GPPR...in the end

Dopo mesi di travagliato lavoro, ecco alla fine il progetto definitivo per tre microspazi a Milano. Tre piazze che prima erano isolate, spoglie e prive di qualsiasi carattere. Ora possono così prendere vita, essere unite tra di loro in un sistema ben definito, veri spazi in cui vivere e non più subire la vita con i suoi problemi; fermarsi e vedere passare il tempo, non farsi trapassare da esso subendolo. Luoghi in cui rifugiarsi dal traffico tentacolare e caotico, non dove esercitarlo...Un'oasi di tranquillità da scoprire.

The Bahá’í Gardens in Haifa and ‘Akko, together with the buildings found in them,

represent both the historical memory and the contemporary heart of the

worldwide Bahá’í community.

Herein lies the “outstanding universal value” that was recently recognized by

UNESCO in its decision to add these sites to the list of World Heritage to be

preserved for future generations.

The Gardens

In the architectural analysis of these sites, great importance is given to the gardens, which contribute no less than the structures to the unique character of the properties. Indeed, in these sites, the gardens have several essential functions:

· The gardens serve as a medium to insulate the buildings and certain outdoor spaces of particular importance from the noise and frenetic activity of the surroundings, which are mainly urban. The same insulating effect could he achieved by a structure, such as a high wall, but gardening is softer and less divisive. The quiet atmosphere of the protected inner spaces creates a sense of calm serenity which is conducive to contemplation, prayer and spiritual gatherings, without any feeling of being confined or cloistered.

· The gardens also constitute the way to approach places which are considered sacred. As such, they contribute to the spiritual experience, transforming a simple path into a process that enables the pilgrim to prepare him or herself to enter the holy place. In most cases, the gardens allow the visitor to choose among different routes, and some offer the option of circling around the sacred spot without necessarily entering it, an act which has its own spiritual significance.

· Finally, the gardens are the fabric that connects the different buildings located in them. While the structures are built in different styles based on the period of construction and their usage, the gardens have a unique and clear planning language, both within each garden and among the different gardens.

The gardens designed by the Bahá’ís have common characteristics: interplay of light and shade; usage of water elements and geometrical shapes like circles and eight-pointed stars that repeat themselves; symmetrical designs yielding to asymmetrical elements out of respect for nature or history: and juxtaposition of very intensive areas and extensive areas, often with a gradual merging that softens boundary lines within the garden and at the perimeter of the site, creating a transition area or buffer which promotes harmony between the site and its surroundings.

Many of these common elements can be traced to the Persian influences which are visible in all the gardens.

· The origin of Persian gardens may date back as far as 4000 BCE; the presence of water grew increasingly important. This trend manifested itself in garden design with greater emphasis placed on fountains and ponds in gardens.

· Sunlight and its effects were an important factor of structural design in Persian gardens. Textures and shapes were specifically chosen by architects to harness the light.

· Shade is also very important in the garden, without which it could not be a usable area. Trees and trellises are used to create resting areas for gathering and seclusion that are especially needed in the Persian summer heat. (Khonsari et al, 1998)

· The Persian style often attempts to integrate that which is “indoors” with the “outdoors”. This is often achieved through the connection of a surrounding garden, with an inner courtyard. (Newton, 1979)

The Connection between the architecture and the historical development of the Bahá’í Faith

In the beginning, the Bahá’í religion sprang from Islam, and Bahá’u’lláh’s affinity to the culture from which he was exiled is clearly seen. With the detachment of the Bahá’í religion from Islam and its evolution into an independent world religion, it was exposed to other cultures and assimilated architectural elements from the East and the West. This development can be traced in both the gardens and the buildings, as the strong Islamic and Persian influences found in the early properties become combined with elements from other cultures in the more recent buildings and gardens.

For example, the Persian elements are dominant in the Ridván Garden, which was the first to be developed by the Bahá’ís. The gardens at Bahji are mixed gardens, essentially Persian but with neo-classic elements, such as marble pillars and ornamental urns, local flora, such as olive, citrus and pomegranate trees, and exotic elements such as cactus gardens and bonsai trees. In the terraced gardens in Haifa, which are the newest, the diversity and the influence of Western elements are even stronger, and one can see neo-classic steps, elements of English gardens and widespread usage of local flora.

Likewise, the first structures that were purchased by the Bahá’ís in Acre were typical Ottoman buildings with a strong affinity to Persian architecture. The first structures built by the Bahá’ís in Haifa (the Shrine of the Báb and the buildings in the Persian Quarter) adopted local Oriental architecture, a choice which reflects practical considerations while manifesting a degree of detachment from the Persian sources. In the final stage, the choice of an international neo-classical style integrating diverse elements, including some signs of fidelity to Oriental roots, reflect the independence of the religion and its worldwide spread.

The Bahá’í gardens in both Haifa and ‘Akko are designed according to a hierarchical principle involving intensive treatment of relatively small areas at the heart of the site, where a colorful effect is achieved with small but strategically placed beds of seasonal flowers, complimented with eye-catching cactus gardens. The intensively treated areas are surrounded by informal plantings featuring drought-tolerant species such as echium, rosemary and oleander, as well as yucca, almond, olive, cypress and pine trees. Once established, these plantings require minimal maintenance and very little water. They, in turn, blend into areas which are kept in a natural state to host populations of birds, insects and animals that will help maintain the ecological balance of the site.

Every year, more than 75% of the lawn in the ‘Akko gardens is turned under in the summer months. In years of severe water shortage, some of these areas are covered with mulch and left unplanted all year to achieve additional water savings. Likewise, large areas of the Haifa gardens are covered with rye grass in the winter and dried out during the summer. Since the sloping surfaces of the gardens in Haifa must be planted year-round to prevent erosion, extensive use is made of ivy and other ground-covers that require less water than lawn.

The irrigation systems installed in the Bahá’í gardens are considered among the most advanced in the world. At the hub of the system is a computer that operates hundreds of valves to direct water through a complex network of polyethylene tubing so that each type of plant receives the amount it needs at the right time, according to the atmospheric conditions. To achieve this, the irrigation scheduler uses meteorological data from a special weather forecast issued by the Technion to project the evapo-transpiration rate, a major indicator of the amount of water that will be needed by the vegetation.

Design Features of the Terraced Gardens on Mount Carmel

The number of terraces is eighteen, like the first followers of the Báb, whom He called the “Letters of the Living”. In Arabic, as in Hebrew, the word for “life” is hai and the numerical value of its letters is eighteen.

We used only local stone quarried in the Galilee. Part of the work was executed in Italy, by computerized equipment that does not exist in Israel. It seems that the first time that stone was exported from Israel to Italy!

In order to cover the 225 meters from the bottom to the top with minimal usage of structures and walls, we hollowed into the mountain instead of building out from it. The unique view creates a dramatic merging of sea, mountain and sky. For me, the eighteen terraces are rungs in a ladder leading to the spiritual meeting with the shrine, and signify, for pilgrims, the ascension of the spirit to Heaven. These are not only gardens for beauty – they are gardens for the spirit.

HTW University of Applied Sciences

The open systems design provides a basic idea for new construction
of surfaces with clear public areas and functional areas with green space.

• The integrated area of the campus open urban context.

• Reorganization of parking spaces.

• Upgrade the surface for green space.

• Unique design language and color inspired by the architecture, hot block (red), yellow cement and contrast gray that surrounds it.
  

• The place is clear and sculptural, a long cement table and a lawn as sculptures.

Proposal for a multifunctional arena
in Bratislava-Petržalka, Slovakia
(Credits: Maroš Fečík, Marek Bohunický)

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Sustainable technology:
Walking up to the building, in used of green roofs,
one is greeted by a beautiful trees.
(Stelmat)

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A proposal for a school in Asminderod, Denmark.
(Bjarke Ingels Group)

• Landscape for the children that compliments the school’s focus

on nature and sustainability.

• The school features a variety of green building techniques

that teach environmentalism by design

Garden of Knowledge

Commission by Swedish National Housing Exhibition 'Bo 01' and the municipality of Malmö in 2001

Monika Gora

Il garden of knowledge consiste di nove elementi che si organizzano tra loro per creare un giardino didattico,il cui tema è il rapporto tra la natura e l`azione di modifica dell`uomo.Una foresta di salici abbraccia il giardino e dialoga con delle torri poste a corona dei recinti al centro della composizione .Le torri vogliono essere dei "castelli in aria" di diversa altezza e sono costruite in acciaio e paglia.Nei recinti invece sono ospitati dei veri e propri racconti naturalisti,il cui fine è quello di coinvolgere il visitatore attraverso l'esperienza sensoriale

WALDEN STUDIOS – ALEXANDER VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

Progettista: ANDREA COCHRAN

Il paesaggio è una costruzione di percezione che si svolge nel tempo,tramite l’interazione tra natura e artificio, tra un territorio e i suoi abitanti. L’architettura di Andrea Cochran lavora sulla tensione che contrappone il luogo al paesaggio. La composizione di questo progetto si organizza attorno ad un sistema di assi ortogonali, in grado di creare forti relazioni tra la natura originaria e la costruzione dei luoghi per la vita dell’uomo. Suoli, muri, alberi, arbusti, terre, pietre, metalli e acqua sono tutti ingredienti offerti dalla paesaggista allo sguardo ravvicinato, giocano tra di loro e sono ordinati in tal modo da costruire forme dalla geometria precisa. In generale la sequenza dei percorsi è ben relazionata tra interno ed esterno dell’edificio ed il tutto si apre verso lo sfondo dei rilievi circostanti.

Dani Karavan

Dani Karavan, is one of Israel’s most outstanding environmental sculptors, who has won numerous awards for his monumental memorials which “blend into the environment” in which they are created. Karavan was born in Israel in 1930 and studied at the acclaimed Bezalal Academy of the Arts in Jerusalem. He began his artistic career in the mid 1950’s after studying Italian fresco technique at the Academia delle Belle Arti in Florence and drawing at the Academie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris.
His is well known for his numerous memorials which include several dedicated to the Holocaust and the 6 million Jews who perished in that terrible episode in history. He has designed sculptures dedicated to life and peace, including his Jerusalem City of Peace sculpture (1964) as well as wall relief works such as his Tree of knowledge to the Tree of life relief; and a special one dealing with the Holocaust. His sculptures, many of them done as special memorial commissions, are on display in a number of countries, including France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Switzerland.


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The Monument to the Negev Brigade, who fell defending Israel during the 1948 Arab Israeli War. "Andartat Hativat HaNegev"


An outstanding desert sculpture by the artist, which is dedicated to the path of peace, is his “Way of Peace,” which commemorates Israel’s peaceful relations with Egypt and took four years to complete (1996-2000). The sculpture is located in the Negev desert near Nitzana, Israel. Symbol of the Negev and Beersheba.



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Dani Karavan’s most outstanding environmental contribution, comes from his work in preserving Tel-Aviv’s unique “White City” architecture, which was constructed in the city up to the early 1950’s. The unique and modern international style of many of these buildings resulted in the UNESCO organization proclaiming Tel Aviv’s “White City” as a World Heritage Site in 2003.

Kikar Levana (White Square) 1977-1988 Tel-Aviv, Israel. This white square which is located in a park overlooking the city of Tel-Aviv, is an homage to the pepole who build the city of Tel-Aviv, also called "The White City". In this project Karavan used a vocabulary of basic structures: a tower, a staircase, a pyramid and a dome.

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• Karavan helped to convince then mayor Shlomo Lahat to undergo a program to preserve these buildings, under a restoration program that is still continuing to this day.

• Just a few of Karavan’s many art achievement awards include The Israel Prize (1977) and the Japanese annual Praemium Imperiale Art Award in 1998.

• Known fondly as “BGU” by both students and alumni, the University began as a dream by Israel’s first prime minister David Ben Gurion; who not only dreamed of settling Israel’s harsh desert Negev region, but to provide a top academic institution for the region’s inhabitants as well.

• Since the university opened its doors in 1963, it has graduated thousands of fine young people who have come to study there not only from all over Israel, but from many countries worldwide as well.

• More than 18,000 students are currently enrolled at the University’s campuses, and among the academic and scientific programs being offered include those dealing with environmental science, such as water and global warming, and various forms of alternative and renewable energy at the university’s external campus at Kibbutz Sde Boker.

Pessimi progetti: Alberto Burri

Un progetto realizzato (purtroppo) che reputo uno dei peggiori esempi di land art che siano mai stati realizzati è il cretto di Gibellina , realizzato sulle macerie dell’omonimo paese distrutto interamente dal terremoto del Belice (14 gen 1968) nel 1984 per commemorare la tragedia. Si presenta come un'immensa superficie ondulata, spaccata da profonde crepe e fenditure. E' formato da grandi blocchi di cemento, grosso modo quadrangolari, separati tra loro da profondi solchi. I blocchi misurano 10-20 metri di lato e sono alti circa 1,60 metri. I solchi misurano in larghezza circa 2-3 metri, e sono percorribili a piedi.
Il tracciato dei blocchi e delle fenditure ricalca sostanzialmente l'antico impianto viario, con i suoi isolati e le sue stradette: infatti i blocchi di cemento ricoprono le macerie degli edifici distrutti.

 Oggi “l’opera” essendo di grandi dimensioni ( circa 300x400 metri) e perciò priva di qualsiasi protezione dalle intemperie si sta degradando e necessita di un  restauro. È il caso? Al posto di questa colata di cemento (perché altro non è) non si potevano lasciare le macerie e costruirvi intorno un parco naturale che le contenga così come sono?