• Cotutela con mondo esterno
• Blended Learning & Flipped Classroom
• MOOC
• Soft Skills

The URBAN AND LANDSCAPE REGENERATION STUDIO is aimed at experimenting at different scales (from environment to building) an approach to urban regeneration design based on the principles of sustainability, focusing on the use of renewable energy and in general promoting a sensible use of social, cultural and material resources. The three integrated teaching modules of Environmental Technology, General Ecology and Landscape as Heritage will develop some key issues in the field of conservation and sustainability relate to each other in the context of historic sites, testing environmental design tools in relation to the ecological approach.

The general aim of the Studio is providing the ability to implement appropriate environmental and technological design strategies in relation to a given problem of design and construction, as well as the ability to assess the degree of compliance of design and technical solutions, with a strong accent on key requirements such as sustainability and resilience, comfort and delight.

More specifically students will acquire

- tools to promote a design approach focused on the relationships between the buildings, the people living and acting inside and around them, the multi-faceted qualities of the physical environment;

- understanding of the relationship between environment, technology and design, the knowledge of the existing connections between the design phase, the construction process and material/energy exchanges with the environment along the life cycle of buildings and infrastructures;

- capability of making design choices according to the environmental, economic and social context, providing effective solutions focused on the sustainability of the entire building process, in a life-cycle perspective;

- awareness in proposing design methods and approaches capable to support the ecological transition in a climate change perspectivve.

The general aim of the studio is to provide the ability to implement appropriate environmental and technological design strategies in relation to a given problem of design and construction,  on a site characterized by both urban decay and the presence of historical heritage, as well as the ability to assess the degree of compliance of design and technical solutions with key requirements, such as comfort, safety, durability, sustainability and resilience.

Specific topics include:

- relationships linking environment, technology, history, culture and design, starting from the theoretical and practical knowledge of the existing connections between the design phase, the construction process and material/energy exchanges with the environment along the life cycle of buildings and infrastructures;

- developing design choices in coherence with the environmental, economic and social context, providing effective solutions aimed at the enhancement of its cultural values and the sustainability of the entire building process, in a life cycle perspective;

- design methods and approaches able to support the ecological and cultural transition in a climate change perspective;

- methodological approaches in the delicate context of settlements in urban, peri-urban and rural areas, understanding their interactions with the built and natural environment, as well as the historical characters of the urban/rural landscape;

- strategies for environmental and urban regeneration, resilience-based design solutions,  nature and culture based solutions, building reuse and public space redevelopment, rehabilitation and enhancement of the rural heritage.

The proposed design method is process-oriented and focuses on sequential and iterative steps bringing to the implementation of projects through a multi-disciplinary and multi-scale approach. A climate-resilient design approach will be integrated with the analysis of past and present landscape, in order to revitalize the cultural identity of the design area and improve landscape quality.

[1] The studio will focus on a design case in a periurban context characterized by urban and environmental regeneration needs, by addressing it through a process that will simulate actual design practices. To this end, case studies and real project with strong analogies with the context addressed will be analyzed and compared.

Alongside the preliminary phase of knowledge of the environmental characteristics of the place, on the territorial scale, the historical analysis will support the understanding of the evolution of the landscape, the adaptation of human settlements to the environmental conditions over time. Recognizing the tangible permanencies can help anchor the design to the legacy of the past and reinforce and/or create the local identity.

[2] Site surveys and public space evaluation will allow the coupling of urban quality considerations with insights about the needs and expectations of local communities, whose priorities in terms of urban regeneration and retrofitting of buildings and open spaces are often more related to a general improvement of housing and public services to increase neighbourhood livability, sustainable mobility and social inclusion. Existing issues such as mono-functional residential areas, interchange parking lots, playgrounds for children, green areas, pedestrian routes and cycling paths can be conveniently integrated in the design proposals to balance climate and community resilience instances. Site surveys will also be aimed perceiving the landscape feeling and can be transferred through a sensorial landscape analysis (smell, sound and view); the interview with local stakeholders  can help understand the evolution of the landscape and the will for the future landscape, and can be translated into a social landscape perception analysis.

[3] The planning and design intervention phase is grounded on a critical review of the collected information to identify the relevant synergies and trade-offs in relation to the initiatives planned in the area, as envisaged by local authorities in the mid- to long-term. Zoning regulations and building codes frame the boundaries of the design and technical options to be assessed, and the most appropriate strategies targeted for future development. Recurring design topics include: technological and energy retrofitting of buildings (envelope and HVAC systems) to achieve NZEB targets; reduction of urban heat islands through reflecting surfaces and building / urban greening solutions; optimization of urban ventilation via air exchange and wind corridors through variation of building density and mass; regulation of surface run-off through sustainable urban drainage systems, use of construction materials and techniques aimed at environmental sustainability and reversibility.

Solutions proposed on the territorial scale should consider the enhancement of historical and present food supply chain and its physical and symbolic connections (tangible and intangible) with the local heritage. Solutions proposed on the neighbourhood scale should improve the landscape quality of open and green spaces, and include solutions of productive landscape as suggested by urban agriculture activities.

[4] Post-intervention evaluation is intended as a sequence of activities aimed at assessing the benefits of the proposed solutions in terms of microclimatic, energy and environmental performances, as well as of compliance with community priorities. This simulation phase is also accompanied by the identification of the management roles: who is taking care of the maintenance, when and how.

The educational structure will provide learning activities configured through:

• lectures, seminars and workshops held by the professors, also with the contribution of external speakers;
• tutoring in the classroom, also with the co-presence of the three professors, and with the support of assistants;
• development of the design work, following the steps suggested by the professors and taking part to the submissions programmed to verify the design progress at the different scales and in the various phases of the process;
• extra classroom activities for study and research (research on case studies, deepening the bibliographical references, visiting the site area, interviews the local stakeholders, etc.).
• attending educational activities is mandatory (in accordance with the regulation of Politecnico di Milano).

none

The evaluation of students is individual and will take into account the quality of the final exam as well as the progress of DESIGN work during the various steps of the Studio, the quality of presence in the class and the contribution to the design team.

The final exam is individual and oral. It will start with the presentation of the project, discussed in relation to the theoretical and practical subjects of the Studio. After the presentation, each student will answer to specific questions about the theoretical contents of the three modules of the Studio, starting from the knowledge of the reference bibliography.

Branduini Paola, Landscape as heritage, intercultural mediator, p.39-47