Project BSc2-I: Housing - Atelier Mayol

The Mediterranean Sea as a common ground. The Mediterranean islands and seashore is the fields where the atelier will work during the upcoming semesters, each time focusing on a different specific context. Same history, same latitude, same climate but a wide range of local identities; identities inside a common identity; ultralocal specificities. Every particular place in this world has its own peculiarities. 

In the first semester, the atelier deals with the topic of summer house. Summer is a moment when it’s questioned how we live, when the structure of daily life is different. Interior and exterior spaces are temporally challenged. Rooms lose their functions. A summer house is a house that overturns conventions. domestic spaces are questioned.  The semester will also be an occasion to collectively discuss about living and to re-think the way we approach the theme of habitation. Learning to doubt.  To think the building as an ecosystem.  To approach the house as part of a territory. To observe, understand and interpret the local tradition and identity of a place. To work locally. To make responsible use of local resources.  To value the logic of construction. To understand that form follows climate.  Learning from tradition to revert the global warming tendency.

The objective of the course is to broaden and consolidate students' architectural awareness, starting from the understanding of a context in its local identities down to construction details. Particular care is given to the study of a specific place, local climate needs, local typologies, local resources. The atelier aims to challenge current conventions and today's way of building; through a work that is collective and at the same time individual, the atelier intends to raise awareness and to guide students in the developing of architectural projects that respect the identities of a territory and the current climate needs. Each place has specific characteristics: climatic, typological, constructive, topographical, natural, historical... Local materials and local resources. The atelier works on the understanding and interpretation of these characteristics; To build means responding to local climate needs, to think the building as an ecosystem, to value the use of local resources, to create identity.

In presence

The atelier works with collective exercises to build common knowledge, explore different themes and stimulate discussions and individually in the development of a project. We work with six different scales, from 1:500 to 1:2.  Landscape, typology, inner room, outer room, corner, element. Each scale is necessary for the development of a project, to explore the different issues a project holds together. From territory to detail. From detail to territory.  To work in different scales to pay attention to every step in the project.  Jumping from one scale to another. Sometimes as a linear journey, most of the time as a discontinuous journey.  Moving back and forth from one step to another. To discover new projects inside each project.  To bring coherence and complexity between the different scales.Learning by doing. The atelier is intended as a place to learn and experiment collectively.  Particular care is given to the construction of physical models. The atelier values the responsible use of local resources, local materials, local construction methods and the climatic characteristics of a place.

Intermediate and final critic with guests. 

• Capri-Napoli, 21.09.24 - 24.09.24 (Optional)