this strategy has the most immediate effect of cutting on transportation. A mixed vertical city does not necessarily ask for long distance transportation.

Imagine how awesome it would be to get up in your house, have breakfast, bring your kids to the crèche right outside of the door and take an elevator to go to work to the lower floor village. Instead, you take the elevator to go down, walk to the subway and travel one hour to reach your work!

Compactness is the answer for sustainability. It sums up the solution to every problem, from technical to social and economical and it offers a solution for the productivity and the quality of life of the future city dwellers.

国际城市设计竞赛
状态:入围获奖
项目名称:城市社区中的自我可持续性策略
总面积:11037.76平方米
地点:深圳坪地区,中国
年份:2015年

深圳注定要成为未来可持续城市的模版。尽管它所面临的问题与中国其他许多成长中的城市一样,它们吸引大量新的外来者棗他们都有着曾经不甚幸福的农村过往,为大城市生活所吸引,希望过得更好。
因为这个原因,深圳正在致力于通过新形态的规划发展新的街区,在低碳和可持续原则的前提下,成就一个更好的未来,让这座城市以一种更健康的方式成长

当探讨深圳不可持续发展的主要问题时(就如在其他快速成长的城市情况一样),我们可以举出:以机动车为主的城市交通、多功能性的缺乏、自然景观和耕地的缺失、社会隔绝、商业活动过于集中、城市地理缺少灵活性,以及,最重要的,匮乏的公共区域和人类尺度. 所有这些问题都需要快速升级成为新的居住生活形态。但是当我们总结快速城市化的惊人效果之一时,其中的一个特殊元素竟如此讽刺:高密度。
高密度带来的是社会隔绝、动性互动的缺乏、与公共空间的疏远。它自发地消除了所有形态的个性化和认同感,中和所有形式的归属感。另一方面,摩天大楼被认为是可持续城市化的友好伙伴,它作为一个在现代性城市里抗击历史性无序扩展症结的工具,证明了低密度是不可持续性城市化的源头。一个向水平方向扩展的城市,交通距离设置变长(环境污染加重)、人们和他们进行互动的机会变得分散并且当地经济增长受到限制。随之也会带来社会隔绝和缺乏。

以此为基础,如果高密度和无序扩展代表了相反的发展方向,但都证明了相同的失败,什么才是未来宜居性城镇规划的解决方案呢?
它的答案,有些过于平庸和概括,就是“混合”。
功能的混合、建筑类型的混合、基础设施模式的混合、密度和绿化的混合、社会的混合,这些才是让一个富有朝气的创意型城市走向繁荣的本质。

但是有些时候,混合很难实现。许多中国的城市都处于这样的情况。举例来说,深圳,需要持续的成长,同时也需要智慧地管理它的土地。 我们如何加紧一个城市的密集新型发展,同时避免大规模高层建筑的生活带来的负面影响?我们如何在竖向发展城市同时,保证与曾经传统乡村相同的生活方式和社会性得以保存? 社会参与度、它的灵动活性、它的网络,是中国过去得以成长的关键要素;他们是中国文化、经济、家庭图腾的根基,他们需要在未来的可持续性城市中得到保存. 这意味着,在规划未来低碳城市的时候,我们不仅仅需要考虑以科技的应用降低开发的影响,同时也需要思索一种新型的包容的生活形态,以它延续我们的社会原则,这也是当地成长的关键。

出于这个原因,我们的方案展望立足于这个新的规划策略的可能性,此策略将摩天大楼建筑类型的规划尺度进行混合。传统的城市地块变为可以竖向倍增的一个地块,在维护地区质量和其社会经济 动态的同时,加强土地的使用,产出一座更为紧实的城市。 在我们想象的方案里,整个城市区块宛如一层高段楼层、一个竖向重叠的区块、景观的叠加、一座竖向的城市。在这里每一层都具有传统村庄所具备的公共动态性. 同时也不排除保留村庄的自发性和灵活性的可能性。 每一单层可以对应单个的开发者、居民合作社或国际开发商。各方都可以,在遵循城市实施条例的前提下,对这样一座竖向“村落”进行一层或一部分的开发。 复合体的结构基于一个十分简单的原则,从现代时期继承而来:水平楼层和垂直柱列。在此规模前提下,这两个要素自动嵌入结构之中,此外,还有支持一座城市必要的科技和后勤设备。这些“高原”成为当地大规模建设但灵活发展的基石。当地组装,运送现场。一座可“自我建设”的新城市,在这里模块可以订制并运输到现场,立足于本地最自然的技术和材料应用。木头、竹子、排炉(或粘土?)是广东地区的传统建筑材料。 新的垂直城市也可以通过保留当地技术来建造,在不失其大都市形象的情况下,最大限度地发挥当地环境特征,例如:自然的通风、能量采集和墙壁的自然蒸腾。所有这些元素,总结起来成为城市尺度的乡村,能够极大地降低区块的能源消耗。 垂直景观同样能满足所有必要的生活服务和活动,以帮助自主可持续性社区,比如:商业活动、商务、家居、社会服务、公共区域和,十分重要的一点,生产性农业景观。除了显而易见的社会效益之外,此策略能够最有效直接地减少交通。一个垂直的混合型城市不需要远距离的交通。

想象一下,在家中起床,吃早饭,把孩子送去就在家门口的幼儿园,接着搭个电梯,下楼去低层的办公室上班。现在呢,你同样得搭个电梯,但要步行到地铁站,花1小时才能到办公室!

紧实度是可持续性的答案。它提供所有问题的解决方案,从技术性到社会性或者经济性,并且它亦为生产力及其未来城市居民生活质量提供了解决方案。

THE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PARK MODEL

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THE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PARK MODEL
Research project presented at the Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism \ Architecture
Status:Complete
Program: International corporation research on the principles of sustainable planning for the future of the “Business Park”
Total area: N/A.
Location: China, USA, Europe
Time: 2013

Since 2011, NAUTA is working on a project for a Business Park in Zhuzhou, China, currently under construction. Parallel to that, NAUTA is working with international comparison on a research project that studies the principles of sustainable planning for the future of the “Business Park”, a typology that is spreading in China, the success of which is too often compromised by radical mono-function­alism and traditional zoning. By comparing examples of International Business Parks, NAUTA demonstrates how planning multifunc­tional districts applying vertical zoning facilitates their long term success, yet helps the natural process of their absorption in the city.
This method of planning implies a constant dialogue between government, planning institutes, with the private investors involved in the actual construction of the city. We believe that good urban design does not necessarily cost to deliver, yet it offers strong competitive advantages; it needs to be spread to those operating across all sectors of the market.
In this process, occupiers nee to be persuaded of the advantages of urban design, since their attitude influences the actions of developers and investors.

Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism \ Architecture links http://en.szhkbiennale.org/News/newsDe.aspx?id=10000527

科技园区规划研究
研究项目,展示于深港城市\建筑双城双年展
美国、欧洲和中国的比较研究,并提出在中国可时续展的商务园区发展模式
地点:中国、美国、欧洲
项目进度:研究完结
时间:2013年

本项目主要研究今后商务园区的可持续发展规划理念。商务园区是当前在中国普遍可见的项目类型,其规划设计常常落入传统区划与单一功能的窘境。通过比较全球范围内商务园区的案例,对于入驻的企业NAUTA展示了复合功能商务园区的规划理念,这将有益于他们的可持续经营,并帮助他们融入城市发展过程中。

开放空间
在欧洲我们鼓励集中建设来减少私有开放空间,为公众提供更多可亲近的绿色空间. 集中公共服务空间及停车空间也能达到这样的目的。在美国促进利用现有绿色用地开发更多的公共空间有助于大面积绿地的利用,避免单纯的大面积纯自然景观。中国的商务园应当从正确的尺度入手解决公共空间的问题。进一步合理分布商务园区的物业应当首先考虑公共空间的分布,其次是办公共空间,并考虑在公共空间中引入更多休闲娱乐功能。

停车设施
集中停车场仍然是最有效的解决方式,因此停车设施应当集中安排,并在需要的时候尽可能建设地下停车场。在过去几年我们的实践经验也告诉我们,集中式停车库并结合多功能开发设计能够有效减少辅助设施对于环境的影响。无论如何,大面积独立私有的停车空间都应当被取消。

绿地空间
绿地空间需要多样化的设计,无论是在中国还是在欧洲和美国。尽管分析案例中绿地尺度都各不相同,但是问题都出在仅仅将私有绿地转变成大面积的公共绿地,仅仅拥有其象征性的功能。公共空间与绿地应当尝试不同类型的设计,从国家公园到城市公园,到绿地广场,到林荫大道,半公共花园,街头小花园等等。

中文影片请参考 http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTExNDI1NDY0.html
2013深港城市\建筑双年展中文报导   http://www.szhkbiennale.org/News/newsDe.aspx?id=10000620

TRIPTYCH

Triptych

Cultural project
Status: complete
Program: Exhibition, Lectures, academic program
Total area: N/A
Location: Worldwide
Time: 2012-2015

After the “ Palazzi of Rotterdam” research project, concluded in 2013, NAUTA worked on the cultural dissemination of the results trough an articulated communication project. This presentation includes three visual products: a map of the Rotterdam post war office vacancy, based on the model of the Nolli map of Rome from 1748; a movie that summarizes the work of NAUTA during almost two years and some models of the key projects produced at the end of the study.
These three visual products are part of the project ‘Triptych”; it includes an itinerant exhibition, lectures and academic programs. The event took place in Rotterdam, Shenzhen, Barcelona and Nantes and it became an academic program with a design course led by Maurizio Scarciglia during the spring 2015, at the Amsterdam Academy of architecture. The course investigated the potential of post war office buildings to be transformed in the most actual functional mixes, suitable the contemporary architecture market.
Abstract from the project synopsis:
On the 14th of May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War II, Rotterdam was almost razed to the ground. The reconstruction period started intensively and never stopped, making Rotterdam a symbol of progress, among other European cities.
At the end of the first decade of 2000, the World economical crisis affected the Dutch real estate market. The inner city of Rotterdam, populated by many office headquarters, suffered progressive vacancy.
By drawing a map of the vacant office buildings, we realized that the scale of the problem is so vast that it becomes systemic. The ‘office building’ is nowadays for Rotterdam an urban typology that organically affects the quality of its urban space.
By searching a similar case in which the office building played a radical role in the development of the city, we found a precedent in the Italian renaissance: Florence.
Here the ‘Palazzo’ is still considered one of the most recognizable building types, integral part of the cultural and historical values of the city.
What if all the post war office buildings in Rotterdam could rise in dignity and become a recognizable layer of its urban history? And what if their strategic re-use could transform them into platforms for an architectural reinvention, free from the preservation constraints that heritage buildings have in other cities?
Then tourists could have as well a ‘Palazzi of Rotterdam’ tour!
Does it still make sense to keep re-building or does it make more sense to reuse the vacant properties? Re-use costs in principle 30% less than new construction. How could we develop a method capable of helping the stakeholders to afford with confidence a renovation project and ensure its valuable investment through time?
On this base, we started a “design by research” process that brought us to sustainable design proposals.
The research project was supported by the Stimuleringfonds voor de Creative Industrie and developed in cooperation with the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Delft University of Technology and several stakeholders, owners of the vacant properties.
NAUTA developed an evaluation process capable to distill all data into a real ‘ID for renovation’, selecting among all vacant properties only the ones not affected by speculation, situated on portions of the city not destined to densification.
NAUTA translated the results of the research into real pilot projects, studying the business agenda of the investors and finding tailor made solutions to transform shabby office buildings into new ‘jewels of architecture’. The surrounding public space rejuvenates, bringing new life into the city, while avoiding the complete stall of the real estate market.

SHENZHEN – INFO STATIONS

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SHENZHEN INFO STATIONS

Commissioned consultancy
Status: On going.
Master plan for the distribution of new info stations in the city centre of Shenzhen
Program: analysis of the human flow and commercial behaviour of shoppers. Qualification and distribution of new digital info points based on China mobile data.
Total site area: NA
Location: Shenzhen, China
Year: 2014

In the 1st phase we suggest to choose three most populated commercial areas respectively located in Nanshan, Futian and Luohu districts.

Mixc city as one of the most successful commercial complex generates a great lively atmosphere reaching Kingkey 100 to the north and Renming nan commercial center to the east. Based on the commercial activity scope, we suggest spreading the info station along Jiabin Rd. Shennan Avenue and Buji River, serving surrounded commercial area.

Futian shopping park is a mega commercial area connecting Futian CBD and Futian railway station, major commercial activities occur around big shopping centers and exhibition area. Based on commercial activity, we suggest distributing info stations along Fuhua Rd. to connect commercial spots, offices and high-speed railway station.

Coastal city in Nanshan district as a new built commercial center and most important service area in west Shenzhen, generates commercial activities reaching as far as west of Haiya stores and Shenzhen bay stadium to the East. Based on commercial scope we suggest distributing info station linearly along commercial facilities, and setting up more in Houhai center which is under construction.

In first phase there would be around 250 to 300 info station to be put in use. The proposed area to distribute info stations in the future could be tourist-concentrated OCT area, East gate commercial area, Baoan center and airport area, etc.

 

深圳商业街公共空间数码信息站

委托项目
状态:进行中
内容:深圳商业街公共空间数码信息站规划研究,分析商业区购物者人流和购物行为,根据中国移动的电信数据和分布位置进行量化研究,第一期预计设置250个数码信息站。
项目地点:中国深圳
设计时间: 2014

在第一阶段,将设置约250到300的数码信息站。我们建议数码信息站今后可以在旅游集中华侨城片区,东门商业区,宝安中心区和机场地区使用。我们建议选择位于南山区,福田区和罗湖区3个人口最稠密的商业区。

罗湖区万象城作为最成功的商业综合体带动京基金融中心周边活跃的商业气氛。根据商业活动范围,我们建议数码信息站应延著嘉宾路,深南大道和布吉河设置,服务周边的商业区。

福田购物园是一个大型商业区连接福田商务中心区和福田火车站,主要的商业活动是在大型购物中心和展览区周边。根据商业活动行为,我们建议将数码信息站沿着福华路设置,以连接商业点、办公室和高速铁路车站。

南山区的海岸城作为一个在深圳西边新兴的商业中心和最重要的商业服务区,带动的商业活动直抵海雅和深圳湾体育中心的西边地区。根据商业活动范围,我们建议数码信息站应线性延著商业设施设立,特别在后海中心多设置一些。

我们建议数码信息站今后可以在旅游集中华侨城片区,东门商业区,宝安中心区和机场地区使用。