Housing Projects Operation | gianluca milesi

Housing Projects Operation Parasites 1999, Brooklyn New York Gianluca Milesi science-architecture New York Project description One of the problems of the cities is the design issue (urban design and architecture). The buildings and the quarters, especially in the suburban areas, are often not enough planned. This because of different causes (low budget, political decisions, low attention to the city, ...). One solution of the problem could be the demolition and the reconstruction of the buildings, but this operation is often dramatic, not economical, potential opportunity for speculations. Another approach to the problem could be to transform the buildings and the spaces connected operating on the existing situation; this is the aim of the plus, minus, equal project: to work on the existing constructions adding, subtracting parts, in order to transform and redesign the architectures and create different types of space. The idea is to reuse the buildings, mostly as they are, adding volumes on them with new functions and new shapes, integrating the existing activities already present in the buildings, or carving them in order to create empty spaces, green spaces, public spaces usable for the people living inside and in the neighborhood, or (3) joining one each other with system of public and semipublic connections. This project is theoretical but not utopia and developed in terms of real architecture. The system of the Housing Projects spreads all over New York City, an example of suburban, low cost, ordinary, repetitive architecture without particular qualities, is the field for the application of this theoretical project. The project is organized on three categories in relation to the operation operated on the existing architecture: addition, subtraction, joint. The three approaches studied are examples of architecture in process and sections of a mode-operandi as consequence of the methodology. addition: the operation of addition attaches volumes to the existing buildings: new and different spaces are added outside and inside the constructions: these new not regular volumes change the organization of the buildings and their shape too. subtraction: the operation of subtraction consists in carving the construction to create empty public spaces to destine to open-air activities. The spaces could be floating gardens, or floating squares. These spaces affect the organization of the buildings. Joint: the aim of this approach is to create connective spaces between existing building; this space can be just passages or contain functions. This operation tries to establish a ‘system’ through the introduction of new relations. publications: Arch’it: www.architettura.it: considerazioni, immagini e progetti: febraury 2000 La Biennale di Venezia: 7th International Architecture Exhibition: Citta’ del Terzo Millennio International Competition (CD) + - = project: selected architect: Marsilio Editore “Spaced Out, Gianuca Milesi, esercizi di architettura”, Mandragora, Florence, 2003