My Journey – Angelo 001 // La Villette Student Housing
La Villette Student Housing The Construction of a Design Process A Primary Study on the Context The Approach The guideline of the project is the importance of circulation and common areas. Common spaces are the protagonist of every level of the building promoting the exchange. While the stairs play the role of being not just a link but also a point of view on the common space as well as part of them. We imagine the stairs as places where something could happen and not just a place of passing. The Use of Models as a Design Tool The Visualization Conclusion
My Journey – Angelo 001
There are many reasons to start to tell my journey through this project. One could be because I am very tied to this one, probably for the effort, I made with my colleague Federica Caramia during four months. However, probably the most important reason is related not to the final product but to the process I faced to obtain this result. It is my second academic project at Politecnico di Torino and I think this one gave me a method of action. A method I used to apply in the future.
The design studio wanted to focus attention on an innovative way of living in the urban fabric of La Villette – Paris, heavily influenced by the development of various different distribution patterns. Design in a strongly stratified scenario was the main aim of the studio, paying particular attention to sustainable and innovative building technologies.
The approach used in the development of the project starts with a first investigation on the features of the place, especially in the making of a typological analysis of the context. Through this action, it has been possible to insert our area of intervention within a well-specified context. Hence, the next step was the identification of the activities settled in the area. Paying attention to these features has been fundamental to lay the foundation on a flow study within the area. At last, other two analysis has been pursued. The first related to identify the density of the area and the second related to the public and private accessibility.
After the first part in which it has been possible to understand better the context of intervention, the next step has been to specify the attention on the plot. In this case, the plot fits into a dense context, enclosed by three sides and opened on a public one. Furthermore, it presents a neglected status.
From this point, the main aim of the project is to reinvent a space affected by a lack of attraction. The idea wanted to enhance the walkway that links the main roads. In addition, thanks to the presence of many Universities in the area, the project wants to generate an attractive place for students and inhabitants, through the design of the book café and the student housing.
The use of models is a relevant tool for the development of the design process. The action at different scales provides a right approach to the visualization of the project into a tridimensional view. The first model is related to the urban context, and especially it tries to enhance the public accessibility of the plot. This model result useful also to understand the relation with the massing in the area.
The second model, at scale 1:200, put the attention on circulation. Through the model is possible to identify how the people move within the building, enhancing the interior accessibility of the space.
The last model, at a scale of 1:100, is an interpretative model. In this case, the solution is encouraged by the use of a double model. The first, concerning to the structure and the interior space, while the second to the building skin, which is carried out by wooden battens.
The Design unit did not provide for a specific visualization rule, but for sure did not encourage the use of renders. That is because of an effective lack of time to face in a professional way to a technique like this. From this, I think it comes out a very detailed visualization of the project, which led to the drawing of a perspective section that is able to give a lot of information about different themes of the proposal. I talk about circulation, space, living units as well as building technology.
This project gave me a lot; during four months, I had the opportunity to design a project in a foreign country, where culture and historical background are different. Furthermore, I have been able to face with a method that goes from general to particular. From an urban vision and contextualization of the massing project until develop a design process at an architectural scale. This was one of my first academic project and I hope that this part of the journey can be useful for other students when think about a new design.
