Project I: Atelier RRR - Petzet

In our quest to rethink cities, this semester we will travel far south to Palermo. After the bombardments of the Second World War and the infamous 'Sacco di Palermo', this former 'pearl of the Mediterranean' was transformed into a chaotic jumble of housing blocks and traffic-infested streets. We will work in the coastal districts and outskirts – the former Conca d'Oro, once filled with lemon orchards and bustling beaches, which are now fenced off, contaminated and unwelcoming.
We will use our RRR method to search for and research our sites, reprogram existing situations, and implement architectural projects that aim to maximise their positive social impact with the least negative ecological consequences.
We will spend four days on site researching and redrawing our areas. On the return ferry, we will use the journey for an intensive workshop on representation, the economy and ecology of real estate and architectonic storytelling. This semester will try to interpret all the vibrant, wild and chaotic sides of this ancient Mediterranean Capital.

The goal of the course is to help students be conscious and responsible in their design projects: to achieve the maximum positive impact on society with the minimum negative impact on the environment.

The 3R's of Reduce/Reuse/Recycle is a value system of avoid, reuse and recover that originated in waste management, but should also be our guide in dealing with given urban situations. Studio RRR aims to create the most positive social impact on the city with the least negative impact on the environment. We will adopt a working method that results in a positive attitude and integrative thinking towards everything that already exists and is present on the site. We will follow the law of the most minimal intervention and learn to apply the RRR strategies: perception, maintenance, behavior, renovation, reprogramming, conversion, infill, redesign, subtraction, addition, recycling and pre-cycling. In two cycles, culminating in midterm and final presentations, we will search, program, implement, present, and research, reprogram, reimplement, and represent. We will survey the city and find places that are neglected/underused/ignored. We will redesign what we find and develop programs that connect and enrich the entire neighborhood. We will implement these programs in detail - planning the necessary adjustments, additions, or subtractions. We will show what we have changed and why. We will work at multiple scales - from the city to the detail, designing the hardware of buildings - and the software of uses and business models. If we do our work well, projects could be realized immediately, convincing owners, investors and the city of their necessity and feasibility. Our students will learn to be initiators, entrepreneurs and developers.

In presence

Table reviews / Public Reviews / Workshops

Public reviews and discussions with invited guests

• Palermo, 25.09.25 - 28.09.25 (Optional)