1999 Diploma One

1999 Work

DIPLOMA STUDIO ONE

Como - La Ticosa

Since the Middle Ages, Como, Italy, has enjoyed fame across Europe for the quality of its silk. Like most towns in the late nineteenth century, Como felt obliged to industrialise what had been a craft activity. However, the productive efficiency of industrialisation was bought at the cost of undermining the craft’s embeddedness in the social and political life of the town. Italian towns are traditionally oriented about a single metier, and industrialisation centralised such work and similarly forced civic culture to obey the cycles of the factories. The abstract designation, "il popolo" ("the people"), arose at this time, carrying two connotations: the alienation of labour from local involvements and the status of the individual with respect to nationalist identity. When, therefore, the silk-factory became unsustainable economically and was forced to close in 1980, Como found itself with tourism as its most obvious area of ‘growth’. Moreover, the closure of the silk factory was followed by a re-organisation of the reginal transport networks, which by-passed Como, and by the loss of its ancient importance as a gateway to northern Europe, as a result of the elimination of national customs barriers. Finally, if industrialisation posed a first threat to the local or regional civic identity of Como, the more recent globalisation of economic and cultural life presented an even greater threat. The ancient walled town seemed to symbolise a condition opposite to the new cultural realities of dispersive settlement and information technology.
Accordingly, the closure of the silk-works was seen to be an opportunity to effect the re-birth of Como. The factory had occupied a two-kilometre stretch of land on the western side of Como, between the civic Cemetery and the walled city; and this vast area adjacent to the heart of ancient Como offered itself as a vehicle to contemplate a new, sustainable urban condition. The southern portion of this two-kilometre area, known as La Ticosa, had already been set aside by the town; and this was the arena of our investigations. This new condition could not contemplate a replacement industry, and the need to integrate the site into the existing urban fabric seemed to conflict with the equally pressing need to maintain regional communications. The solution to this conflict lay in the existing block-metabolism. A phenomenon badly understood in much contemporary urban thinking, the metabolism of of the block enables the primary order of the town to persist as the continual metamorphosis of its content within the block. Civic and productive culture happen in direct proximity, sustaining a rich diversity of activities rather than the single factory and creating the phenomenon known as "localismo".
The town had already identified the need for a new university which would provide the basis for mediation between regional and global phenomena, and had begun to formulate an institution together with the nearby towns of Varese, Lecco and Erbe which would be separate from the University of Milan. Although the Rectorate would be in Varese, each town would have a ceremonial centre to its local part of the University, and we have provided this at the northern end of our site (additional buildings being set within the block-structure of the town, as they are in Padova and Bologna). At the southern end of the site, there remained a large fragment of the silk factory - a splendid example of early twentieth century reiforced concrete joined to a unique example of shed-roofed skylights supported on a field of iron columns, recently restored. This formed the core of a civic and commercial proposal, in which the banalities of the department store would be re-thought, together with an institution devoted to cultivating the cultural exchange of the large number of immigrants and a new form of public library.
Site Model Key

Nick Hornig: Volta Garden
Caroline Rogerson: Immigrant Reception, Education and Cultural Centre
Ingrid Schroder: Department Store
(undesigned) - Public Library
Mika Thomson: Environmental Health
Kim Loddo: Advanced Textiles Institute
(undesigned) - University Hall
Wendy Chan: Mechanical Engineering
(undesigned) - Humanities Department
Robert Nisbet: Labour and Business Opportunities Institute, Business Ethics Department
Sasha Birksted: Memorial Garden, Research Garden and Park

Students
Sasha Birksted, Wendy Chan, Nick Hornig, Kim Loddo,
Robert Nisbet, Caroline Rogerson, Ingrid Schroder, Mika Thomson

Staff
Peter Carl, Dalibor Vesely

Assistance in Capo
Ing. Capo C. Taiana, Arch. A Carugatti,
N. Vago, Prof. A Ferreto, Arch. P. Ferretto

Consultants/Critics
A. Taylor (Adams Kara Taylor, Engineers), P. Cooper (Engineering),
K. Steemers (Environment), J. Morrisey (Landscape Design),
E. Parry, C. Steel, G. Butler, D. Dernie, W. Pullan,
I. Hitchman (Computer Visualisation), M. Clifford (Photography).

First Year

Tripos Studio 1
Tripos Studio 2
Tripos Studio 3
Tripos Studio 4
Tripos Studio 5

Diploma Studio 1
Diploma Studio 2
Diploma Studio 3
Diploma Studio 4

	Como - La Ticosa Since the Middle Ages, Como, Italy, has enjoyed fame across Europe for the quality of its silk. Like most towns in the late nineteenth century, Como felt obliged to industrialise what had been a craft activity. However, the productive efficiency of industrialisation was bought at the cost of undermining the craft’s embeddedness in the social and political life of the town. Italian towns are traditionally oriented about a single metier, and industrialisation centralised such work and similarly forced civic culture to obey the cycles of the factories. The abstract designation, "il popolo" ("the people"), arose at this time, carrying two connotations: the alienation of labour from local involvements and the status of the individual with respect to nationalist identity. When, therefore, the silk-factory became unsustainable economically and was forced to close in 1980, Como found itself with tourism as its most obvious area of ‘growth’. Moreover, the closure of the silk factory was followed by a re-organisation of the reginal transport networks, which by-passed Como, and by the loss of its ancient importance as a gateway to northern Europe, as a result of the elimination of national customs barriers. Finally, if industrialisation posed a first threat to the local or regional civic identity of Como, the more recent globalisation of economic and cultural life presented an even greater threat. The ancient walled town seemed to symbolise a condition opposite to the new cultural realities of dispersive settlement and information technology. Accordingly, the closure of the silk-works was seen to be an opportunity to effect the re-birth of Como. The factory had occupied a two-kilometre stretch of land on the western side of Como, between the civic Cemetery and the walled city; and this vast area adjacent to the heart of ancient Como offered itself as a vehicle to contemplate a new, sustainable urban condition. The southern portion of this two-kilometre area, known as La Ticosa, had already been set aside by the town; and this was the arena of our investigations. This new condition could not contemplate a replacement industry, and the need to integrate the site into the existing urban fabric seemed to conflict with the equally pressing need to maintain regional communications. The solution to this conflict lay in the existing block-metabolism. A phenomenon badly understood in much contemporary urban thinking, the metabolism of of the block enables the primary order of the town to persist as the continual metamorphosis of its content within the block. Civic and productive culture happen in direct proximity, sustaining a rich diversity of activities rather than the single factory and creating the phenomenon known as "localismo". The town had already identified the need for a new university which would provide the basis for mediation between regional and global phenomena, and had begun to formulate an institution together with the nearby towns of Varese, Lecco and Erbe which would be separate from the University of Milan. Although the Rectorate would be in Varese, each town would have a ceremonial centre to its local part of the University, and we have provided this at the northern end of our site (additional buildings being set within the block-structure of the town, as they are in Padova and Bologna). At the southern end of the site, there remained a large fragment of the silk factory - a splendid example of early twentieth century reiforced concrete joined to a unique example of shed-roofed skylights supported on a field of iron columns, recently restored. This formed the core of a civic and commercial proposal, in which the banalities of the department store would be re-thought, together with an institution devoted to cultivating the cultural exchange of the large number of immigrants and a new form of public library. Site Model Key Nick Hornig: Volta Garden Caroline Rogerson: Immigrant Reception, Education and Cultural Centre Ingrid Schroder: Department Store (undesigned) - Public Library Mika Thomson: Environmental Health Kim Loddo: Advanced Textiles Institute (undesigned) - University Hall Wendy Chan: Mechanical Engineering (undesigned) - Humanities Department Robert Nisbet: Labour and Business Opportunities Institute, Business Ethics Department Sasha Birksted: Memorial Garden, Research Garden and Park
Students Sasha Birksted, Wendy Chan, Nick Hornig, Kim Loddo, Robert Nisbet, Caroline Rogerson, Ingrid Schroder, Mika Thomson Staff Peter Carl, Dalibor Vesely Assistance in Capo Ing. Capo C. Taiana, Arch. A Carugatti, N. Vago, Prof. A Ferreto, Arch. P. Ferretto Consultants/Critics A. Taylor (Adams Kara Taylor, Engineers), P. Cooper (Engineering), K. Steemers (Environment), J. Morrisey (Landscape Design), E. Parry, C. Steel, G. Butler, D. Dernie, W. Pullan, I. Hitchman (Computer Visualisation), M. Clifford (Photography).