Research Proposal - Anna Barbieri

Trieste - Complesso Rozzol Melara

Genova - Quartiere Lavatrici di Pra'

Rome - "Il Corviale"

Naples - Complesso Scampia

Our group’s intention was to continue researching within the architectural field of housing, but in respect to different ideas and concepts that influenced the design of the Woodlands Densified proposal. For this project, one of our main ideas was to revitalise the urban perimeter block and especially the potential of the existing backcourt spaces.

Deriving from the idea of the block and inspired by an architectural project – the Rozzol Melara complex or Quadrilatero by Francesco Celli – that I visited during my thesis research trip to Trieste, Italy, I would like to visit and explore three modernist and brutalist housing complexes in Italy – the quartiere le Lavatrici di Pra’ in Genova, the Corviale in Rome and the Scampia complex in Naples. Examining and comparing impressions of the three different complexes, I want to enhance my knowledge of the superblock and the machine for living in respect of their relevance and potential in contemporary architectural discourse.

The interest in superblocks derives from a thought I intend to examine in my final design thesis, which I am currently working on at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art. It investigates seafarers and how their experience of a sea based life influence their habits and perceptions. This is especially important when seafarers come back to land and leave their sea life – particularly when retiring. Superblocks and housing complexes used the idea of the ship as a reference when developing living schemes and ways of living. In particular, Le Corbusier’s Unité is often referred to as a ship. Apart from nautical influences that entered Modernism, I would like to research and compare the integration of different functions – supermarkets, leisure programmes etc. in the above mentioned projects and their importance for the users of today.

Before travelling to Italy in the summer months, presumably July, I will research the theories and ideas behind housing hybrids and analyse my impressions of the visit to the Rozzol Melara complex. Theories I intend to investigate include examples by Le Corbusier and Alison and Peter Smithson but also research on the current problems of the four respective housing projects shall be undertaken.

I intend to reflect upon my findings in writing, using sketches and drawings as well as photographic documentation.  

Extracts from my thesis work so far:

Complesso Rozzol Melara - Arch. Francesco Celli, Trieste, IT

Saltire International Travel Bursary for Architecture Students

In August 2013, we submitted our proposal for the Saltire International Travel Bursary for Architecture Students and won the Travel Bursary to undertake study trips and research.  The bursary allows us to travel to 4 different countries in order to enhance our knowledge and understanding for different housing schemes.

The research proposal:

We propose to use the bursary to undertake research on international housing schemes to contribute to our final year theses. As we shall each be developing design proposals in four different European cities, we have the opportunity to compare, contrast and evaluate four precedent housing schemes in these different places. We would collate information from our individual research trips in a small publication, pooling our knowledge to inform our independent designs. In turn, this could also be combined with our existing research about housing in the UK, and Glasgow in particular. Our previous research would provide a structure for our investigations.

It would be invaluable to analyse a range of European schemes to complement our in-depth local studies. As we feel that our team was very effective in our “Woodlands Densified” project, we would be delighted to continue working together. We remain particularly interested in social phenomena, shared amenities, responses to vernacular forms, and mixed tenure, flexible units.

The Team

Anna Barbieri, 23, Vienna, Austria, studied architecture at the Technical University of Vienna where she received her Bachelor’s degree (BSc) graduating with a design project situated in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s linear city and a research work on speculative land bridges in Europe. Since 2012, she has been studying for her Diploma in Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh School of Architecture.

Andy Casey, 29, Dorset, UK, completed Part 1 in architecture at the University of the West of England in Bristol in 2012 after leaving a career in town planning. He has a particular interest in self-built, often temporary urban interventions both in practice, working for tangentfield and through research. He is currently studying for a DipArch at the Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh School of Architecture.

Chloe Fawcett, 23, York, UK, gained BA Hons Architecture from the University of Cambridge in 2011. She has an interest in film, and has written theses on filmic space and narrative and filmic space and the body. She has worked for Tim Ronalds Architects and is currently studying her DipArch at the Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh School of Architecture.

Sniedze Riekstina, 25, Riga, Latvia, received her BA Hons Architecture degree from University of Liverpool. Having worked on several educational and housing design projects during her year of practical experience, she has developed interest in social aspects of architecture. Currently she is a DipArch student at the Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh School of Architecture.

Woodlands Densified - Housing Proposal

Woodlands Densified is a housing project proposing a strategic regeneration of Glasgow’s tenement courtyards, illustrated by a prototype situated along Woodlands Road in Glasgow, UK. Intensive analysis of the area and the typical tenement revealed that the currently under-used spaces within Glasgow’s perimeter blocks provide the potential for a renewed awareness of this historic housing typology. Our proposal reinstates the beneficial character of the once prevalent communal facilities in these backcourts and furthermore, intends to bring back family living near the city centre by including diverse and complementary supportive amenities in the housing scheme.

Along existing lanes, additional housing and smaller retail/working units are created within the perimeter block. These upgrade the courtyards and allow the whole block to profit from new community facilities located along new internal routes. For the block prototype, new facilities include a toy library, a canteen and the service of a communal caretaker (Hausmeister). Small retail/ studio units provide ideal working space for young professionals, artists or craftsmen who contribute to a cultural and creative atmosphere. A home zone between the units and the perimeter block ensures a car-free living environment transforming the routes into extended living rooms. On Woodlands Road, the proposal also suggests repairing the currently incomplete perimeter block and re-establishing the lively streetscape. The new mixed-use courts support the community and reinstate the tenement’s backcourts as service and working spaces.

This new housing strategy not only integrates itself into an existing urban pattern but also epitomises the successful supporting characteristics of the perimeters’ backcourts. As a principle, the proposal can be seen as an initial response on how to reinstate the backcourts’ function and is an exemplary approach for the regeneration and upgrading of similar under-used residential backcourts in Glasgow.

Block Strategy

Community Facilities

Section South-West

Ground Floor