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alma mater studiorum university of bologna / faculty of engigneeringdapt / department of architecture and territorial planning

cesam / study centre on metropolitan areas

introduction

This intermediate report contains a summary of the material produced by the

Italian students of Urban and Architectural Composition from University of

Bologna, about the proposed redevelopment of the Zamkowa area, placed in the

Southern part of the city of Wroclaw, very close to the historical center.

This is our second report on the city of Wroclaw, as a result of a three years

cooperation programme with the city, made possible by the relationships

established with some representatives of Wroclaw Municipality and University

(Faculty of Architecture of the Wroclaw Institute of Technology).

Our work begins from acquiring knowledge of the dynamics of the urban fabric,

in order to disclose the potential of Wroclaw attractivness. A deep reading of the

syntax of the urban space is necessary to understand the constant interaction of

elements which reveal the urban identity.

The preliminary phase of comprehension of the entirety of the city, along with the

achievement of its distinguishing characters, appears essential to give back to the

place, as well as to improve, the value of its whole, wide building heritage, which

often results despoiled of its meaning. A constant dialectic between the memory of

the place and the needs of the city and its inhabitants can be observed, in order todevelop a strategy of urban regeneration, which entails fullling needs with regard

to the past and fullling needs with regard to the future.

Thus, the regeneration process cannot be lead apart from a full urban reasoning,

able to reveal the redevelopment areas, which occur linked into a network spread

over the entire city. Nonetheless, the renovation process underpins on removing

urban dissonances, striving for the architectural potential of the city centre, lling

up the post-war gaps in the urban fabric, regarding that the contemporaneity of the

projects can be found within a experimentation aware that the culture of a region

arises from the region itself.

Moving from these guidelines, the students have worked and decided freely their

design philosophy, which is reported in the following document, along with some of

their specic contributions and proposals.That is one of the reasons why this report should be considered open and not

conclusive.

wroclaw_pl > report #2 projects for a urban regeneration: Zamkowa

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cesam / study centre on metropolitan areascase study: general statements

The case study is the urban regeneration of Zamkowa area in the city of Wroclaw.

As weve already pointed out, Zamkowa is placed in the Southern part of the city,

very close to the Old Market Zone and its crucial location involves the possibility

of perceiving it as a urban hinge, referring to the Southern expansion of the city

centre.

Starting from the guidelines provided by the Municipality, we deepened the

knowledge of the area through an accurate study of the intense interaction of the

elements surrounding it.

First of all, the Municipality has planned to converge the vehicular trafc away

from the inner city: this choice represents an occasion of enlarging the city

centre into the Southern belt and even beyond it. Besides, the previsions for the

Zamkowa area concerned the opportunity of creating two urban fronts facing

a central road, even with the possibility of building on the area of the museum

garden, in order to gain some real estate value out of it.

Delving into the urban complexity lead to new perspectives of reading this part of

the city and to interve through the revitalization project.

Opportunities, Problems and Potentialities:

1.

The idea of expanding the borders of the inner city makes perfect sense.

Its a matter of size, pedestrian/commercial, but not just that.

Its mostly a matter of synergies within the city: we now have a centre dedicated

primarily to tourism, catering, leisure, but not to the business. The primary

economic, nancial, commercial activities (see Renoma and shopping malls) are

situated in the South, a few steps, but inexorably separated. The pedestrian street

which connects them (widnicka street) is an example of the vocation of both

parties to dialogue together in a closer way than what is happening today.

2.

The Opera area represents nowadays a delicate point in this connection, because

it is perceived as a break: the ow comes from the inner city, along the pedestrian

area, through the underpass, to the Opera, where it stops.

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cesam / study centre on metropolitan areasAt that point, the breaking up of the green belt gives the feeling of moving towards

the periphery, while a little further, reaching the square, a highly vital area can

be perceived. This pause is not positive in relation to the perception of urban

continuity.

In this sense, the development projects (new opera, concert hall, square/parking

area) are very important to trigger the regeneration of the city: especially the

Southern side of the green belt is not in good condition, and the intervention on

Zamkowa may be crucial to improve that.

3.

A resection throughout the boulevard that now separates the old town center from

Zamkowa appears necessary.

Moving trafc away on the outside is not enough: the general perception will tend

to remain that of a gap between the inside and the outside. If instead of a ditch

was rather a grand avenue, then it would be a hinge, a point of union rather than

separation. Consider, for example, what the Paseo del Prado in Madrid is: a

massive road infrastructure perceived as a linear park.

4.

Zamkowa, at the beginning of the century, was not a road.

We agree it is an important opportunity for a cross-connection among old town

center-theaters-parking-garden. But we believe it should not necessarily be a

road. That is for several reasons. Primarily, for historical matters: the structure of

the surrounding is not based on the street, but on the contrary it reminds of that

irregular composite of a medieval city.

Zamkowa, from the aerial photo, can be clearly perceived as an interruption. It

would be useful to maintain the permeability, restoring a sense of the urban fabric.

Second, whether the goal is an extension of the old town centre, then a urban

linear structure does not seem appropriate: the visual link would be possible, but

the sequence of public spaces (square, alley, widening, etc.) would get lost. And

that is what makes the centre attractive, encouraging the spread of commercial

and social activities.

5.

Goal of anyone intervening on Zamkowa must be the reconnection of the network

of the entire sector: the church of San Francesco with its courtyard, the royal

palace/city museum, the school, the alleys leading to the widnicka street, the

park, the future buildings for music.

6.

Something about the green belt: it would be better to work in order to enlarge

it, rather than to reduce it. This point is not in conict with section 2., because

expanding the park must coincide with the strengthening of its potentialities as

an urban place, and thats compatible with the intention to place right here the

buildings for music and plays, and the large square for concerts/events with the

parking system underneath.

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contributions by

Alessandro DAmicoVeronica Nin BrugoLuca BracciniElia CapodarcaMichele dErrico

extracts from analysis >

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> involved students

damico alessandro brugo nin veronica braccini lucacapodarca elia derrico michele grottesi marta bernabinialberto carabba lorenza elsini valeria

wroclaw zamkowa > selection of works

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The purpose of creating a hinge between the Old Town and the new urban

expansion has been perceived along with the opportunity of enforcing the green

belt, rather than interrupting it.

The urban regeneration intervention itself becomes a sort of green grove,

enhancing the pre-existing urban green, which is an important heritage of the city.

The project takes advantage of the cone pointing to the green signs and the old

roads in order to design thoroughly the large square.Big attention has been given to the permeability of the ground oor, which has

been guaranteed thanks to the several fractures characterizing the plan. These

fractures arise up to the fronts, creating a particular rythm of sloping roofs, clearly

reminding of the shape of the local architecture.

wroclaw zamkowa > alessandro damico

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Since the project area presents a cultural nature, the aim of the project is to create

a museum of modern art well-integrated in the context,

The purpose is to establish a connection trough the introducion of several paths,

which constitute different streams: private/public, covered/uncovered. These ways

intersect each other and interact creating an ever changing place.

Joining visual focal points and interesting spots, the project generates semi-closed

and semi-uncovered spaces resulting in changing perspectives.The choice of the materials involves the use of wood and concrete coverings for

the external surfaces, besides a large use of full-length windows.

wroclaw zamkowa > veronica nin brugo

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This project wants to create a urban corridor, able to convey several activities

related to art, music, dance, cultural workshops, etc. In this way, this sort of new

urban route generates cultural opportunities for the people walking through it.

The numerous boxes which characterize the project connect phisically and

culturally different urban landscapes, while the principal building of the project

reminds with its shape of the church which represents a singular landmark of the

area. That is where the local identity has been revisited in a contemporaneous

way, by introducing asimmetry and irregularities.

An interesting development of the project could involve the possibility of spreading

the concept of these interactive boxes to the inner city and even beyond.

wroclaw zamkowa > luca braccini

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A pedestrian boulevard crosses the project area, allowing the permeability of

people reaching the place by bike or on foot, while the parking for the vehicles has

been located in the underground level.

The public space has been organized by introducing some courtyards at different

heights,characterized also by the use of wood coverings, in order to create a more

intimate and well identiable place. The design of a square has been planned for

the Southern part of the area.

The project of the buildings brings some new functions, as a student dormitory and

the multipurpose centre related to that.

wroclaw zamkowa > elia capodarca

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The concept of the project perfectly matches with the motto of the city: Wroclaw,

the meeting place. In fact, the intent was to create several sites for the meeting, in

order to encourage opportunities for socializing in different environments.

Four specic areas can be found: a green terraced square, enclosed on

three sides by buildings, creating a sort of open court; a plaza designed to

accommodate outdoor art installations and exhibitions; a more intimate square

essentially bounded by residential buildings and trees; a square courtyard

destined to the Church of St. Francis.

All these spaces are dened by a large backbone (made by the buildings

arranged in the North-South direction) and transverse elements which

intersect it.

While respecting the pre-existing orientation of the urban plot, the project has tried

to break its rigidity through modest but continuous folds of the buildings.

wroclaw zamkowa > michele derrico

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The principal idea of this project is to create a continuous covering of the area,

modelling this organic shape as a result of visual openings and relationships with

the urban context.

The aim is to characterize the place as a continuum, besides bringing a new

landmark for the city. The reconnection nature of the Zamkowa area is expressed

by this kind of a skin, which is supported by a singular system of colums,

branching off as trees.

wroclaw zamkowa > marta grottesi

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l t t di i it f b l / f lt f i i

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l t t di i it f b l / f lt f i i

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The whole project is intended as a contextualized path which allows people to

enjoy the area and links together several buildings. The major direction links the

Rynek with the new music pole brought by the intervention. A preferential optical

cone, coming from the Rynek, to the new area, has been created. The other main

path will enhance the value of the Church and the square in front of it, linking them

with the royal garden.

The functions of the buildings (disco, pub, shop, restaurant, dance school) will let

people live the area during the day and also during the night, keeping it constantly

alive.

wroclaw zamkowa > alberto bernabini

alma mater studiorum university of bologna / faculty of engigneering

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The numerous paths fragment the project area, just like the Odra River divides the

city in different places. The reconnection is committed to suspended ways which

act like bridges through the buildings.

The other aims of the projects involve the creation of a compact street front and

the intersection of longitudinal and transversal transits, linking the church to the

royal palace.

The particular shape of the buildings have been studied to give a sense of descent

to the square and the river.

wroclaw zamkowa > lorenza carabba


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a a ate stud o u u e s ty o bo og a / acu ty o e g g ee gdapt / department of architecture and territorial planning



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y g y g g gdapt / department of architecture and territorial planning


The Zamkowa area is conceived as a new cultural pole for the city and its project

begins from an accurate analysis of the possible views.

The buildings fans out creating a courtyard in which the natural element breaks in.

The pedestrian permeability involves the creation of a parking located in the

underground level, while the Northern front of the area establishes a compact

continuity.

wroclaw zamkowa > valeria elsini


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dapt / department of architecture and territorial planningcesam / study centre on metropolitan areas


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alma mater studiorum university of bologna / faculty of engigneeringd t / d t t f hit t d t it i l l i

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DIPARTIMENTO DI ARCHITETTURA

E PIANIFICAZIONE TERRITORIALE

Federica CiaralloAndrea LuccaroniFrancesco FulviGiorgio Praderio

with

Nada Balestri Roberto Tranquilli

Simona Bernardoni Annamaria Draghetti Francesca Bonafede

Bologna, December 9th, 2011

edited by

Documents

121209 WROCLAW #2