NAMAK-RI – JEONNAM SQUARE

Open design competition
Program: landscape and urban design for the Jeonnam Citizen’s square
Total site area: 51.000 mq of public space and 5.000 mq of service
Location: Jeonnam, South Korea
Year: 2022

The project offers the flexibility to use the citizens’ square as a unique, extraordinarily big public space, suitable for public gatherings, concerts, exhibitions, or
fragmenting it into a necklace of smaller pocket squares around the central one. Each mini square can react to the adjacent program and context, offering the
possibility to host more or less private activities that might need protection from traffic and noise, as well as safety and protection for children and youngsters.
The linear pedestrian and bicycle bridge that crosses Hugwang-daero, allows the continuity of the south and north squares even at pick hours of traffic.
In the middle of the central square, right at the merging of the two levels (urban level and -5m), at the crossing between the central park and the east-west sunken
square, we introduce a sculptural panoramic tower. The tower, misaligned from the south visual line to the Jeollanamdo regional office building, preserves its visibility from the park, offering the perfect position to dominate the panorama in every direction. The tower becomes the landmark of the new Citizen’s square, while offering a complete perception of the surroundings: the hills to north, the central park and the sea towards south, the new square and the Jeollanamdo regional office and the Namak-ri at east.

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.

RAVENNA – STATION MOBILITY HUB

Program: Masterplan composed by 5 functional plots: pedestrian and bicycle bridge; Darsena residential complex; P.le Farini Office building; Vertical parking lot

Budget: 41.46 M

Client: Municipality of Ravenna

Location: Ravenna, Italy

Design: 2020-2021

Team: NAUTA architecture & research, urban and architectural design

ENSER S.r.l.  – structural engineering

Studio TI S.r.l.- MEP

(IT below)

EN

The project goal is the redesign of the public spaces, east and west of Ravenna station, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to circulate smoothly in the area without any obstacle caused by train traffic. From this purpose, the delpoyment of a cycle-pedestrian bridge on top the railway.
The masterplan proposal focuses on the conception of the area as a Transit Oriented Development, to free the city centre from the traditional mobility, offering a spatial and typological flexibility able to adapt to future changes in the field of sustainable mobility. The cycle-pedestrian bridge plays a predominant role in the spatial reorganization of the area, solving the historical problem of the gap between the historic city and Darsena, as well playing a primary role in renovating the image of the city at national and international level.

A_’BELVEDERE’ BYCICLE AND PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
The final choice is characterized by a simple linear crossing supported by two pillars, with the intention of minimizing the impact on the rail traffic, concentrationg construction operations at the east and west ends of the bridge. The structure is designed as a large beam with a C section, higher in the central structural portion and lighter at its extremities.
The bridge has an external cladding of burnished steel, in armony with the harbor context to which it relates. Iinside its quality of welcoming urban space is increased by the choice of a warm color stone mosaic.

B_MULTI-LEVEL PARKING
The structure is designed as permeable on the ground floor, thanks to the use of a truss structure on the upper floors, in order to leave circulation fluidity on the urban level.
Its structural semplicity and flexibility come from the intention of re-functionalizing it in the future, into a productive and/or office building, as soon as the city center will benefit from actions aimed at reducing the vehicular traffic and consequent need for parking.
Extra goal for the immediate future is the provision of car-sharing, bicycle parking, info point and cash desk, bike sharing, snack bar and kiosk for bicycles repair.

C_RAILWAY BUILDINGS V.LE FARINI
The goal is to achieve the desired volume while maintaining a building height proportionate to the existing context. The result is a building that changes on its four sides. A monolith on the tracks, with a strong institutional character, fragmented into multiple terraces towards the historical city center, in harmony with its scale and offering a panoramic view towards it. The building offers spaces for relax, gym, squash courts, ball room, conference room and shared outdoor terraces; all flexible functions and suitable for a program resilient in time. The program concentrates maximum human activity around the railway hub, in line with the principles of TOD, aiming at removing the use of cars and promoting the design of autonomous multifunctional urban clusters.

D_’EX DOGANA’ BUILDING
The new architectural ensamble is the result of the combination of the existing volume with a newly conceived one. The new linear building and the reused building create an internal void with a trapezoidal shape. The space is occupied by an elevated square to allow the ground floor use for parking reserved to the new residences. Stairways reconnect the square to the urban level both to the east and to the west, making it part of the system of public spaces gravitating around the Darsena. The linear building is occupied by mixed functions with the aim of activating the urban context: on the ground floor a row of small commercial spaces and the lobby of a boutique hotel that occupies the two upper floors. The third floor of the linear building hosts a wellness-spa-gym with access to a roof garden with a panoramic lounge.
The center can be operated by unique or multiple operators, offering flexibility to the project leasing plan. At the level of the square, the linear building hosts a restaurant/bar, which can also be operated independently from the hotel. The square can host the terrace of the restaurant/bar. The cubic volume that crowns the complex includes apartments and penthouses, with surfaces between 50 sqm up to 140sqm.

IT

Obiettivo generale della proposta di progetto è il ridisegno degli spazi pubblici ad est ed ovest della stazione, che permetta soprattutto a pedoni e ciclisti di circolare fluidamente nell’area senza ostacoli dipendenti dall’operatività del traffico ferroviario. Da ciò, la previsione di un superamento ciclo-pedonale della ferrovia, in forma di “ponte” sui binari.
La proposta di masterplan si concentra sulla concezione dell’ area come Transit Oriented Development, atto a liberare col tempo il centro città dalla mobilità tradizionale ed offrire una flessibilità spaziale e tipologica capace di adattarsi ai futuri cambiamenti in campo di mobilità sostenibile. È inoltre chiaro che il ruolo predominante nel piano di riorganizzazione urbana venga assolto dall’attraversamento ciclo-pedonale che non solo provvederà a risolvere lo storico problema della cesura tra città storica e Darsena, ma che avrà anche un ruolo fondamentale per l’immagine innovativa a cui la città contemporanea ambisce a scala nazionale ed internazionale.

A_’BELVEDERE’ BYCICLE AND PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
La scelta finale ricade su un semplice attraversamento lineare poggiato su due piloni, derivante dall’intenzione di ridurre al minimo la logistica a carico dell’operatività del traffico ferroviario, concentrando il cantiere alle estremità est ed ovest del ponte stesso. La struttura si configura come una grande trave dalla sezione a C, alleggerita alle estremità successive al superamento della luce centrale.
Il ponte presenta un rivestimento esterno in acciaio brunito, adatto all’ ambito portuale a cui si interfaccia, mentre al suo interno la sua qualità di spazio urbano accogliente viene incrementata dalla scelta di un rivestimento lapideo.

B_MULTI-LEVEL PARKING
La struttura si configura come permeabile al piano terra, grazie all’ uso di una struttura reticolare nei piani superiori, in modo da lasciare fluidità di circolazione al piano urbano. La scelta della semplicità strutturale e della flessibilità in pianta deriva dall’ intenzione di rifunzionalizzare il manufatto in edificio produttivo e/o per uffici, non appena il centro città beneficerà di azioni atte a ridurre se non azzerare i flussi veicolari e quindi la necessità di parcheggi. Questo intervento è pensato anche per l’immediato futuro, con la possibilità di prevedere car-sharing, parcheggio per biciclette, info point e cassa, bike sharing, snack bar e chiosco per la riparazione delle biciclette.

C_RAILWAY BUILDINGS V.LE FARINI
L’ obiettivo è di raggiungere la volumetria desiderata mantenendo un’altezza proporzionata al contesto esistente. Ne risulta un edificio cangiante sui quattro lati. Un monolite sui binari, di spiccato carattere istituzionale, che si frammenta in molteplici terrazzamenti verso la città storica, dialogando con la sua scala ed offrendo un ulteriore punto panoramico su di essa. L’edificio offre spazi per il relax, palestra, campi da squash, calcio balilla, ball room, conference room e terrazze collettive all’aperto; tutte funzioni flessibili e adatte ad un programma resiliente nel tempo che concentri la massima attività umana intorno all’ hub ferroviario, coerentemente con i principi di TOD atti ad annullare l’uso dell’automobile e promuovere la progettazione di cluster urbani multifunzionali autonomi.

D_’EX DOGANA’ BUILDING
Il nuovo ensamble architettonico deriva dalla combinazione del volume esistente con uno di nuova concezione. La nuova stecca e l’edificio recuperato formano un vuoto interno di forma trapezoidale.
Lo spazio viene occupato da una piazza in quota per fare spazio al piano terra ad un parcheggio riservato alle nuove residenze. Delle scalinate riconnettono la piazzetta al livello urbano sia a est che a ovest, rendendola parte integrante del sistema di spazi pubblici gravitanti intorno alla Darsena. La stecca viene occupata da funzioni miste con lo scopo di attivare il contesto urbano locale: al piano terra una fila di piccoli spazi commerciali e la hall di un boutique hotel che si sviluppa per i successivi due piani superiori. Il terzo piano della stecca ospita un centro benessere-spa-palestra, con accesso a un tetto giardino con lounge panoramica. Il centro potrà essere operato dallo stesso gestore dell’hotel o da un ulteriore locatore, offrendo flessibilità al leasing plan di progetto. Al livello della piazza in quota, la stecca ospita un ristorante/bar, anch’esso operabile in modo indipendente dall’hotel. La piazza può ospitare la terrazza del ristorante/bar. Il volume cubico che corona il complesso ospita appartamenti e 2 penthouses.

BRUGES – KAAIDISTRICT

ENGLISH

The position of the Kaaidistrict within the urban structure of Bruges presents special value from every aspect. Located along the intersection of the main east-west and north-south infrastructures of the city, the area occupies the centre of the spatial structure that includes Bruges till the Zeebrugge port development, making it the exact centre between the historical egg-shaped Unesco protected area and the harbour. This location is as well touched by the waterline that from east to west follows the Sint-Pieterskaai, presenting the high potential for waterfront redevelopment.

Weaknesses and Threats

The proximity of the Unesco area might become a threat for the possible redevelopment of the area into a contemporary icon of urban regeneration, because of the very restrictive rules on historical preservation and respect of the existing building typologies. The area could play an important role for the city in the gradual transition towards sustainable energies and infrastructure, acting beyond its local potential as an engine for the whole green and blue performance of the city. The social inclusion of local stakeholders and the open communication at all times can facilitate fast realization projects, bottom-up actions and the constitution of cooperatives that can bridge the gap between project and realization.

The block currently considered most valuable for residential densification and higher construction is the Janssens site, which will soon become available for development. The site received a negative assessment from the Unesco commission even if situated in a valuable position, adjacent to the canal, the site presents as well as contrasting elements. It is, in fact, more proximate than others to the Unesco buffer area, as well as the closest to the most unfriendly infrastructure of the whole district: the Sint Pieterskaade fly-over.

Traffic interventions need special attention due to the proximity of the site to the main axis east-west and the central ring. The proposal of turning the area in a multifunctional development brings considerations about the possible future increase of incoming car traffic, making necessary to combine its optimization and access to improved public transport, pedestrian, and bicycle routes.

As opposed to the tradition of reserving parking areas to each autonomous commercial, residential or office building, we propose to plan shared parking garages, retrofitting some of the existing commercial sheds, yet keeping them flexible for alternative long term uses as the future would bring an additional reduction of needed parking, due to a hopefully improved low carbon mobility.

THE PARTICIPATION PROCESS

The way in which government and society see each other is changing rapidly. The terms ‘government participation’, ‘doing democracy’, and ‘participation society’ refer to this development in different terms. Central to these developments, however, is that society will have to deal mostly with itself and the government will have to set loose more. This requires a fundamentally different attitude from all parties involved. Increasingly we see that the government is embracing citizens’ initiative and organic ‘bottom-up’ developments and linking them to its own processes. This development poses a challenge for society and the government because the roles vary and ultimately, they need each other. It influences the interaction between government, citizens, and social partners. The challenge is to find the right balance of participation in this playing field. For participation to be a success, it is therefore important that all parties involved actively participate. Our team has built up the necessary experience to successfully design participation processes. In general, we use the same system, but we ensure that a suitable solution is sought for every situation with customization. After all, participation is tailor-made, there is no blueprint. Therefore, we want to consider in consultation with the city of Bruges the preconditions within which participation is possible. An invitation is only useful if there is also room to exert influence. Our experience is that complex spatial developments often offer less room to influence the process and the outcome. If that space is not available, participation is not done thus avoiding disappointment and frustration. In this case, informing the data subjects will suffice. We do see room for broader participation for parts of the process and we propose to organize participatory workshops on the following themes. These themes then give us input to come up with scenarios with which we can determine the macro and micro strategies for the area. Interactive workshops play an important role in our approach. In view of the current restrictions surrounding COVID-19, we also see an important role for (online) surveys in this process. We want to make use of students from the University of Leuven for both variants. In summary, participation for team Nauta is no different than making agreements with each other about how we work together or may participate in a particular topic. Team Nauta believes that when a participation process is begun, two preconditions must be met:
• There is a clear framework in advance in which participation is demarcated. The participation rate is determined in advance in consultation with the client.
•  With active participation, participants can actually make a contribution.

NEDERALNDS

De plek van het Kaaidistrict binnen de stedelijke structuur van Brugge biedt een specifieke waarde vanuit menig aspect. Gelegen op de kruising van de belangrijkste oost-west en noord-zuid netwerken van nfrastruc-tuur, neemt het gebied een centrale plek in de ruimtelijke structuur op grotere schaal, die loopt van het historische, eivormige beschermde Unesco gebied tot en met de haven van Zeebrugge. Het gebied ligt aan het water, dat van oost naar west de Sint-Pieterskaai volgt en hiermee een grote kans biedt voor de herontwikkeling van een waterfront.

Zwakke punten en gevaren

De nabijheid van het Unesco gebied kan zowel een potentiële kans, als ook een bedreiging vormen voor de herontwikkeling van het Kaaidistrict tot een hedendaags icoon voor stede- lijke transformatie, in verband met de strikte regelgeving die met de werelderfgoed status en de historische gebou-wtypologieën samenhangt. Het belangrijkste is de rol die het Kaaidistrict zou kunnen spe-len in de geleidelijke transitie naar het gebruik van duurzame energie en infrastructuur, waarbij het een bovenwijkse bijdrage zou kunnen leveren aan de groen-blauwe ambitie voor heel Brugge. Het betrekken van lokale belanghebbenden in een inclusief en open participatie proces, ondersteunt een snellere realisatie, acties van on-derop en het vormen van samenwerkingsvormen die het gat tussen project en uitvoering kun-nen overbruggen.

Het blok dat momenteel het meest waardevol wordt geacht voor verdichting van de woonfunctie en hoog-bouw is de Janssens-locatie. Het ligt binnen het Kaaidistrict het dichts bij het Unesco-buffergebied, maar ook het dichtst bij de meest onvriendelijke infrastructuur van de hele wijk: het viaduct Sint Pieterskade. We begrijpen het belang van het benutten van het potentieel van het Kaaidistrict voor hogere gebouwen, omdat het precies tussen de twee belangrijkste landmarks van de stad ligt: het histo-rische centrum en de kust bij Zeebrugge.

Verkeersinterventies verdienen speciale aandacht vanwege de nabijheid van het gebied tot de oost-west hoofdas en de centrale ring. Het voorstel om in het gebied een multifunctionele ontwikkeling mogelijk te maken, zal leiden tot een mogelijke toekomstige toename van inkomend autoverkeer, waardoor optimalisatie van en toegang tot verbeterd openbaar vervoer noodzakelijk zal zijn, evenals verbeterde voetgangers- en fietsroutes.

In tegenstelling tot de traditie om parkeerplaatsen te reserveren voor elk autonoom bedrijfs-, woon- of kantoorge-bouw, stellen wij voor om gedeelde parkeergarages te plannen, door enkele bestaande commerciële loodsen hier-voor in te richten en deze flexibel te houden, voor alternatief langdurig gebruik, aangezien de toekomst een extra vermindering van het aantal benodigde parkeerplaatsen met zich mee zal brengen in verband met een steeds CO2 neutralere mobiliteit.

HET PARTICIPATIEPROCES

De manier waarop overheid en samenleving elkaar zien verandert snel. De termen over-heidsparticipatie, doe-democratie en participatiesamenleving refereren met verschillende bewoordingen aan deze ontwikkeling. Centraal bij deze ontwikkelingen staat echter dat de samenleving meer zelf zal moeten oppakken en de overheid meer zal moeten loslaten. Dat vraagt om een fundamenteel andere houding van alle betrokken partijen. We zien steeds vaker dat de overheid burgerinitiatief en organische ‘bottom-up’ ontwikkelingen omarmt en koppelt aan haar eigen processen. Deze ontwikkeling vormt een uitdaging voor samen-leving en overheid, omdat de rolinvulling varieert en ze elkaar uiteindelijk nodig hebben. Het beïnvloedt het samenspel tussen overheid, burgers en maatschappelijke partners. Het is de uitdaging om in dit speelveld de juiste balans van participatie te vinden. Participatie betekent actieve deelname. Om participatie een succes te laten zijn is het dan ook belangrijk dat alle betrokken partijen actief deelnemen. Zoals uit de praktijk blijkt, is dit eenvoudiger gezegd dan gedaan. Hierbij is het van belang om goed na te denken over de start van het traject en of de juiste vraag aan het juiste publiek gesteld gaat worden. Ons team heeft de nodige ervaring opgebouwd om participatietrajecten op een succesvolle wijze vorm te geven. Wij hanteren hierbij op hoofdlijnen dezelfde systematiek, maar zorgen met maatwerk dat voor elke situatie een passende oplossing wordt gezocht. Participatie is immers maatwerk. Voor participatie bestaat geen blauwdruk. Wij willen daarom in goed overleg met de stad Brugge nadenken binnen welke randvoorwaarden participatie mogelijk is. Een uitnodiging tot participatie is alleen zinvol als er ook ruimte is om invloed uit te oefenen. Onze ervar-ing is dat complexe ruimtelijke ontwikkelingen vaak minder ruimte bieden om daadwerkelijk invloed uit te oefenen op het proces en de uitkomst. Is die ruimte er niet, laat participatie dan achterwege en voorkom daarmee teleurstelling en frustratie. In dit geval zal informeren van de betrokkenen voldoende zijn. Gezien het in de aanvraag geschetste verhaal zien wij voor delen van het proces wel ruimte voor bredere participatie en stellen wij voor op de volgende thema’s participatieve workshops te organiseren. Deze thema’s geven ons vervolgens input om te komen tot scenario’s waarmee we de macro en micro strategieën voor het gebied kun-nen bepalen. Interactieve workshops spelen in onze aanpak een belangrijke rol. Gezien de huidige restricties rond COVID-19 zien wij in dit proces ook een belangrijke rol weggelegd voor (online) enquêtes. Wij willen bij beide varianten gebruik maken van studenten van de Universiteit Leuven.Samengevat is participatie voor team Nauta niet anders dan dat we met elkaar afspraken maken over hoe we samenwerken of mogen meedoen met een bepaald onderwerp. Team Nauta vindt dat wanneer een participatietraject gestart word aan twee randvoorwaarden voldaan moet worden:
• Er is vooraf een helder kader waarin participatie wordt afgebakend. De partici-patiegraad wordt vooraf in afstemming met de opdrachtgever bepaald.
• Bij actieve participatie kunnen participanten ook daadwerkelijk een bijdrage leveren

UTRECHT HOUSE

SHENZHEN QIANHAI ISLAND

Invited competition

Program: landscape and urban design for the artificial island above the underwater connection between highway S3 and Hubin W Rd

Total site area: 13.5 ha

Client: The People’s Government of Bao’an District in Shenzhen & Urban Planning, Land & Resources Commission of Shenzhen Municipality

Location: Shenzhen, China

Year: 2018 – 2019

Team: NAUTA architecture & research, VTLab London, Metrostudio Shenzhen

How to mitigate the negative effects of an infrastructure based on car traffic and design it to rather adapt nature to the transformations that climate change will bring?

The Shenzhen government is planning to rethink a relatively new portion of the Highway along the Pearl river delta. This infrastructure will soon intersect another highway, which entering the bay, will turn into the Shenzhen-Zhuhai bridge.

In order to minimize the environmental impact of this structure, the government is planning to move the highways’ intersection underwater.
Feasibility studies have been carried out in order to evaluate the impact of such structure, as well as the costs and benefits of different structural typologies.

We have been invited to envisage the potential for transforming this artificial island from a mere technical ventilation shaft into a landscape landmark.
We entered this challenge trying minimizing the impact of the infrastructure and design it as a self-sustainable cluster; An island capable of producing its own energy, collect and discharge rain water, use it for its natural cycles, reuse and compost its waste, react to water rise by defending the interior landscape, while leaving its outer boundary to flood when necessary, produce algae for water phytodepuration and as natural fertilizer; An enclosed natural circle, as much as possible not depending on the depletion of external energy sources.

Our project creates a thematic island that includes leisure, nature and sustainable energies production. An underground parking makes the upper landscape accessible only by boat, feet, bike or small electric vehicles.

SHANGHAI – MAX TRANSFORMER

Project name: ELAB 未来人居原型空间产品研发设计任务书
ELAB Future Living Prototype Space

Status: Delivered patent, design development

Program: Flexible housing units for urban dwellers in China

Total area: Type A – 97 sqm + 50 terrace; Type B – 77 sqm + 14 sqm terrace

Budget: confidential

Client: Shanghai Ding Zhuo Network Technology Co., Ltd – 上海定卓网络科技有限公司

Location: Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing. China

Design: 2017/2018

Team: NAUTA architecture & research: Valentina Cella, Anastasia Celli, Maurizio Scarciglia, Francesca Vanelli, Tianyi Xue, Nur Zayat

The Max Transformer

Cities are becoming very big. Thy are so enormous that living in a metropolis means today living in a constellation of cities, where we might live in one and work in another, basing our lifestyle on traditional commuting patterns.

Cities are a good invention, many say. They bring together smart minds, they boost the economic power of a region, they generate opportunities. Cities cluster immense numbers of people in one single spot, emptying the countryside from its human power and micro economy. Nevertheless, everybody is attracted to the city and all trends predict massive growth in urban population, with an exponent need for sustainable housing, for new complex and extended family patterns.

Nowadays spend the biggest chuck of our existence in between production and consumption activities. We wake up in the morning and move to our office where we spend almost the whole day, till the time we grab some grocery and go back home to spend the few  left hours of the day with our beloved ones. This lifestyle has generated a vast opinion on the need to reduce our housing to minimum space, where we can satisfy the essential needs of privacy and rest, while externalizing all social activities outside, in a square, a bar, a restaurant, a club. Cities like Tokyo or Hong Kong are the perfect example of this lifestyle. Because of the insane costs for housing, here people can live into units as small as 15sqm, spending most of their time outside and reducing their belongings to the very essential.

These housing models offer very little space to kitchen and living, making sure that the inhabitants have the truly essential base for living: a shelter to rest and sleep. When looking at the latest trends though, we discover a multitude of lifestyles blossoming in our society. The evolution of the employment market, the switch from traditional long term employment to a more dynamic work environment, according to which youngsters are very encouraged to embrace entrepreneurial activities or multiple employment, consultancy and freelancing, are all factors that will deeply transform how we live.

It is not new the possibility to combine living and working in the same place, extending the brief of the architect when designing a house. Remote working and easy web communication make even more sustainable working at home, since people can drastically cut commuting time and maximize their time working and living in one place. This model brings as well the benefit of reinforcing so far threatened familiar relationships; it improves the quality of life of people otherwise forced to spend hours in public transport every day, while cutting the number of cars moving in our cities, thus reducing pollution.

So what will the future of urban dwelling look like? Will it shrink to minimum size living, or will it host all necessary spaces that a human being needs during the day? Will it externalize social activities or embed work and entertainment in one single place? Perhaps the answer to this doubt will translate in a system capable to absorb different wishes and therefore the housing market will gradually offer the flexibility to customize every dwelling according to the specific needs of its inhabitants.

From hyper fragmented dwellings we move to loft models, where the wishes of the buyer can potentially customize the same units into very different solutions. How to accommodate this flexibility, how to make it technologically smart, economically sustainable, are design tasks for the coming future. One more issue to consider is the multi-functionality of the residential clusters, in order to offer all necessary amenities to the local inhabitants. These functions space from office spaces to retail and entertainment facilities, such as shops, restaurants, gym, spa, as well as cultural venues, transforming the new real estate developments into complex leasable machines. The multi-functional developments can benefit from the flexible program, in order to absorb possible shifts of market and therefore become buffers for the developers’ investments. The mix of functions cuts as well on distances, favouring the sustainable mobility in the city. In this perspective, mixed use developments, combined with housing, are to be incentivized.

We could summarize the key arguments driving the future urban dwelling as being:

– exponential growth of urban population, which will increase the need of housing stock

– the transformation of familiar patterns, with a growing number of families composed by one or two persons.

– Climate change and the impact of fossil fuel will affect tremendously new lifestyles, drove by the urgency for new sustainable forms of transportation and mobility.

– The virtual world will blur the strict separation between working and living spaces, improving remote working.

– Dynamic lifestyles will transform the concept of property, favouring the concepts of ‘sharing’ and ‘temporary’. Emblematic is the case of Airbnb, Uber, Couch Surfing, apps that support the modern nomadic lifestyle.

– Housing prices in the city centres are growing exponentially worldwide. This will either bring to the exclusivity of city centres, accessible only to high social classes, or to the shrink of housing size.

In light of this, the new housing will bring to compact developments of micro apartments, developed within multifunctional clusters, micro cities within the metropolitan magma.

Suspended floor

This project is an exploration on flexibility, based of the internal height of the apartment. The requested prototype should have an internal height of  3.0 m. This makes us think that, beside working on traditional sliding walls, we could take advantage of extra space located under an added floating floor.

We provide the dwelling with a suspended, partially movable floor, that in its normal position is lifted 60 cm from the actual structural floor, reducing the standard internal height to 2.40m . When the portions of movable floor are lowered, the dwelling presents internal pits, reaching 3.0 m height. The hollow space below the suspended floor accommodates beds, couches, chairs, provided with wheels for their easy manual sliding.

This system offers the the maximal flexibility when the floor is lifted and all furniture are stored underground. We propose three pits that can be used as 3 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms and one living room. In order to divide the spaces into private rooms, we engineered a system of sliding/rotating closets that can parcel the spaces, while lodging closets, TV, as well as the necessary sound proof partitions between rooms.

To materialize the prototype the market offers sophisticated hydraulic movable systems, as well as simple pulling-ropes systems, adapting to the different budgets from the investors purchasing the patent. Combined with a completely foldable glass façade, the plan allows the maximal flexibility of the apartment, offering an internal open space of approximately 80 sqm. This can additionally be summed to the terrace, reaching a total open space of approximately 130 sqm. Our goal is to offer the possibility to have simultaneously the maximal open space, as well as a normal 3 rooms apartment with kitchen and two bathrooms. Kitchen and bathrooms are packed on one side of the apartment, providing space for all movable furniture in a unique efficient block. The open corner of the flat offers a perfect location for a panoramic Jacuzzi bathtub that in the summer can offer an open air spa experience.

居住在大城市

由于当今城市变得越来越大，人们居住在建筑群组中，但工作却在不同的区域中，因此我们的生活方式基于传统的出行模式。

有些人认为城市是一个好的发明。它是可以集合不同的思想，增长当地区域的经济力量和创造多种多样的机会

大量的人口聚集在城市一个建筑群组中生活工作发展经济，使农村变得更空旷。

然而，大部分人还是被大城市所吸引，导致城市大量人口的增加也对新型住在，综合体还有家庭结构的增长有不同的需要。

如果我们去观察在大城市中人们的生活方式，当今我们在生产和消费中所花费的是最多的。每天早晨去公司上班，花几乎整天的时间在办公室，下班后去超市买点市场所需，花费很少的时间与我们的家人在一起。这样的生活方式产生了一个广泛的选择是在满足基本室内空间需求和休息隐秘的情况下，将我们的居住面积竟可能的减小。提高室外的社交活动如：广场 酒吧 餐厅，夜店等

这种室外社交导致了我们居住的空间变得小而优，提供小的厨房空间和生活空间确保住户拥有基本的住宅空间所需：睡眠与休息。

当查看最新的住宅趋势，我们发现多重的生活方式在我们社会中展开。就业市场的发展,从传统的长期就业的工作环境,变为非常鼓励拥有或多个就业创业机会,咨询公司和自由职业者,所有的这些因素都在潜移默化的改变着我们的生活方式。

将工作与居住在同一个空间已经不是一个不可能的现象。远程遥控工作和简单的远程信息处理沟通使在家工作更具有可持续性,因为人们可以大大降低在大城市中上下班交通时间，居住和工作在一个空间还可以最大化地提高工作时间。

我们未来居住会是什么样的呢？它会变成最小化的居住空间,或将人们日常所有必要的空间结合在一起？会是将工作与娱乐结合在一个空间吗？

也许这个疑问的答案是将会转化为一个系统能实现不同的愿望,因此房地产市场将逐步提供必要的灵活性,根据不同居民的具体需求定制每一个住宅单元。

从高层传统居住模式变为loft居住模式,购买者可以在同样的空间来自己制定截然不同的需求方案。如何迎合这种灵活性,使它在技术上智能,经济可持续发展,是未来设计任务的未来

居住在都市

由于当今城市变得越来越大，人们居住在建筑群组中，但工作却在不同的区域中，因此我们的生活方式基于传统的出行模式。有些人认为城市是一个好的发明。它是可以集合不同的思想，增长当地区域的经济力量和创造多种多样的机会。大量的人口聚集在城市一个建筑群组中生活工作发展经济，使农村变得更空旷。然而，大部分人还是被大城市所吸引，导致城市大量人口的增加也对新型住宅，综合体还有家庭结构的增长有不同的需要。

如果我们去观察在大城市中人们的生活方式，当今我们在生产和消费中所花费的是最多的。每天早晨去公司上班，花几乎整天的时间在办公室，下班后去超市买日常所需，花费很少的时间与我们的家人在一起。这样的生活方式产生了一个新的的选择是：在满足基本室内空间需求和休息隐秘的情况下，将我们的居住面积竟可能的减小。提高室外的社交活动如：广场 酒吧 餐厅，夜店等。

这种室外社交导致了我们居住的空间变得小而优，提供小的厨房空间和生活空间确保住户拥有基本的住宅空间所需：睡眠与休息。

当查看最新的住宅趋势，我们发现多重的生活方式在我们社会中展开。就业市场的发展,从传统的长期就业的工作环境,变为非常鼓励拥有或多个就业创业机会,咨询公司和自由职业者。所有的这些因素都在潜移默化的改变着我们的生活方式。

将工作与居住在同一个空间已经不是一个不可能的现象。远程遥控工作和简单的远程信息处理沟通使在家工作更具有可持续性,人们可以大大降低在大城市中上下班交通时间。居住和工作在一个空间还可以最大化地提高工作时间。

我们未来居住会是什么样的呢？它会变成最小化的居住空间,或将人们日常所有必要的空间结合在一起？还是会将工作与娱乐结合在一个空间？

也许这个疑问的答案是将会转化为一个系统能实现不同的愿望,因此房地产市场将逐步提供必要的灵活性,根据不同居民的具体需求定制每一个住宅单元。

从高层传统居住模式变为loft居住模式,购买者可以在同样的空间来自己制定截然不同的需求方案。如何迎合这种灵活性,使它在技术上智能,经济可持续发展,是未来设计任务。

另一个需要考虑的问题是住宅集群的多功能性,为了居民生活提供所有必要的设施。这些功能空间混合在办公空间零售和娱乐设施,如商店、餐厅、健身房、水疗中心,以及文化场所。促使新的房地产开发，复杂的管理和租赁，需要多方投资者参与。它实际上是表明,发展多功能性可以从灵活的组织中受益,为了适应市场的变化,因此开发商不会面临单一投资的风险。混合功能不但减小交通距离,而且利于人的可持续循环,从而减少交通污染和不可持续发展性。

对于未来住宅发展方向的要点：

• 城市人口的增长将增加住房所需
• 家庭模式的变化，一人或丁克的家庭数量增长
• 气候变化和燃料大量使用影响新生活方式,需要走向新的可持续发展的交通方式和流动性。
• 网络 世界也会影响生活方式,工作和生活空间没有明显界限和提高了家中工作方式
• 动态的生活方式将改变购买住房的概念,支持共享和临时的概念。具有代表性的应用程序都支持现代流动的新生活方式
• 城市中心的房价的增长使城市中心具有排他性,非常高的社会阶层的人,或选择住房小尺寸来满足城市中心居住的可能。

在这些方面的影响下，新住房趋势会是发展的微型公寓,在复杂的多功能建筑集群中开发,能够满足日益增长的服务,体育和文化设施。

另一个需要考虑的问题是住宅集群的多功能性,为了居民生活提供所有必要的设施。这些功能空间混合在办公空间零售和娱乐设施,如商店、餐厅、健身房、水疗中心,以及文化场所。促使这种新的房地产开发，复杂的管理和租赁，需要多方投资者参与。它实际上是表明,发展多功能性可以从灵活的组织中受益,为了适应市场的变化,因此开发商不会面临单一投资的风险。混合功能不但减小交通距离,而且利于人的可持续循环,从而减少交通污染和不可持续发展性。

对于未来住宅发展方向的要点：

• 城市人口的增长将增加住房所需
• 家庭模式的变化，一人或丁克的家庭数量增长
• 气候变化和燃料大量使用影响新生活方式,需要走向新的可持续发展的交通方式和流动性。
• 网络世界也会影响生活方式,工作和生活空间没有明显界限，家中工作方式将提高。
• 动态的生活方式将改变购买住房的概念,支持共享和临时性。具有代表性的Airbnb, Couch surfing,应用程序都支持现代流动的新生活方式
• 城市中心的房价的增长使城市中心具有排他性,高的社会阶层的人,或选择住房小尺寸来满足城市中心居住的可能。

在这些方面的影响下，新住房趋势会是发展的微型公寓,在复杂的多功能建筑集群中开发,能够满足日益增长的服务,体育和文化设施。

FEZ-BAB JDID-CARPARK

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.