DELIGHT IN SAN PIETRO

Piazza San Pietro is a delightful piazza in many respects. It responds to the human compulsion to compare and relate the known to the new in a number of ways.

Proximity: The Piazza San Pietro is just down the Via della Conciliazione from the Castel San Angelo. It is immediately viewable from a long way off. It works from a long distance, slowly approaching it and noticing new things as one moves closer. It also works as one approaches from the North off Via Ottaviano, almost stumbling across it as you move along the old imposing Vatican walls.

Repetition: The Piazza San Pietro is founded on the principal of repetition. It is almost perfectly symmetrical. It is so symmetrical that when the renovation of one of the capstone pediments of the colonnade fell behind, they covered the opposite pediment in a false scaffold in order to make it symmetrical, opting to maintain the symmetrical repetition of the space rather than allow it to be broken.

Simplest + Largest Figures: The piazza is comprised almost completely of simple figures, the most obvious being the obelisk in the middle, and the squared basilica with its semicircular dome on top. The largest figure is debatably the ovular plan of the piazza, it is simultaneously the least obvious.

Figure + Ground Relationship: The slope of the site appears at first glance to be flat, but in reality is sloped a great deal towards Saint Peters. This subtle shift upwards makes Saint Peters even more imposing, as the base of it sits well above eye level of the viewer in the piazza, playing up the tension of the figure and ground relationship.

Proportion: The design of the Piazza San Pietro was governed a great deal by the historically existing structures on the site. The Vatican apartments and service buildings had to be maintained to the North, as well as the obelisk and a fountain by Maderno. Bernini unified these elements, made them symmetrical, and used massive columns of a giant order in order to make the colonnade enclose them without feeling weak or timid in their attempt to contain.

Scale/ Rhythm: The rhythm of the space is constant. Bernini used the same Doric column to wrap a colonnade around the perimeter of the space, creating a constant pattern. The fountains are symmetrical, as well as the lighting, and the brickwork and geometric layout is Cartesian.

Texture: Almost completely travertine marble for the structures. Which create a flat, dull finish background for the shiny cobblestones and brass light posts. The contrast is beautiful both when the sun strikes the piazza during the day and when the light illuminates the piazza in the evening.

Ornament: Is used to create a sense of tension. The Doric columns wrapping the piazza are bare and monolithic, while the detailed statues on top are lovingly sculpted. The obelisk is smooth and mostly unadorned while the brass lights are baroque and dripping with ornamentation. Saint Peters finds a happy middle ground between the two with its classical renaissance façade and dome.

Final Piazza del Popolo

Five months to be away, four of them in Rome. This has become a point of certain distinction within the way I both perceive the world and the places within it. My ideas on making architecture were shaped through learning in Philadelphia. It is interesting that where you learn architecture actually affects the way you work. Now, being in Rome, I enjoy that my understanding of it has grown with a different outlook.

Upon investigating Piazza del Popolo for the past few weeks I have learned to see a space that is very foreign in Philadelphia, a large open space that is actually used. This place of congregation is for the public and it’s a great place to

people watch. To see Romans and watch interactions between people brought perspective to everyday life in a new place. The painstaking symmetry in Piazza del Popolo becomes an unnoticed backdrop to everyone else passing by, but to me it became a place to better understand why spaces like this work. The large obelisk to act as a landmark near and far, the colliding arterial streets of Via del Corso, Bambuino, Ripetta, and even Cola de Rienzo to the West become expansive boulevards that the obelisk can be viewed from at miles away. Being at Piazza Venezia or Piazza Risorgimento you can look up the street and Piazza del Popolo still gives off its presence. A presence from afar also begins to show through in my second studio project along the Tiber. The idea to make a taller element within the site to create opportunities to view out and away in Rome but for the city to also back to a space develops due to this.

Seeing what ideas work in reality is a good way to test and compare your own notions on architecture. At our age this can also be very humbling. I was reminded of this upon visiting Peter Zumthor’s Thermal Baths at Vals this semester. Architecturally, this was my most influential visit outside of Rome. The ingeniously designed play between materials, light, and water made me appreciate that I still have much to learn from the long history of great architects in our profession. While floating in the heated pools watching thick steam float off the water and into the stars of the frigid night sky, aside from simply relaxing and letting my mind drift, I enjoyed the fact that even though we develop our own thoughts on designing, we will always be moved and sometimes heavily influenced by another architect’s compelling work. By seeing this place I have thoroughly pushed my perceptions on thinking about and building space.

Studying in Rome has also reminded me that you must be mindful of not just what’s new, but also to learn from the ideas of the architects of the past, not just the recent past, but far back. From seeing Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers or Bramante’s Tempietto in person I believe I can better understand the differences between drawing in theory and building in actuality. I can see how later architects like Scarpa and Horta learned from Roman architecture to push their own ideas. This long tradition of building and primarily learning from the past will be Rome’s lasting impression on me.

A prime example of this change occurs during our second project. The earlier iterations are pieces of programs each designed specifically for itself with all of these components floating around the edges of the site. Although I prefer edge conditions to contort the periphery of my designs upon thinking more critically

about The Tempietto and The Therme I began to create a more simple and inward looking scheme that creates its own context and will become the context to newer projects around it. At the same time it still relates to the context without formally doing so. It becomes more about what the edge conditions can do instead of how they are shaped.

This idea of travel, not where we travel, but why has kept reminding me to stop and assess what I am doing. I realize I have come to enjoy the energy of seeing places up close and for long enough to actually get into its essence. You can only do this in person because pictures and writings never give the full atmosphere and they are always run through the filter of another person before you get your chance to assess it. Seeing places in the flesh changes us and this is very intriguing. Being somewhere else for this long allows us enough time to see places at different times, seasons, and moods. Also there is no better feeling than to stop and say, “im in Rome, for the next four months” or “I’ve lived in Rome for over three months now” Stopping to say things like these have reminding to get out and see as much as I can for as long as I can.

Without this much time in Rome I would not have noticed details that actually have really helped me to see more objectively. For example only after seeing St. Peter’s Square for months can you realize how big that space really is. When seeing the square only once it feels small due to the fact that the scale of the church and the colonnades are exaggerated. The doors to St. Peter’s seem small from the square, but once you actually get up there and walk through them you can see just how immense they are. Upon two, three, and twenty visits, from walking across it end to end, from being there on Palm Sunday and seeing just how many people can fit in that square you understand. The fact that on Palm Sunday they do not fill the square with bouquets of palms, but entire palm and olive trees gives you a sense of the huge volume this space holds. In an hour long visit one may quickly see that the columns are taller than normal or that the doors are too, but after months of visits you notice the clocks are as well, and so are the lampposts. Even the gates, the steps, and the cobblestones are all bigger to keep the whole composition in proportion. This way of looking, really looking and not assuming I learned in both my own personal Roman experiences but also through Rome Sketchbook as seen in the ink wash drawings of my special place.

I look forward to the next month of continued travel to further develop my thoughts on the way to perceive and partake in culture.

Delight Piazzale degli Eroi

a. Proximity

Unlike other Roman piazzas, Piazzale degli eroi is not a destinations point. Its organization heavily favors the seamless flow of traffic and completely ignores the concept of stationary use. Only a few meters from the Cipro metro and bus station, the piazza is very much linked into the rest of Rome’s public transit, it effetely connects the inhabitants to the rest of the city.

Piazzale degli eroi, though not classified as a destination itself, has many points of interests along its borders. The piazza is given importance because of its close proximity to important destinations; it is only 100 meters from the Vatican Museum. Adjacent to the piazza is Ospedale Regionale Oftalmico, a central hospital that services most of the Prati area.

b. Repetition

Looking at the fountain in the center, one can see the use of repetition in how its plan was laid out. It consists of a large circular tank that contains a layered composition with an octagonal base. The central structure has evenly arrayed concave niches that are ornamented with open shells. These niches are offset by pools of water; the centermost one houses the high water jet feature. The fountain is organized in this manner to offer an equal composition to the traffic on either side.

c. Simplest and Largest Figures

The piazza is surrounded by buildings on all sides; most of them six floors high. This continuous ring is broken by the arterial streets that pour into the piazza. Some of the more noticeable figures are the Scuole Pubbliche Elementare Giovan Battista Vico and

Denaro children’s park. The elementary school is the most modern building in the area; which makes it look the least articulated. The rest of the buildings fall into a state that makes them hard to distinguish from the urban fabric.

d. Figure/Ground Relationship

The fountain acts as the main means of organization for the piazza. The footprint it leaves on the ground dictates the flow of traffic and the location of the buildings. All the buildings orient themselves towards the fountain, but are recessed enough to allow for sufficient traffic flow.

e. Proportion

This piazza is not geared towards pedestrians. The ratio between pedestrian friendly areas and areas dedicated to automotive travel reveals how far off the proportions are. The sidewalk around the fountain does not allow for people to congregate. This renders the space directly adjacent to the fountain unusable. This is because the proportions are off; the area calls for a larger sidewalk area to be functional. The user observing the fountain find them tightly pinned between the fountain and speeding traffic.

f. Scale

Piazzas of importance in Rome have a rather large scale; they even show up on the city scale. Piazale degli eroi almost does not exist when looking at Rome on this scale. It has no historical presence compared to other locations like Saint Peters or Piazza del Popolo. It tries to mimic Fontana delle Najadi. Najadi is more successful because of its larger scale in comparison to the city. The architecture responds to the fountain and follows its curve.

g. Rhythm

Looking at literal rhythm, the stop and go pattern of the traffic undoubtedly affects the way the user engages the space. At night when there is less traffic the piazza is much more attractive for pedestrians. At that point however, all the venders have long closed and the space dies for the night.

h. Texture

Much like the rest of Rome Piazzale degli eroi consists mostly of brick, travertine, and concrete. The majority of the building facades have a concrete stucco finish that drowns out any detail that could have taken place. One of the buildings has a brick façade with ornamentation still present. The fountain itself has a very modest appearance. Built in the 1950 with a minimalist mindset, it does not have any interesting textures.

I. Light and Color

The piazza opens up enough to allow sun light in at all hours of the day. No large shadows are cast on the site, making it ideal outdoor space (though it it’s not enjoyed by the pedestrians). This light falls on mostly dull colored buildings. Along with the textures, there isn’t very much color in the area. It consists of mostly earth tones, with one building painted different shades of pastel orange. The little greenery on the site ads a little bit of dimension, but not much.

j. Ornament

Ornamentation is almost entirely absent from the site. This comes as a surprise when comparing it to the rest of Rome. Some can be found on the side of the fountain, in the form of seashells. There is slight ornamentation on the building with the brick façade, but other than that there is nothing.

Piazza Trilussa Final Reflections

My experiences in Rome and abroad have been some of the most memorable moments in my life which I will carry with me forever. I’ve never felt so out of my element or more at home in Rome than anywhere else. I had many expectations coming to Rome, some of them fulfilled and some not. Rome has had a significant influence on my life and specifically on my design ideologies. I am grateful to have had this time in Rome and look forward to using what I have learned in my future work.

Rome as a city is very unique and has been a challenge to design for in studio. There is such rich history in which I was forced to research, comprehend, and then incorporate into my designs. I realized I enjoy working in a context with such resources. My designs must relate to the site and its history not just the normal context of wind and sun directions. In both studio projects there were iconic elements near or on site that demanded attention. For our first project the Colosseum was just North of our site and for this second project, the Tiber River is just South of our site. Both of these elements required some sort of interaction or reference as most sites in Rome do for other historical important place. As the designer, I was forced to take a position on the existing artifacts on site. Should I demolish all historical contexts, should I renovated and copy this context, or should I use my work to contrast this context? There are many design solutions, but the fact remains that Rome’s context can never be ignored.

From my observations I have noticed Roman citizens also have a strong presence which cannot be ignored. Although I have not gotten to know the Italian people as well as I would have liked, I still interacted with them daily and picked up on a few traits. My first impressions have been that they can be rude according to American standards. On my routine bus ride to school, the #280 bus can be quite packed. Everyone is pushing everyone. At first I was so apologetic saying sorry to everyone but I realized most Italians don’t really bother with that on the bus. Since everyone is pushing everyone, why apologize. One is more apt to hear “mi scusa” in a less crowded place like the bar in the morning. The local bar in Trastevere has been a great place to observe Italian interaction. Everyone is so friendly there. Two brothers run the place: Massimo and Leonard. They greet everyone with a friendly “Boun giorno” and make small talk with all the costumers. They now know my favorites, cappuccino and bomba. Italians are great people and looking back I wish I had pushed myself to interact more with them and practiced my Italian more.

Another place where I like to observed people was at Piazza Trilussa, the place I chose to study for Engaging Places. This piazza was constantly in use by both locals and many tourists. It’s a great landmark for meeting people in the neighborhood of Trastevere due to its adjacency to the river and pedestrian bridge: Ponte Sisto. This open piazza helps draw people into the narrow streets of Trastevere as well as leads them out in times of frustration. Trastevere can be very confusing if you aren’t familiar with the area. After living the entire semester there I still get lost.

I personally love Piazza Trilussa so much because after my run along the smelly Tiber River I emerge from the Ponte Sisto stairs and am greeted with fresh air and this large open space partially shaded by the large papal monument and fountain. It’s a great place for me to cool off and people watch. At night especially on the weekends this place is buzzing with groups of drunken young people yelling and having a good time. Piazza Trilussa is always fun to be around.

As much as I enjoy Piazza Trilussa there are a few other places in Rome I’ve also grown fond of going. Largo Argentina is always an exciting place where I often switch from the #30 bus to the #8 tram to go home. If I miss the tram, I enjoy the walk from Largo Argentina over the bridge into Trastevere. There are lots of stores to window shop and there is usually entertainment along the sidewalk such as singers and violin players. One man draws pictures in chalk on the sidewalk and sometimes I run into a few stray cats by the “Cat Ruins” in the center of Largo Argentina. The day of the 17^th Rome Marathon there was complete chaos as the race cut right through Largo Argentina disrupting all of the bus routes, car traffic, and pedestrian traffic. It was quite exciting to be apart of though, cheering the runners as they passed. Largo Argentina is a bazaar place now that I think about it, but it’s a great atmosphere be in and is an essential place in Rome.

These special places in Rome, Roman citizens, and my studio projects have taught me invaluable lessons about culture, history, and design. I hope that when I return to the States I will apply this knowledge to my life and my design work. Right now I miss my family and home, but I know that when I leave Rome and settle into my daily routine in Philadelphia, I will definitely miss my time in Rome. I really hope this was not a once in a lifetime opportunity but that I will soon return to Italy to continue to learn from Italian culture and design. I’ll be back.

Church of the Gesu: Delight in Architecture

1.) PROXIMITY
What I find so delightful about the Church of the Gesu is how it is actually in very close proximity to many busy areas and piazzas, and yet the first time I went looking for it I got lost. To me, it’s like a hidden gem that’s been buried by being in close proximity to such points as Piazza Venezia, Area Sacra Argentina, and the Pantheon. Other than major landmarks, I enjoy the area/piazza around this church because of the small shops and restaurants that are not too tourist-like.

2.) REPETITION
The delight of repetition in this space comes from the combination and contrast of the symmetrical and geometrical repetition of the pews on the ground and the free-flowing repetition of the designs from the canvas on the ceiling. The pews on the ground establish order- a symmetry which affects the flow of people as well as pa homage to the cross plan of the church.

3.) SIMPLEST AND LARGEST FIGURE
The simplest and largest figure in this church is the mirror at the front end of the church that is angled in such a way as to reflect the entire canvas of the ceiling so that the viewer is able to see the whole painting. It allows the viewer to interact with the large ceiling in a much more personal way.

4.) FIGURE/GROUND RELATIONSHIP
The figure-ground relationship is strictly horizontal and limited to one plane- there are no stairs or dramatic platforms that ever give on the sensation that they are on a higher level than anyone else. This allows for a close relationship between the individual and all the elements on the ground plane, but leaves little to no room for the individual to interact with the walls or ceiling.

5.) PROPORTION
What I find interesting about the proportions of most churches is that they seem so much higher than longer or wider. This is also the case for the Church of the Gesu; there is something very delightful and magnificent about feeling like your inside a small space with high walls. This feeling is also enhanced by the domes which make the ceilings look higher than they really are.

6.) SCALE
The scale of the church of the Gesu is a bit larger than what I would expect from a simple church, but this is most likely due to the fact that this church has numerous alters and landmarks to house. Even so, I enjoy the fact that I can get a bit of personal space in a place where I would usually feel suffocated. And even when the church is crowded for the light show at 5pm, it still feels quite spacious.

7.) RHYTHM
The rhythm of the movement of people is generated by the repetition of the pews and the symmetrical placements of the numerous alters. This allows for a rather ordered and predictable rhythm of movement, as does the single perspective pathway to the alter.

8.) TEXTURE
The layering of drawings and details on the ceiling and walls of the church and the dome gives it such a rich and delightful texture. In addition, the church is full of different materials that add different experiences and interactions with the objects: the alter tables are marble, the piers are wood, the candles are wax, and the floors are stone.

9.) LIGHT AND COLOR
What I find most delightful about this church is the fact that there is minimal light alongside such a wide range of colors. The light from the dome is the only natural light coming into the church, and it highlights the colors of the canvas on the ceiling. The colors are not too bright or intense though, the minimal light makes them look darker and blend into one another better.

10.) ORNAMENT
The intricate detail on seemingly ever aspect of the church creates a space filled with ornament. This is what I found most delightful about the church; everything is so delicate and makes the church feel as like it was built together with a bunch of tiny puzzle pieces.

Final Assignment

Final Assignment: Architecture 3146

The final assignment is a reflective composition that verbally and visually portrays your experiences in Rome and in particular your special place or places in Rome. The document should be well written and fully illustrated with sketches and analytically drawings. The composition should incorporate the work that you submitted on the blog throughout the semester.

As part of the assignment, please also discuss how the experience in Rome has influenced your design ideologies in the studio. Please be specific, incorporating visually, examples of your work.

Please be prepared to have an exhibit on the main campus of your studio work in Rome. In preparation for the exhibit, please document all your work in a digital format, portraying your process as well as final design conclusions. Format of presentation is at your discretion. 

Upon, your return to the main campus, please submit a disc of your work to Val Cleary, the departmental secretary.

Due Date: April 20. 2011

Recommended Length of document: 1000 words or so.

Delight in the Waterfront- Stephanie Belawicz

Below are Video Clips taken at the riverfront the day after it had rained. Rain persisted for three days, causing the river to overflow it's banks and dramatically change the essence of my site.

a. Proximity

It’s delight is owed to the fact that it is in close proximity to many commercial and residential institutions yet retains it’s privacy. It’s immediate surrounding include the school, the surrounding neighborhood, restaurants, shops and other commercial businesses. However, when at the waterfront, one loses visual connection with the urban landscape and ultimately loses all mental connections as well. The most enjoyable part of the riverfront is that one does not need to venture far to find natural tranquility that’s visually and experientially separated from the rest of the city.

b. Repetition

Structure ultimately provides the repetition of the waterfront. Bridges and concrete retaining walls moving along the waterfront seem to create an encapsulated form that encages the river. A visual repetition is further complimented by the movement of the river, allowing a consistent relationship between structure, river and landscape to compose a visual and experiential repetition.

c. Simplest and Largest Figure

The simplest and largest figure is undoubtedly the stairs cascading down from the street onto the river front. They not only serve as a figure notated in the landscape but also as a structure for activity. Groups of students, residents, etc. arrange themselves amongst the stairs and landings to create small points of activity moving with the shape of the stair down to the riverfront. This part of the sight is delightful to congregate about because the height differences amongst the groups offers privacy despite their actual close proximity to each other.

Although the river can be interpreted as the simplest and largest figure, it more closely relates to the horizontal landscape rather than a figure within it.

d. Figure/Ground Relationship

The river and walking paths serve as a unified ground plane while any vertical disruption becomes the figure. Essentially, in a completely horizontal landscape, any horizontal disruption becomes a clear figure in relationship to the ground. Thus, the boats and people become figurines. Even the bridges serve as landscape due to their own horizontal nature and the manner in which their shape completes the connection between the opposing sides of the river and riverbanks. It therefore serves as a connection point in the landscape rather than a figure within the landscape.

e. Proportion

The river itself is at an incomprehensible proportion to the human scale. In relationship to the surrounding neighborhoods, however, the river seems humbled. Large monumental buildings and walls of residential architecture tower above the river creating a strong contrast between horizontal movement and vertical structure. Vehicular movements becomes a small buzz between these two large geometries and pedestrian traffic becomes increasingly more inconsequential.

f. Scale g. Rhythm

The river has two rhythms which bring the incomprehensible scale of the Tiber into a personal scale with the human body. The first rhythm is the bridge system defined by vehicular traffic. This segregates the river at “x” many cross streets between the two opposing sides of the river. The second rhythm is defined by the vertical connection between walkways above and at the level of the riverfront, occurring at every “y” interval. Ultimately, these alternating rhythms create points for the person to relate their position amongst the city within context to the river. Therefore, an enormous landscape becomes proportioned to the human scale through the context of each segregated piece and the viewer’s familiar surroundings that are connected to the urban landscape.

h. Texture

The River itself has a texture that varies with weather, reflection, and vehicular movement. The waves move and define the texture of the river which is then altered and manipulated with the movement of boats and fishermen. The grass moving up the riverbanks adds to the natural texture of the river. These two surfaces are segregated by man-made walkways that have concrete and block textures and geometries. Essentially, two very natural and organic textures are defined and segregated by distinct geometries and textures that denote human interaction with a natural landscape.

I. Light and Color

Due to the reflective nature of water, the riverfront is always fairly bright and colorful. Although the water has become a grey-blue, the green grass and bright colors of boats docked along the shore add a lively spirit to the riverfront. On a sunny day, however, the light encompasses the entire site. The river becomes more segregated with the shadows from the bridge, adding another layer to the repetition of the structure.

Light serves as a physical element as well as an aesthetic one. Laying on the stairs, one can feel the heat from the sun coming from the sky, reflecting off the water and radiating off the concrete. The warm atmosphere afforded by the heat of the sun compliments the aesthetic benefits of it’s light.

j. Ornament

There is no ornament on the waterfront except for those afforded by nature. The most elaborate ornament would be the stairs, cascading down towards the river. At any water level, they create a strong connection between the upper street and the riverfront as well as providing a space for activity and entertainment. They have been beautifully molded to curve down towards the river forcing the user to turn in different directions for multiple views of the site while descending/ascending. Thus defining the visual experience the designer believed the user should have while approaching the site.