01_Monticelli District Masterplan

Scenario

The area in question has a mixed use (commercial, residential, managerial) and find itself along the arterial road Strada Statale Salaria Inferiore SS4, direction East-West, in the part included between two roundabouts. The first one, in the East, grants the access to the residential areas of Monticelli district, both towards the river Tronto (Platani Avenue) and the hills. The other one, besides representing the main access to the Hospital Services, is also the reference point to access sport and school structures in the area. The simultaneous presence of another two healthcare structures (Santo Stefano and Casa di Cura S. Giuseppe) consolidates the number of services to people’s health in the area.

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As from the graphical analysis, Monticelli district appears as divided into three distinct units: two of them are in axis with the traffic circulation on SS4 and the third one, northward, having more specific residential purposes, at the foot of the hilly area. Southward, besides the project area, there are some green open spaces, a little velodrome with a football ground and the parish church, all of which situated by the river.

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Notes about the climate

The climate in Ascoli Piceno is the typical one of the Sub-Apennines areas: winters are humid and chill and when Balkan winds gets to the middle Adriatic Sea, snowfalls and very low temperatures can be experienced in the city. Sometimes snowfalls are also quite heavy and lasting, due to the Apennines stau. In winter, night frosts and fog are common, especially along the Tronto Valley. Summers are hot with scarce rainfalls, sometimes arriving in the form of heavy afternoon showers. In the valley of Ascoli Piceno temperatures can get up to 37-38°C during the hottest days, but summer evenings and nights are usually characterised by cool breezes descending from the Apennines.

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Intro to Concept

The presentation of the concept is meant to:

• redefine the district design through a project programme made of aesthetics, technology, materials and organisation of the space;
• underline the relationship between project – nature / community / city;
• explore sustainable systems and introduce new urban and architectural methods to enrich the city, contrasting pollution and economical divisions;
• examine public and private spaces in order to stimulate a dynamic community;
• give an answer to the exploration of a new urban habitat based on a balance between man and nature –  not forgetting the limits imposed by the already existing buildings – and inspired by the ideas of a design for everyone, full natural light, careful use of energies and resources, appreciation of landscape and environment, integration of art and architecture.

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Concept Design

The project area has never been the place for a building intervention through the years and only minimal maintenance activities have been carried out to take care of the green spaces in order to keep the property in question in good general conditions. Remaining untouched for so many years, differently from the rest of the district (completed a long time ago), makes it even more unique in its kind: it represents a sort of revenge of nature in the middle of buildings. The area appears as an enormous grassland with scattered modest sized olive trees and characterised by an almost invariable double inclination, but even if the difference in height between the two far ends is about 3m, one thinks to be in front of a completely flat ground because its length (400m) measures much more than its width (70m).

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Both from the Hospital area and the traffic circulation perimeter, as well as from the surrounding buildings, the area can be easily identified – even from above – and has a well recognizable and homogeneous shape. 

The design project takes out this continuous surface from what is all around and transforms it without overdoing, but persuading the space to reunite with the surrounding urban environment, also creating pseudo-underground spaces which did not exist before. The residential buildings, instead, just “sit” on the new slopes organising the public and private open spaces without interruption. The two settings – river and mountains – are transposed in the buildings, inspired to the awesomeness and slope-formalism of nature.

Some Contents _ The project introduces a solution marked by qualitative elements inspired by nature and the surrounding and existing settings, especially:

• buildings inspired to the best use of sun exposure and main winds;
• a confidential and involving look for everyone;
• quality of the open spaces aimed at creating comfort and reducing impacts;
• beauty and openness, with buildings having their own peculiarities;
• natural management of the water cycle;
• same design importance given to buildings and open spaces, in order to respect the same quality level.

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Functional Programme

The two specialised buildings, both integrated on the new “soil” and respectively placed at the East and West ends of the lot of land, are equipped with two large and independent parking lots, thus leaving the central part of the area free from traffic fluxes and more suitable for residential purposes, diversions and open-air life. In the central section of the area there are two underground car parks with a total of 300 parking spaces.

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On the east side of the area there is a commercial structure including a restaurant/bar, whereas on the west side the building is characterised by a public central space uniting the two levels for pedestrians to or from the Hospital. This building can house a series of services (health centre, para-pharmacy, blood test centre, rehab centre, dental clinic, etc.) and some businesses (bar, cafeteria, book shop, etc.) to support both the above mentioned services and the users of the Hospital and/or their companions. The open spaces are characterised by elements that can be easily recognised as dynamic and entertaining, also thanks to some intriguing passages (the belvedere, the red eye, the gangway, the stop terminals of the covered ways, the artificial little hills, etc.)

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Concept Design _ L’area di progetto negli anni non è mai stata oggetto di intervento edilizio, solo minime attività di manutenzione del verde, mirate a conservare la proprietà ordinata ed in buone condizioni. Il fatto che sia rimasta intatta per molti anni, a dispetto del resto del quartiere che la include, ormai da molto tempo completato, la rende ancora più unica nel suo genere: una sorta di rivincita della natura nel costruito. Quello che appare come un enorme prato punteggiato qua e là da alberature isolate (olivi) di modeste dimensioni ha un’orografia formata da un piano con doppia inclinazione pressoché uniforme e benché ci siano dislivelli tra i vertici contrapposti vicini ai tre metri, la sua conformazione, sviluppata molto in lunghezza (circa 400 metri contro i 70 di larghezza) consegna un’immagine percepita come pianeggiante. Sia dalla zona dell’Ospedale, dalla viabilità perimetrale, come dagli edifici circostanti, l’area è sempre ben visibile, anche dall’alto, ed ha un carattere unitario e riconoscibile. Il design “estrae” dall’intorno questa superficie continua, la trasforma senza violenza, in un’attività di persuasione, e la ri-unisce di nuovo al suo ambito creando spazi pseudo-ipogei prima inesistenti. Gli edifici residenziali viceversa si “siedono” sui nuovi pendii articolando gli spazi aperti pubblici e privati senza soluzione di continuità. Gli ambienti “fiume” e “montagna” sono trasposti negli edifici, ispirati alle suggestioni ed al  slopesformalismo della natura.

Il progetto introduce una soluzione contraddistinta da elementi qualitativi ispirati dalla natura e dall’ambiente, in particolare:

• edifici ispirati al miglior utilizzo dell’esposizione al sole e ai venti dominanti;
• aspetto confidenziale e coinvolgente per tutti;
• qualità degli spazi aperti mirati al comfort ed alla riduzione degli impatti;
• bellezza e freschezza, con edifici di personalità;
• gestione naturale del ciclo idrico;
• pari dignità progettuale tra edifici e spazi aperti, nel rispetto del medesimo livello qualitativo.

Programma Funzionale _ I due edifici specialistici, entrambi integrati nel nuovo “suolo” e posti agli estremi est ed ovest del lotto, sono serviti da due ampie aree di sosta indipendenti. In questo modo il settore centrale della proprietà resta libero da flussi veicolari così da essere più adeguato alla residenza, allo svago e alla vita all’aria aperta. Nel settore centrale sono presenti due parcheggi interrati fino i 300 posti auto complessivi. Sulla parte est del lotto è localizzata una struttura commerciale integrata da un bar/ristorazione mentre sul lato ovest la costruzione è caratterizzata da uno spazio centrale pubblico che organizza i due livelli attraverso la distribuzione pedonale da e per l’Ospedale. Quest’ultima costruzione, in ragione della sua prossimità, si presta ad ospitare una serie di servizi alla persona (poliambulatori, parafarmacia, centro analisi, riabilitazione, centro odontoiatrico, etc.) e di attività di supporto ai servizi medesimi (bar, caffetteria, libreria, etc.) sia per il centro stesso sia per gli utenti e/o accompagnatori dei servizi ospedalieri. Gli spazi aperti sono caratterizzati da elementi di forte riconoscibilità che introducono aspetti dinamici e di svago, anche attraverso passaggi curiosi (il belvedere, l’oculo rosso, la passerella, i terminali di sosta dei percorsi in copertura, le collinette artificiali, etc.).