The immediate context of the proposed site does not contain buildings of historic value but it is quite an interesting display of contemporary architecture unable to justify its current state, which seems rather hostile to the individual

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The site is surrounded by three streets: the Giovanni Battista Pirelli from the north, Melchiorre Gioia from the west and the Clelia del Grillo Borromeo from the east. The first two are quite busy, with noisy traffic and active pedestrian and cycling movement. The street on the east is quiet and friendly to pedestrians as the vehicle movement is eliminated.

The proposed complex is a vessel for inhabitation, including eight commercial spaces on the GF positioned around a courtyard (cortile). With the first glance one can perceive a solid monolithic barrier whose form derived from an austere but righteous critique on the architecture of the immediate context. A community of inhabitants should not be directly exposed to the noise, pollution. Therefore a courtyard was designed as a peaceful core for the community providing ground for tranquility, interaction with one another and adequate light for the complex. The main entrance to the courtyard is located on a square corner of the streets “Via Giovanni Battista Pirelli” and “Via Melchiorre Gioia”.
On a metaphorical manner one could describe the building as being an introvert due to the solidity of its external facades, which is juxtaposed by its core, which is relatively open. Below the surface of the courtyard there is a private parking for the members of the community. Approaching the complex through the main entrance the visitor faces the part of the complex, which constitutes a community hall with a communal library on the upper floor. The shops on the ground floor are facing both the core of the complex and towards the outside. Around the courtyard on the ground level, a walkway (portico-colonnade) constitutes the main circulation route providing five paths to enter the complex from different points on the Site.

The residential provide adequate daylight and fresh air for the well being of the residents as well as great space for living. A double façade with perforated brickwork is used on some of the openings as a tool to provide a layer of privacy between the busy neighborhood and the personal spaces.The vertical circulation units are placed between the apartments. These spaces embrace further interactions between the members of the community as they are designed to be a delightful meeting point with vegetation, fresh air and natural light.

The proposed design constitutes a social thesis against the isolation of the individual within the contemporary society by establishing communal spaces for human interaction while forming a direct response to the qualities of the region of Porta Nova.

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Design Team: Antigoni Kalomama, Jason Jannes