Bio-based Idiolect

PORTRAIT D'ÉQUIPE

VIDEO (par l'équipe)

INTERVIEW
^{Cliquer sur les images pour agrandir}
1. How did you form the team for the competition?
Europan 16 has been my 5th participation in Europan as a sole author, since Europan 11 (2011). It has been part of a personal ongoing trajectory dedicated to international architecture competitions already for 10 years.

2. How do you define the main issue of your project, and how did you answer on this session main topic, Living cities?
‘Bio-based Idiolect’ finds the retro feeling of the neighbourhood worth preserving and restoring. The vision recognizes the importance of the coexistence of old & new as a central point. After all, the existing volumes were prototypes themselves decades ago. The proposal makes a fundamental choice to place any modern intervention in the inner side of the blocks thus not directly visible from the street. All the contemporary extensions facing the green will have a modern feel. ‘Bio-based Idiolect’ recognizes the ever changing conditions that affect spatial design, from demographics, to regulations and architectural trends. Four replicable prototypes of a distinct and inviting architectural language gracefully bridge the old with the new and are supported further by a permeable slow mobility network in the accessible extensive green. ‘Bio-based Idiolect’ sees the additions as a long-term yet still temporary measure (which in essence it is, since the original structures do have an expiration date). This solution overcomes demolition and extends the life of the existing volumes for the foreseeable future. The materials are chosen with a second life after their initial use in mind. Standardization and demountability will enable this reuse to take place. The additions accompany the original structures until the true end of their (renewed & extended) lifespan. This moderate densification is an ideal example of how the old can be given a fresh look to carry it through the years with minimum environmental impact.