Project 2 Jury: Architecture and Urban Fabric

Given: (unattractive) parking lot next to the Italian Parliament building in Rome as a site.  And Theater parameters.

Assignment: Take Theater and add backstage and lobby zones.  Leave space for public exterior space as well.  Fit site within urban fabric.

My Initial Thoughts: The stairwell located at the southernmost entrance of the site (about a story of height difference) gave me the idea to expand the higher grade further into my site, and incorporate the stairwell somewhere within my site.  I also want to separate the new outdoor piazza space from the current piazza space existing in front of the Parliament building.

Resulting Exterior: The awkward space at the southern tip of the site becomes a small piazzetta (at a new raised grade).  Ideally, the Corner tip of the new building becomes a bar to give this space a place of interest.  The stairs to take the experiencer down to the grade of the Parliament, are located in 2 places, down a dark alley along the west facade of the Parliament building, and another stair on the west side of the new building.  Those stairs are wide, which sparked the idea that they should be turned into a setting that can also be used as an outdoor theater.  Then was the conundrum on how to facade the entrance, which ultimately shapes the piazza area as well.  Keeping up with the Theater motif, I was inspired by a theater in the round, which is a theater of gathering around a center point of interest, much like a piazza.  A colonnade across the facade of the circle would also continue, in order to create a visual separation between the piazza and the theater, but still leave it open when not in use.

Resulting Interior: A lobby space shaped by the cropped circle to the west, and a flat border from the piazza in front of the Parliament to the east.  There is also a backstage space that has an attachment to the outdoor theater for when that is in use. 

Overall:  Yet again, everyones critiques were enjoyable to sit through.  Everyone brought a new argument to the table that were all entirely plausible.  I have been enjoying how our critiques have become more of intellectual discussions about how well we conceptualized and how much more we could do if we had say another week.  The jurors likes my use of grade changing and utilizing the stairs and suggested if i had another week, my geometries would most likely evolve to be more organic.

Saturday we leave for Istanbul, where, yet again, I will be without a computer.  I am extremely excited to go to such an different country. The Rome of the East.  The perfect spot for an architecture student in Rome to visit during their study abroad.  This experience is going to be crazy.  Food is going to be different, and Mrs Basu wont be there assuring me that its delicious, so I am really embarking on something new.

My only question: To bath, or not to bath?  You know what they say, When in.... Istanbul.... I guess?

Advice: Traveling to Rome for the first time

This coming week I will most likely be busy with jury work.  Followed by Istanbul right before my family arrives in Rome the same day I return.  So, I decided that now is the perfect time to tell my parents,  grandparents, and sister, what to expect when they come to Italy:

Packing:  Pack

The Flight: Try to sleep.  I didn’t, and its long and aggravating if you don’t.  The food is poopish, but you’ll survive. Everything is in English and Italian.

Walking: Sensible (cute) walking shoes are a must!  (Emily loves her Clarks for example)  You WILL twist your ankle, I guarantee.  So avoid if possible.  And when you do, it is not the end of the world.  Just keep walking and it will go away, I promise.  You may find yourself at times looking at the ground rather than the scenery around you, don’t miss out on Rome because your keeping your eye on the unevenness.

Bathrooms: my favorite topic.  best piece of advice: find the flushy mechanism before using.  Its sometimes on the wall, or the tip of the water tank, or its a flat panel with 2 buttons, one bigger than the other.  This is a water saving technique that they are actually trying to start in America.  Its pretty self explanatory why you would need two different flush options. Toilets also sometimes dont have seat covers.  I dont know.  Just work with it.  Use the bathroom whenever you are in a restaurant or something just because with all the walking, you never know when you will have to go next.  Oh and your hotels will probably have a bidet.  I dont have anything to say about that, I just wanted to tell you.

Street venders: they are gunna want you to buy their super cool gelatin balls shaped like pigs that you throw on the ground and they flatten and then come back to form.  I’m sure you’ll have no difficulty ignoring.  You can also simply ignore the strange man wanting to sell you a bouquet of flowers. You’re not insulting anyone.

Fashion: I haven't felt like I was being judged yet, but then again, I am a very stylish person.  Try not to look too touristy though, if you come with a fannypack, unless its Gucci, you might be.  Don’t wear shorts.  Italians wear jackets no matter what the temperature is, you do not have to follow this.  As a matter of fact I am not sure you will need much of a heavy coat anyway.  The temperature has been between the 50s and 60s.  I know, the rough life.

Food: just try it.  It will be fine.  If there is something you find you don’t like about it, just pick around it, because odds are the rest is yummy.  Breakfast is usually small, lunch isn’t until 2, and dinner isn’t until 7 or 8 (unless otherwise planned....?).

Drinks: When you sit down for dinner, the waiter automatically asks what type of wine you would like.  If you say coke, I think he is going to laugh at you.  You can say water though (which is usually good to mix with the wine).  Soda is different here in general.  Coke is made with real sugar, and a lot of it.  I find I dont like it, too syrupy.  Some people prefer it.  Orange soda here is more like carbonated orange juice.  Diet is not “Diet Coke,” here it is called “Coke Light”  

Puppies:  they are everywhere and they are all adorable, and they all have adorable sweaters on.  You don’t have to stop and admire the first one you see because they will all be cute.  Sometimes they don’t have a leach on them, which is fine because if you watch them, they are closely following their owner.  Sometimes they come with a bum sitting behind them.  Thats the bum trend here, have puppies with them as an added sympathy factor.

Kitties: sorry Mom Mom, they like hanging out near ruins.  They wont play with you I promise.

Gelato: I am sorry to say, that lately, it has been making my stomach hurt, so mama, bring lactaids.  Cioccolate Fondente is dark choclate, that is my favorite.  Cocco is not chocolate, its coconut.     

Leather shopping in Florence:  If the salesmen holds a lighter up to a jacket you are trying on WHILE it is on your body, he is just making a point that good leather doesn’t burn (this was one entertaining fact during our visit).  A good jacket seemed to have run my friends anywhere between 100-200 euro. When it comes to purses, make sure the lining is cotton, not polyester, or else its not a good liner.  Don’t feel pressured to buy either (that lady trying to sell to JoJo was CRAZY!). 

 Have fun: Take your time.  Everything has been here for centuries and will be here next time you come, so don’t rush.  Do as the Romans do and walk a little slower (advice I shouldn’t be giving, considering I have not conformed to this pace yet)

Assisi this time

We made it!

Got to the train station nice and early.  Had plenty of time to mozy our way down the terminal to get to the remote location of our train.  It was perfect.

Assisi was more beautiful than I expected it.  The quaint village was completely nestled in the mountains.  All the buildings were of the same local pink/peach stone.

We went into the first cute little church we saw.  Being the only ones in there, we were snap-shotting away at the stone arches and chipped frescos.  I got to the alter first and noticed something strange set out at the end of the aisle.... a wooden box... a large wooden box... with flowers on it.... white flowers.... white lilies... “uhhh.... Emily....?” she was on the other side of the casket from me, with her hand on her mouth.  We all took our last few photos, and then ran out.  Why was there a casket just all by itself?  Don’t you usually have funeral processions? What was this one waiting for?  

Assisi was extremely hilly.  My calfs were crying.  We made it to the first big-wig church, Santa Chiara.  Which contained Santa Chiara’s incorruptible body.  That means that she was holy enough to not decay after death.  Freeky.  There we stood.  Starring at her actual body.  Brig said it reminded her of Snow White.  I saw the connection.  It was still extremely creepy.

Then it was off by foot again.  We found a park that was basically a labyrinth of trees.  First time I twisted my right ankle.  Then we went into Castel Rocca Maggiore.  Now THAT was a playground.  It had towers and dark tunnels and winding stairwells and the best views ever. 

Assisi, where the story of Saint Francis took place, the patron saint of not only Italy, but also animals.  Do you think it is ironic that, well...

Pigeon Aim: 1  Brigid’s Backpack: 0

if we were a second slower, it would have landed on her head, a second faster, it would have landed on my head.  Biggest fail of the trip, and funniest part too.

Onto the Basilica of St Francis, I guess.  This is the other main church in Assisi.  My favorite one by far.  Not only did it take you down to a crypt church, but then it took you down to a 3rd level where St Francis’s body was.  His was happily hiding in a solid box thankfully.  I bought myself a little bracelet at this church and then it was time to go home.

It was a great day.  And I am so happy I finally got to see Assisi.

i foti di nord italia

Firenze:

Venezia: 

Verona:

Vicenza:

Milano:

8 days; 5 cities; 1 post. Nord

Allow me to pull out my Hello Kitty notepad and share with you the little things I wrote about each city (the abridged version)....

DAY 1: FLORENCE

-seeing the Duomo in person was AWESOME!  I was always unsure if i liked it or not but once you see how huge it is in person, it is impressive.  So far its is one of my favorites.

-Baptistry doors.  They are massive and beautiful.  They were on my list of things I needed to see.

-CLIMBED TO THE TOP!  473 stairs up and then down.  Painful.  Spiral stairs made us all dizzy and confused.  The view was amazing.  We saw EVERYTHING.  One side of the copula was windier than the other. It wasn’t as scary as i thought it was going to be.

-Santa Croce: location of the tombs of Dante, Michealangelo, Galileo, and many others.  Galileo was my favorite.

-We then sketched the Pazzi Chapel in the attached monastery  where I started to feel sick.  I now think it was just due to not drinking enough water after climbing 900 stairs, since, ya know, thats not something I do everyday.

-Uffizi Gallery of Art- location of Boticelli’s Birth of Venus and Springtime.

-Florentine Steak dinner. yum-o

-6 euro gelato at the only place that was open “Very Good.”  Not very good, and very over priced.

DAY 2: FLORENCE

-New Sacristy by Michaelangelo, Old Sacristy by Brunalesci

-Galleria Dell’Accademia: Location of The David.  the coolest part of this museum was the unfinished Michaelangelo works where figures were still just emerging from the marble.  Also the location of my favorite Annunciation painting.

-Piazza Michaelangelo= great view as well, also took painful stairs to reach

-Shopped on Ponte Vecchio (life long dream). Entertained JoJo with my awkwardness when I shop. “muffin-topping my finger” “just a smidgen bigger”

-Andrew calls. he needs our help picking out a leather jacket. here we go...

-Strange man asks JoJo if i am JLo’s cousin -_-

-Crazy woman needs JoJo to buy leather bag. she was crazy. JoJo made her crazier.

-Waffle + hot melted nutella that got all over me =]

-Andrew and Emily play joke on me that Andrew bought a Rolex...  I gotta start holding the green and gold cards.

DAY 3: VENICE

-Coldest day by far.

-Me and Brigid get the only room with a balcony. sweet!

-St Marks Square - not as pigeon filled as its known for, then again, I cant imagine its prime pigeon season.  

-3 seconds in a Mass at St Marks. the ceiling was lit up so you can see every 24 K gold mosaic tile.

-Went back to sketch after mass, lights were not on, dark and unwelcoming. I am glad i got to see it in its pretty state of being.

- “Penguine huddle... and then they ruffle”

-Played on swings in park

DAY 4: VENICE

-Il Rendetore - colder inside church, and we had to leave because a funeral was starting.  I didn’t catch a glimpse of the hearse-boat, but someone got a photo of it.

-San Giorgio Massimo

-Hour long boat ride to Cimitera San Michele (the cemetery island)

-Boat to Murano.  yayy glass =] also on my bucket list.

DAY 5: VERONA, VICENZA

-Ugly (in my opinion) Scarpa building

-Ran in and out of the Romeo and Juliet little piazza

- “Wanna go to Swatch with me?” “NO!”

-Castel Vecchio - COOLEST THING EVER! Medieval castle redone by Scarpa to be a museum for medieval works. It was a giant playground.

-strangest bathroom experience: ceramic hole in the ground.  turns  out i just walked into the boys room. 

-Scary Pinocchio man.  I dont like people dressed up trying to scare me.

-Train from Verona to Vicenza

-Shopped and chilled, then yummy dinner

-Horse was on the menu, i tried a piece of Stephanie’s, it was not bad.

DAY 6: VICENZA

-Villa Rotunda, outside and inside

-Walk down a road with lots of villas

- “we should have gotten shape ups before this”

-Palladio Walking tour

-Teatro Olimpica- forced perspective stage that we were not allowed to play on.

-Hot wine. still blows my mind

-Sat in caffe and worked on sketches, brushed away my eraser crumbs and I smacked JoJo’s water glass right off the table and into a million peices.  oh yea, i’m swift

-Dinner at a self serve place.  JoJo and i took the classy way out and put our wine in mugs that were intended for beer. whupsies.

-JoJo lost pants? dont worry she found them

DAY 7: MILAN

-Train ride 20 questions with Speer, Justin, and CFT, “How does a koala relate to a liger?!”

-Beautiful Duomo,  something else i didn’t know if i really liked all that much before seeing in person.

-Brig rips map in half, nice people in bar fight to piece it back together

-Mercedes store with Andrew -_-

-Spun on bull!

-Inside of Duomo: intimidatingly gothic

-Roof of Duomo.  Looking at the buttresses was more appealing than the views of Milan, in my opinion. Reminisced about Legends of the Hidden Temple.

-Castel Sforzesco. sweet courtyards and ponds

-Time to chill at a Bar. Asked for hot chocolate, got hot pudding. I love Italy.

-bought my first LongChamp bag =]

-laughed at past weeks photos, mostly of “Chris Tosta”

-Dinner included pianist music and an ice cream scoop sized mozzarella ball

DAY 8: MILAN

-Architectural bus tour of Milan

- “fah - sade” “fahk - ahss”

-mostly bad architecture. some not so bad.

-Awkward tour of a University in Milan

-Train home time.

-20 minutes into journey, we get locamotive issues

- “un altre treno arriva nel 60 minuti” OOH OOH i understood that! another train is coming and will be here in 60 minutes.... oh..... wait......

-Start to play train wide architecture games.

-after 2 hour delay, we switch over trains, Corin and i get drinks and food from chaotic snack bar for the group.

-Arrival time: 12:30

-at least our taxi driver was fun! he talked to us about the LA Lakers and the snow in DC

Project 1 Jury: Analysis of Piazza della Minerva

History:  The site is located on the site of the Temple of Minerva, the Roman goddess of Wisdom.  The Egyptian Obelisk was found by monks in the temple of Isis near the site as well.  The Basilica (Santa della Maria Sopra Minerva)  is the only gothic church in Rome, with an exterior that has transformed over the years until its current Neo-Classical state.  Galileo was also tried here during his pro-science, anti-Catholic-the-solar-system-revolves-around-the-earth days. 

Currently: The Piazza is surrounded by 4 buildings:  the Basilica della Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Palazzo Minerva, Palazzo Severo, and Palazzo della Albergo Minerva (the Hotel Minerva).  The only point of interest is the Basilica, other than that the Piazza includes expensive antique stores and an expensive hotel.  The main focus of the site is the statue of the elephant (symbolic of wisdom and strength) carrying the obelisk on his back.   Pedestrians have a tendency to walk straight through the site since the Pantheon is a point of interest just next door.  Nobody seems to cut through the “front yard” of the basilica, they walk around it.  The only people to enter past the bollards keeping cars from driving through the “front yard” of the basilica seem to also keep pedestrians from cutting through as well.  The only thing pedestrians notice is the cute elephant, the facade of the basilica is not even welcoming enough to prove the importance of this piazza in Rome.  The basilica houses the crypt of Saint Catherine, Patron saint of Europe, along with many other dead bodies of important people, including numerous popes.

Problem:  The site acts as a cut through to get from the to the Pantheon.  The ballasts act as a mental block from exploring the Basilica closer.  The facade of the Basilica does not hold a candle to the grandness of the interior, nor to the important role this particular basilica plays in the Catholic church.  The basilica is over 2 and a half times the size of the piazza in front of it, yet nobody knows it’s interior is gothic.  Recent satellite images show that until recently, many Romans used this site as a parking lot, which proves just how much people know about the significance of this site.

Hypothesis:  How would getting rid of the Pantheon effect the use of Piazza della Minerva?  We could get rid of just the Pantheon, just Piazza Rotunda, or both the Pantheon and Piazza Rotunda.  Would this effect how people view the importance of our site?  Or would this make our site a less walked-through site, just because there is nothing it leads to.

Solution:  Take away one of the more expensive aspects of this piazza (like the antique store) and replace it with something more people could use, like a restaurant.  The chain-rope on the southern bollards could also be removed so people don’t think they can’t cut past the church.  Perhaps even changing the facade of the exterior of the basilica to reflect its gothic interior.

Overall:  We did extremely well.  The critiques were positive and constructive.  As a matter of fact, every critique went well.  The 20 of us were extremely proud of ourselves and our work.  Tomorrow, instead of studio, Eric and Marina are taking us to the Campidoglio Museum.  So it should be pretty chill before we leave for Northern Italy on Friday =] We are all so excited for first Florence, then Venice, Venezia and last Milan.  One week of pretty much vacation, and no internet....