REDESIGN TRADITION
The volcanic Island of S. Miguel has been theatre for artistic experimentation in the last four years through the Urban Art Festival “Walk & Talk”. Architecture was one of the themes of the festival’s 4th edition, and Mezzo Atelier together with Argot ou la Maison Mobile where invited to present a project.
The project had as its starting point the vernacular architecture in the Azores, in particular the rural structures connected with the agricultural productions, which strongly marked the landscape and once were part of the region’s economy, but now nearly disappeared. Our research has driven us to focus on three typologies, which we have redesigned and transformed into urban equipment to be integrated in cities’ public space.
Cafuão de milho (Corn dryer): it’s one of the different nouns used for the wooden structures where the ears of corn were tied up to make them dry before grinding. It was very common to see it in the family’s courtyards, as they were small and very easy to build. Starting from this memory we have realized two different structures, a picnic table with benches where people can stay together or eat in a public space, and a bench with a flowerpot for a flower kiosk, which now can hang their plants as if they were corn.
Mill: From the old mills only the brick walls remained on top of São Miguel hills.
Few of them have been restored but have lost their grinding function. But the mills had also a social role: they were the space where people met while waiting for the ground corn, a convivial public space.
Our urban adaptation of the mill creates a playful and fun archetype for children and adults, and invites people to find out what can be seen from the top while the wind-vanes turn.
Greenhouses for pineapples
The biological production of pineapples in wooden whitewash greenhouses still survives, but they are quickly getting older and few of them are restored when damaged as few people are interested or can’t afford it.
Our redesign bring us to the sea, to the natural swimming pool “Pesqueiro” where year-round the citizens swim right in the centre of the town.
Reducing its scale we have transformed the greenhouses in platforms to sunbathe, to sit, to lay down and play. Two platforms, one a pure white volume, reminding the landscape outside of the town, in the second one, volumes where open to give space to a deckchair or a sitting in fishnets used to catch the sardines.
Read more about it on archdaily, público, P3
Design: Mezzo Atelier + Argot ou La Maison Mobile
Authors / Lab Tutors: Giacomo Mezzadri, Joana Oliveira, Luca Astorri
Video Collaborator: Fabio Petronilli
Photos: Rui Soares / Mezzo Atelier
Wood supplier: Carlos Sebastião
Projects Year: 2013
REDESIGN TRADITION
The volcanic Island of S. Miguel has been theatre for artistic experimentation in the last four years through the Urban Art Festival “Walk & Talk”. Architecture was one of the themes of the festival’s 4th edition, and Mezzo Atelier together with Argot ou la Maison Mobile where invited to present a project.
The project had as its starting point the vernacular architecture in the Azores, in particular the rural structures connected with the agricultural productions, which strongly marked the landscape and once were part of the region’s economy, but now nearly disappeared. Our research has driven us to focus on three typologies, which we have redesigned and transformed into urban equipment to be integrated in cities’ public space.
Cafuão de milho (Corn dryer): it’s one of the different nouns used for the wooden structures where the ears of corn were tied up to make them dry before grinding. It was very common to see it in the family’s courtyards, as they were small and very easy to build. Starting from this memory we have realized two different structures, a picnic table with benches where people can stay together or eat in a public space, and a bench with a flowerpot for a flower kiosk, which now can hang their plants as if they were corn.
Mill: From the old mills only the brick walls remained on top of São Miguel hills.
Few of them have been restored but have lost their grinding function. But the mills had also a social role: they were the space where people met while waiting for the ground corn, a convivial public space.
Our urban adaptation of the mill creates a playful and fun archetype for children and adults, and invites people to find out what can be seen from the top while the wind-vanes turn.
Greenhouses for pineapples
The biological production of pineapples in wooden whitewash greenhouses still survives, but they are quickly getting older and few of them are restored when damaged as few people are interested or can’t afford it.
Our redesign bring us to the sea, to the natural swimming pool “Pesqueiro” where year-round the citizens swim right in the centre of the town.
Reducing its scale we have transformed the greenhouses in platforms to sunbathe, to sit, to lay down and play. Two platforms, one a pure white volume, reminding the landscape outside of the town, in the second one, volumes where open to give space to a deckchair or a sitting in fishnets used to catch the sardines.
Read more about it on archdaily, público, P3
Design: Mezzo Atelier + Argot ou La Maison Mobile
Authors / Lab Tutors: Giacomo Mezzadri, Joana Oliveira, Luca Astorri
Video Collaborator: Fabio Petronilli
Photos: Rui Soares / Mezzo Atelier
Wood supplier: Carlos Sebastião
Projects Year: 2013
