Green Between by ARW

Reinventing the city, is the theme of the competition. The objective is to take existing urban materials and turn their marginal character into one of qualitative urbanity and identity, creating a substantial “city effect” that changes the physical and social dimension of the entire neighbourhood. Two components are central: The first refers to the definition of the new built space that realises measured and recognisable places.

Open places are proposed in opposition to the homologating and segregating seriality of the existing ones. Here, the built environment becomes an articulation of differentiated spaces that relate to the existing one, overturning its peripheral characteristics, that are capable of achieving a qualitative coherence between the parts, that are connected to the surrounding conditions, transforming anonymous places into characterised spaces.

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The second component is the role of open space, both public and private, which regulates the relationships between the built-up area, differentiating and specifying new urban hierarchies and achieving permeability and sharing of ground space. There are two founding elements on which the settlement concept is grafted, which are:

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The spaces are defined by a building system which is as elementary as it is effective, made up of four L-shaped bodies composed of in-line elements grafted onto a “tower” body. The arrangement in the competition space allows for a differentiated sequence of coherent spaces where the tall elements are placed in positions that strategically emphasise the relationship with the context. Measured and well-calibrated spaces in relation to the height of the buildings give a welcoming and urban dimension to living, reinforced by the transparency of the ground floors.

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The form of the transformation acts by identifying the functions of social housing, free housing, houses for students and researchers. The result is a set of components that combine coherence and variety of spaces, permeability, urban perspectives, measured and protected places for playing and sharing. The open space becomes the protagonist, no longer homogeneous and without measure, but an articulated design made of islands in relief that coherently unite the places between the residential intervention and that of services.

The flats will be characterised by the presence of loggias, around which the living area is articulated, staggered on different levels. Industrialization of construction processes, circularity in the use of materials, sustainability and recyclability of the building components, lightness, quality, durability and reduced maintenance of the constituent parts of the buildings are the principles that define the technological approach to construction of the proposal.

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The use of prefabrication systems hybrids wood and concrete systems, allowing compliance with sustainability protocols, extreme safety in construction management, rapid construction and high thermal-hygrometric performance. The structural system is characterised by pillars and concrete beams dry-assembled and connected by metal flanges. The external wooden walls with thermal insulation guarantee high performance in relation to energy saving.

For external protection, a material that guarantees minimum maintenance and excellent aesthetic character, also in keeping with the “Milanese” tradition, is used in the klinker strip with an external finish alternating dark brown low bodies and light hazelnut high bodies. In contrast, the aluminium doors are bronze (light kliker) and champagne (dark klinker) in colour. Source by AWR.

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