Luca Rossato

Chair_ludus : Re-drawing the Gerrit Rietveld Chairs

The Berlin and Red Blue Chair designed by Gerrit Rietveld have been subject of academic study. They are a symbol of Neoplasticism and De Stijl, with a powerful compositional synthesis of geometric and chromatic modulations. For these reasons the chairs became the starting point of an interpretive path at University level linked to space (metaphor of the dihedral of Monge) and to the relation concerning body (in its postural and behavioural logics) and perception (between synaesthesia and symbol). A gaming path has been conceived by means of understanding activities (design/survey) and directly dealing with the shape: this means analysing objects by their physical rebuilding in laboratory models. Starting from the rebuilt model it is possible to develop the metamorphosis of the chair. In this way “cult chairs” become playful components able to activate manipulative actions, acting as chance of exploration of space, shape, surface and the relationship with the body and its vocations. At the end of the course the playful act of conceptual metamorphosis has shown as it is possible to produce new creative actions that could enable the students to reap the benefits of their creative language and social behaviours.

Chair_Ludus & Zoo_Ludus Metamorphosis of Objects through Survey and Drawing Techniques

The playful experience described by this contribution has been developed through a suvey/drawing path that emphasized the young students need for direct contact with shapes and materials. The activities carried out concerned two kinds of objects, chairs designed by Gerrit Rietveld (Berlin and Red-Blue) and toys of the company Sevi. The objects have been surveyed and studied through a playful act to reach its formal and conceptual metamorphosis that produced new inventive actions. The ludus experience enabled the development of analytical and experimental actions, taking advantage of the spirit of social adaptation and creative language of the students.

Digital Tools for Heritage Preservation and Enhancement

Currently the 20th century architectures are all over the world in danger and under attack: these buildings (in many cases designed by international renowned professionals) are facing a silent destruction. Day by day they are slowly modified in terms of materials, volumes, colours or even demolished. These architectures are still used for public purposes or as residential buildings but they are usually in bad conditions and their state of materials conservation is quite poor. This on-going research explores in depth the possibility to preserve and valorize modern heritage in Brazil and India by the integration of 3D tools, processes and technologies in order to face the future preservation challenges. Soon after the research process the main topics of the project were evaluated and studied to create the bases for a structured research path. In parallel the case study assessment was able to identify suitable buildings (both in Brazil and India) on the which the chosen topics are now being applied in order to improve the knowledge on the design process and reach a guidelines proposal for the preservation and enhancement of these architectures.

The Angel’s Cave. A Database for the Restoration and Valorisation of the San Michele Archangel Site, Olevano sul Tusciano (Salerno, Italy)

A cave is a mysterious place, like a split in the ground. It reverses the common perception of the reality: the mountain, associated to idea of solid, creates an empty space. This empty astonishes because it houses architectural and historical valuable sanctuary: the monumental complex of Angel’s Cave. The Cave and its branches hedge in a basilica with bizantinian frescos, some Martiryas (little chapels) with small courtyard. The integrated survey by laser scanning technologies has allowed to create a 3D data base able to document the morphometry of the San Michele Site and the surrounding landscape, in order to enhance and restore, by the Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e per il Paesaggio, architectural and environmental features.

Alberti's box: the cultural multimedia project on the architectures of leon battista alberti

Far from their physical locations, buildings can be visualized, perceived and understood only thanks to a digital action of dematerialization and re-materialization., The Albertis Box was developed starting from this awareness. The intense collaboration between the DIAPReM Centre (Development of Integrated Automatic Procedures for Restoration of Monuments) of the Ferrara University, the Consorzio Ferrara Ricerche and the Leon Battista Alberti Study Centre Foundation of Mantua realized a cultural project allowing everyone the gathering of all the data and documentation related to the Albertis architecture: the flow of multimedia suggestions and digital reconstruction tries to describe the dynamics of his thought and tries also to explain which are the design, the technology and the interpretation queries the Albertis architecture still place. Albertis Box is an ideal magical box containing the philosophy of a humanist who has generated both architectural forms as well as thoughts. The idea is very simple: the aim is to stimulate the direct vision of the building, not its replacement. The digital interpretation of the buildings inside the Albertis Box has an analytical, documentary and explanatory function and the integration of various languages is the key to understand the architectures of Leon Battista Alberti, even if absent.