Future paths for Feltre district
Second step of our project: generation of two concepts
As always in the evolution of a design project, after the research phases it’s time for the concept development. From a general understanding of the whole context of intervention, we passed to the creation of visions that shaped the direction of our ideas. As the emergency caused by Covid-19 continues, we had to face this stage at a distance, both from the area of intervention and between us five members of the group. In general, it’s not a designer thing to work from home: we like to interact with each other, note confused ideas on a sheet of paper and, especially in the concept phase, excitement, jokes and even fights are the main ingredients of the process.
Luckily we discovered Miro, an online platform that allowed us to simulate the same experience. It is a free collaborative board creator where a team can cooperate and talk to each other in real time; it offers plenty of playful templates that helped us unroll and mark our ideas on a digital sheet of paper. We started placing sticky notes on the board as if it was a game, but we soon realized that concrete ideas began to emerge. As our mentor for this project — Bruno Munari — says: “playing is a serious thing!”.
For the first step, we filled an insights board with the hints we collected from the research phases, also taking into account the requests of the proponents. We laid out our thoughts with the help of the sticky notes and divided each insight into issues, strengths and opportunities through a colour code. By doing so, we identified possible spatial design features and community initiatives that seemed to solve some of the problems of the area of intervention.
As a pedestrian path positioned in the inner park of the district, the location didn’t show major issues; nevertheless, crossing safety and parking conditions were deemed necessary for an improvement. Through the answers we received in the first phase of the project, we noticed how much the locals care about their neighbourhood: they are not only concerned about big problems, but are also open to subtle improvements. Indeed, they pointed out the scarcity of places where adults and elderly could gather and the lack of events.
In order to respond to the requests of the parents association of the primary school, to the ones of the questionnaire and to further enhance the proposals, we shaped two different concepts. At the base of both is the idea of boosting the community feeling, already present in the area, including all those people who feel left out at the moment and giving the same importance to all of the targets.
Borgo Feltre - A place to create intergenerational connections
From the research phases and from the completion of the insights board, we immediately had the idea of comparing the district to a “little village”. The conformation of the 9-storey buildings resembles the walls of old towns and the space in between them represents the stage for social interactions. As in every little village, we imagined Feltre populated by kids going to school, parents fetching their children, teens having fun, couples walking and elderly discussing. Our wish was to connect all these categories, which usually form closed groups, sometimes in rivalry with the others, and especially to link the different generations. To do this, once again, we appealed our mentor Bruno Munari and used his mantra: “let’s make everybody play!”. We thought of painting on the ground a series of games of the past, such as campana, biglie, tug of war and many others, which kids could learn with the guide of their parents or grandparents. In this way, adults and elderly wouldn’t simply check their kids playing, but would take part in the activity and, at least once, play themselves.
The layout of the intervention produces a climax-like experience, passing from relaxed activities at the far ends of the path, to more lively ones at the centre, which are laid out along three axis that converge in the centre. Their meeting point, symbolizing the connection of generations, is marked by the sun of Munari painted on the ground. The parking area is solved through a pattern of lines, acting as a slowing-down tool for the cars and slowly transforming into coloured zebra crossings reaching the path; moreover, a little roundabout is positioned in order to create a “kiss and go” area and to prevent illegal parking practices. Other experiences complement the place: seating, a wishing tree and a community vegetable garden.
By trying visualize our ideas, we created a specific mood to express the concept at its best; we thought both of recalling the aesthetic of the sixties, to match the games on the ground and to reference the period when the district was built, and to reinterpret the drawings and patterns of Munari.
Between all the different environments, every target could find a suitable space and feel even more included through the events and activities that we imagined for the place, mainly inspired by the idea of “festa di paese”: neighbourhood lunches (to be realized borrowing chairs and tables from the school, if possible), outdoor cinema nights, sports tournaments, story times by the elderly, digital lessons by the young and many others.
Feltre passo dopo passo - A promenade to rediscover local connections
By thinking of the district as empty as it is now, what stands out are its environmental and historical values. Because of this, we decided to create a path of discovery to celebrate the heritage of the area. Referring to the concept of “Genius Loci”, the spirit of the place, we tried to express the different characteristics that make up the soul of the neighbourhood, which the locals are very proud of. We identified five shades of Genius Loci — the river Lambro, the residential buildings, the Parco Lambro, the Miralago and the primary school Bruno Munari — and tried to connect them with functions reflecting their attributes: the river Lambro becomes a path, the buildings invite people to talk, the Parco Lambro hosts sport activities, the Miralago suggests relax and the school becomes a playground.
The intervention is a sort of promenade along the river, which shapes these different functional zones and flows between them. While the path is characterised by a solid paint, each island is distinguished by a specific pattern and colour, recalling that environment in a graphic way. Moreover, every zone is recognizable through a caption and a QR code, leading to information about that Genius Loci, prepared with the involvement of the inhabitants and the students. The approach is slightly didactic, in order to create a link with the school and to enhance the importance of the place. Identically to Borgo Feltre, the parking area is treated with a pattern of lines, coloured zebra crossings and a “kiss and go” area, while the main spatial difference is the distribution of the functions: each zone is separate and arranged to satisfy the needs of the different targets.
Also for this concept, we imagined several events to make the district come alive: they are both thought to enhance the sense of community — neighbourhood lunches and outdoor cinema nights — and to reflect the explorative and didactic nature of the intervention — workshops, book crossing and heritage walks, guided by the expertise of the locals.
Group n° 03
Bai Xiaoman, Cattani Carlo Leone, Eugeni Marco, Masini Nicolò, Volpato Eleonora
