PhD in Architecture. History and Project | Politecnico di Torino
… a meeting with
Alessio Battistella
13 thoughts on “… a meeting with”
Zeynep Asli Yavasan
In this weeks lecture “Low tech as a form of resistance”, we discussed appropriate technologies. Appropriate technologies are design solutions which are innovative but low-tech. They respond to the context they are placed in, they can be flexible and manageable even in the hands of people with no specific skill background and above all, they’re sustainable. The materials, passive strategies, building techniques and the practices that were demonstrated in the case studies we viewed today, it’s evident how all context-specific choices have consequences on the language of architecture, which also goes on to affect the cultural and environmental synthesis. It was interesting to try to understand how these context-specific but efficient and innovative practices could be incorporated in modern design principles, defining the starting point in the case of any project.
The lecture held by Alessio Battistella has been fascinating mostly to understand how is possible to design in a very innovative way even with a low budget and a low availability of materials. The projects of the schools that Battistella presented have been a perfect example for this topic, because these buildings were made with local materials and had a quite simple design, but with smart strategies were able to make a comfortable environment for children and teachers. I found captivating the topic of building in war areas too, because is interesting to rethink the role of the architect and the durability of architecture in these contexts.
The lecture by Alessio Battistella was about architecture with low budget and using local materials. It was mentioned what are the elements that allow architects to give cooperation as working sustainable way. Such as, working sustainable way, natural local materials, reuse, energy production and creating a circular passive technology design. It was mentioned a project which is located in Mosul, Irak. All of these architecture design was considered while designing the project. It was interesting to see designing in a different type of culture and war region country. It was showed some important issues in the region such as considering the privacy, climate and water problem. They thought that how can it be merged all of these aspects as considiring islamic architecture. Therefore, analyzing the area was too important to design a new project. It was interesting to see we need to think as an architect, the durability of the material in a war region. Also, i found logical that we need to consider as an architect “We need to draw something what is the characteristic of the material we should not draw just for the shape when we designing.”
This week’s lecture we talk about low budget and using local materials. Look for materials that are locally sourced and abundant. This can help reduce transportation costs and minimize the environmental impact of project. Designing sustainable architecture with limited resources requires creativity, resourcefulness, and a willingness to think outside the box. By embracing these qualities and considering the environment, we can create innovative and sustainable architecture that is both functional and visually appealing.
The lecture given by Alessio Battistella this week focused on the use of local materials and low-budget architecture. Interesting was the approach used in this context, where the theme of war in the first place, but also climatic conditions marked the architecture and therefore new solutions to be used to have greater durability. The use of local materials and low-cost construction techniques that everyone can access and that is not reserved only for rich and powerful people made these architectures possible in an extremely efficient way. Of particular thoughtfulness was the design for the school, which was unfinished but of particular visual impact, where the context was marked by the remnants of rubble from the war.
At the center of the debate, held during professor Battistella’s lecture, were those cities in which planning requires caution but above all resolve. The presentation was touching. The professor showed how Islamic cities have suffered from civil wars, systematic bombing of the urban fabric and the consequent destruction of a large part of their cultural and institutional heritage. The guest then showed us how it is possible to respond to emergencies of this entity in a practical sense through a design approach developed well in advance and which, in the context of a ruined city, is implemented quickly and effectively. But that does not always happen. In fact, Battistella states that the reasons for hating architecture are precisely timing, bureaucracy and the awareness that we can only hope that our solutions will overcome those difficulties, to provide images of a world far from war.
An interesting lecture the one by Architect Alessio Battistella, from ARCò Studio: “Architettura e Cooperazione,” a real ‘nomen omen’, which well explains the approach and philosophy of the studio, called to deal with design in situations of humanitarian emergency. Battistella, in illustrating and telling us about some of the projects developed by the Studio, well emphasized, right from the start, the value of the principles of sustainable architecture, not only as foundational elements for architectural, urban and landscape design, but also as opportunities to “make community”: in fact, it is not only important to understand and know the needs, problems and issues of the place, but also its potential and capabilities. I admired the sensitivity and empathy whereby the projects are conceived and realized: in fact, each intervention is in its own right. The concept and shapes take life from the place and the techniques are chosen so as to be appropriate to them applicable and replicable in independence. In this sense, the use and utilization of natural and recycled materials is most favored, as is the use of renewable energy sources and the principles of passive bioclimatic architecture.
The architect Alessio Battistella, studio ARCò, presents some of his architecture work in extreme/dificult scenarios. An intriguing debate from the point of view of the architect, where the professional has to deal with the duality of having an emergency site that requires a quick solution, meanwhile also having the burocracy of extreme situations, such as war scenarios or extreme poverty causing political problems, lack of materials, lack of resources, risky environments, among other issues. Battistella presents us the process of development of this type of proposal, explaining how the systems, the theory, the concept and the technical details for the construction must be provided in advance of the trip to the building site. Plus, the architect clarifies that all the process is done with help of the population, who is the main target of these interventions.
Prof. Alessio Battistella gave an inspiring lecture on his approach to working with architectural design in extreme and emergency conditions, especially in post-war situations, advocating the practical use of less costly materials and using construction techniques to carry out construction activities. In this process, there is also a need to communicate with all parties, a process that is obviously not easy. What impressed me was his adherence to the concept of sustainability and humanism, which is invaluable to an architectural movement in a chaotic environment and d local people.
Alessio Battistella’s lecture ‘Appropriate Technologies’ was very interesting. The architect, from the ARCò studio, told us their basic idea is to merge the three basic principles of sustainability (environmental, social, economic), a technology applied according to where they are going to design. Making us think about what we, as architects, can contribute in terms of sustainability, using natural materials as much as possible, with low technology, so that unskilled people can manage them.
The projects he presented to us have a common goal, which is to be designed in an innovative way but with a low cost and using local materials, with an intermediate technology that is simpler, cheaper and free.
Alessio Battistella’s lecture centered on the use of local materials and low-budget architecture while promoting sustainability through practices like energy production, reuse, and circular passive technology design. The presentation showcased a project in Mosul, Iraq, that incorporated Islamic architecture while considering cultural and environmental factors. The lecture also addressed the destruction of cultural and institutional heritage in war-torn Islamic cities, emphasizing the need for a design approach that can quickly and effectively respond to emergencies. In summary, the lecture highlighted the challenges and opportunities of architecture in war-torn regions and emphasized the importance of innovative and sustainable practices.
In this lecture, Alessio Battistella focused on sustainable and low-cost materials. One of the alternatives that he presents is, after doing an analysis, to be able to find abundant materials in the project site that can be used for construction. He also says that a Material cannot limit design and that it is possible to create great things with the use of these new materials.
Architect Alessio Battistella’s lecture, titled “Architecture and Cooperation,” focused on ARCò Studio’s approach to designing in humanitarian emergencies. He emphasized the importance of sustainable architecture principles and the value of understanding the needs, potential, and capabilities of a place. I admired the sensitivity and empathy shown in their projects, where interventions are tailored to the specific location, utilizing natural and recycled materials, renewable energy sources, and passive bioclimatic architecture.
In this weeks lecture “Low tech as a form of resistance”, we discussed appropriate technologies. Appropriate technologies are design solutions which are innovative but low-tech. They respond to the context they are placed in, they can be flexible and manageable even in the hands of people with no specific skill background and above all, they’re sustainable. The materials, passive strategies, building techniques and the practices that were demonstrated in the case studies we viewed today, it’s evident how all context-specific choices have consequences on the language of architecture, which also goes on to affect the cultural and environmental synthesis. It was interesting to try to understand how these context-specific but efficient and innovative practices could be incorporated in modern design principles, defining the starting point in the case of any project.
The lecture held by Alessio Battistella has been fascinating mostly to understand how is possible to design in a very innovative way even with a low budget and a low availability of materials. The projects of the schools that Battistella presented have been a perfect example for this topic, because these buildings were made with local materials and had a quite simple design, but with smart strategies were able to make a comfortable environment for children and teachers. I found captivating the topic of building in war areas too, because is interesting to rethink the role of the architect and the durability of architecture in these contexts.
The lecture by Alessio Battistella was about architecture with low budget and using local materials. It was mentioned what are the elements that allow architects to give cooperation as working sustainable way. Such as, working sustainable way, natural local materials, reuse, energy production and creating a circular passive technology design. It was mentioned a project which is located in Mosul, Irak. All of these architecture design was considered while designing the project. It was interesting to see designing in a different type of culture and war region country. It was showed some important issues in the region such as considering the privacy, climate and water problem. They thought that how can it be merged all of these aspects as considiring islamic architecture. Therefore, analyzing the area was too important to design a new project. It was interesting to see we need to think as an architect, the durability of the material in a war region. Also, i found logical that we need to consider as an architect “We need to draw something what is the characteristic of the material we should not draw just for the shape when we designing.”
This week’s lecture we talk about low budget and using local materials. Look for materials that are locally sourced and abundant. This can help reduce transportation costs and minimize the environmental impact of project. Designing sustainable architecture with limited resources requires creativity, resourcefulness, and a willingness to think outside the box. By embracing these qualities and considering the environment, we can create innovative and sustainable architecture that is both functional and visually appealing.
The lecture given by Alessio Battistella this week focused on the use of local materials and low-budget architecture. Interesting was the approach used in this context, where the theme of war in the first place, but also climatic conditions marked the architecture and therefore new solutions to be used to have greater durability. The use of local materials and low-cost construction techniques that everyone can access and that is not reserved only for rich and powerful people made these architectures possible in an extremely efficient way. Of particular thoughtfulness was the design for the school, which was unfinished but of particular visual impact, where the context was marked by the remnants of rubble from the war.
At the center of the debate, held during professor Battistella’s lecture, were those cities in which planning requires caution but above all resolve. The presentation was touching. The professor showed how Islamic cities have suffered from civil wars, systematic bombing of the urban fabric and the consequent destruction of a large part of their cultural and institutional heritage. The guest then showed us how it is possible to respond to emergencies of this entity in a practical sense through a design approach developed well in advance and which, in the context of a ruined city, is implemented quickly and effectively. But that does not always happen. In fact, Battistella states that the reasons for hating architecture are precisely timing, bureaucracy and the awareness that we can only hope that our solutions will overcome those difficulties, to provide images of a world far from war.
An interesting lecture the one by Architect Alessio Battistella, from ARCò Studio: “Architettura e Cooperazione,” a real ‘nomen omen’, which well explains the approach and philosophy of the studio, called to deal with design in situations of humanitarian emergency. Battistella, in illustrating and telling us about some of the projects developed by the Studio, well emphasized, right from the start, the value of the principles of sustainable architecture, not only as foundational elements for architectural, urban and landscape design, but also as opportunities to “make community”: in fact, it is not only important to understand and know the needs, problems and issues of the place, but also its potential and capabilities. I admired the sensitivity and empathy whereby the projects are conceived and realized: in fact, each intervention is in its own right. The concept and shapes take life from the place and the techniques are chosen so as to be appropriate to them applicable and replicable in independence. In this sense, the use and utilization of natural and recycled materials is most favored, as is the use of renewable energy sources and the principles of passive bioclimatic architecture.
The architect Alessio Battistella, studio ARCò, presents some of his architecture work in extreme/dificult scenarios. An intriguing debate from the point of view of the architect, where the professional has to deal with the duality of having an emergency site that requires a quick solution, meanwhile also having the burocracy of extreme situations, such as war scenarios or extreme poverty causing political problems, lack of materials, lack of resources, risky environments, among other issues. Battistella presents us the process of development of this type of proposal, explaining how the systems, the theory, the concept and the technical details for the construction must be provided in advance of the trip to the building site. Plus, the architect clarifies that all the process is done with help of the population, who is the main target of these interventions.
Prof. Alessio Battistella gave an inspiring lecture on his approach to working with architectural design in extreme and emergency conditions, especially in post-war situations, advocating the practical use of less costly materials and using construction techniques to carry out construction activities. In this process, there is also a need to communicate with all parties, a process that is obviously not easy. What impressed me was his adherence to the concept of sustainability and humanism, which is invaluable to an architectural movement in a chaotic environment and d local people.
Alessio Battistella’s lecture ‘Appropriate Technologies’ was very interesting. The architect, from the ARCò studio, told us their basic idea is to merge the three basic principles of sustainability (environmental, social, economic), a technology applied according to where they are going to design. Making us think about what we, as architects, can contribute in terms of sustainability, using natural materials as much as possible, with low technology, so that unskilled people can manage them.
The projects he presented to us have a common goal, which is to be designed in an innovative way but with a low cost and using local materials, with an intermediate technology that is simpler, cheaper and free.
Alessio Battistella’s lecture centered on the use of local materials and low-budget architecture while promoting sustainability through practices like energy production, reuse, and circular passive technology design. The presentation showcased a project in Mosul, Iraq, that incorporated Islamic architecture while considering cultural and environmental factors. The lecture also addressed the destruction of cultural and institutional heritage in war-torn Islamic cities, emphasizing the need for a design approach that can quickly and effectively respond to emergencies. In summary, the lecture highlighted the challenges and opportunities of architecture in war-torn regions and emphasized the importance of innovative and sustainable practices.
In this lecture, Alessio Battistella focused on sustainable and low-cost materials. One of the alternatives that he presents is, after doing an analysis, to be able to find abundant materials in the project site that can be used for construction. He also says that a Material cannot limit design and that it is possible to create great things with the use of these new materials.
Architect Alessio Battistella’s lecture, titled “Architecture and Cooperation,” focused on ARCò Studio’s approach to designing in humanitarian emergencies. He emphasized the importance of sustainable architecture principles and the value of understanding the needs, potential, and capabilities of a place. I admired the sensitivity and empathy shown in their projects, where interventions are tailored to the specific location, utilizing natural and recycled materials, renewable energy sources, and passive bioclimatic architecture.