The Posillipo - Mostra d'Oltremare cableway stations in Naples
Conservation and reuse of 1940's buildings of Neapolitan rationalist architect Giulio De Luca. How to restore rationalistic Grade II* buildings if the function they have been built for extinguished, there are structurally obsolete and quickly perishing by the lack of use?
http://issuu.com/cateavi/docs/tesi_dottorato
" Architectural design value sits within that specific place. That piece of architecture and infrastructure takes and gives meaning to that place. It assorbs environmental condition whichever construction rules and urban characters are." The 2 Cableway stations of Posillipo – Mostra D’Oltremare Expò mixed up with the numerous fragments of Modern architecture of undeniable value that characterise the area of West Naples.
If the lower station along Kennedy boulevard binds to itself the fragmentary character of modern architecture in the Flegrea valley, on the other hand, the upper cableway station along Manzoni street up to the hill, is integrated with continuity to the surrounding flourishing landscape of Posillipo.
Among Flegrea Valley modern architecture fragments, the exhibition complex of Mostra D’Oltremare stands both as architectural system of individual buildings and as complex structure of open spaces.
According to my proposed restoration and reuse design project of the lower station, the fence that closes the "urban fragment” of Mostra D’Oltremare Expò, becomes permeable. Consequently the lower station marks a new side entrance to the urban exhibition system.
In order to return its original value of park facility, the upper station absorbed by Posillipo landscape, becomes in turn, even if only visually, the extension of the natural component that is intrinsic of the exhibition area and connects the valley edge to the green hill. Upper station design gains value from the dramatic setting and its extraordinary view to Bagnoli former industrial site.
So if the spirit of the place is crucial to recognise value to cableway stations architectural design, we cannot dispense to consider the question of how specific function determined architecture. Through the process of cognitive analysis of stations artefacts, investigating graphics and archive materials, it highlights the value of the form beyond the specific function
This essay highlights the technical areas of architectural components modelled around their specific function, but overall, the quality and unique nature of urban artefact. Although it is logical to think to return buildings to their original function, it is also more evident that this type of buildings might contain a plurality of functions as their internal spaces are very flexible. Function cannot be the only "raison d'être" for rope-way stations and pylons artefacts if we want to avoid what Aldo Rossi called "naive" functionalism. Perceiving urban artefact as a mere matter of organisation, it loses continuity and individuality.
So if the spirit of the place is crucial to recognise value to cableway stations architectural design, we cannot dispense to consider the question of how specific function determined architecture. Through the process of cognitive analysis of stations artefacts, investigating graphics and archive materials, it highlights the value of the form beyond the specific function
This essay highlights the technical areas of architectural components modelled around their specific function, but overall, the quality and unique nature of urban artefact. Although it is logical to think to return buildings to their original function, it is also more evident that this type of buildings might contain a plurality of functions as their internal spaces are very flexible. Function cannot be the only "raison d'être" for rope-way stations and pylons artefacts if we want to avoid what Aldo Rossi called "naive" functionalism. Perceiving urban artefact as a mere matter of organisation, it loses continuity and individuality.
In these first two schemes it's been illustrated the way this thesis went through the method of "analysis and synthesis" of flegrea area from Mostra d'Oltremare Expò to Posillipo hill.
Firstly it's been highlighted how the urban system of cableway stations and pylons relate with landmarks of Naples western area and the urban voids of Cavalleggeri district.
Secondly It's been synthesized how the area will be transformed in the next few years by a series of projects mainly concentrated around Bagnoli area which are a big urban park, residential developments with facilities and retails.
Finally how radically the area around the cableway line changed in the last 50 years as the infrastructure was built in 1940 under the Fascism. An entire district was built close to the 40m pylons which makes not feasible or realistic, even still attractive, the idea to re-use the aerial connection from Mostra d'Oltremare Expò to Posillipo hill.
Place and project materials
