Housing Analysis Studio / Fall 2022
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Terni, Italy / Giancarlo de Carlo
Professor Guido Zuliani
Group Project with Tina Chang, Laura Song
‍
[See Kanchanjunga Apartments]
De Carlo’s Quartiere Matteoti tries not to impress nor persuade, but to disappear. The project is an early critique of modernist urbanism; through form and a participational design process, De Carlo disrupts uniformity yet respects vernacular context and the modesty demanded by high density housing. Tiered terraces, an extensive network and ambitions for a larger urban outlet are examples of responsible design. While using only three basic unit types, their arrangement, rotation and relation to communal paths result in endless combinations on a macro scale.
‍
On the micro scale, details such as a stair connecting two communal platforms, or a diagonal bridge between shared spaces allow an architectural agency to critical moments without compromising on practical restrictions posed by density. Each unit has access to its own outdoor space and tiered balconies that create a colourful shared zone behind apartments. Shown to the right is a hybrid design fragment combining the balcony space and transitory stair elements from both projects to form a junction point in a multigenerational housing system.