G. Tempo
Urban Grotto // Civic Space
CORE 701: CIVIC SPACE AFTER NATURE
Location: Bologna, Italy
Instructed by Barry Wark
Collaborated with Clayton Monarch , FA 2023
“...inspired by ideas of environmental enmeshment...investigated through novel ecological aesthetics, weathering and permissible degradation of building elements”
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G.tempo evolves the notion of a traditional grotto as places where the natural and artifactual are inherently fused. The project transcends the ‘dark cave’ archetype, to something that forms a temporal scaffold for the enmeshment of materials and nature within Bologna. This is achieved through a tectonic system utilizing standardized parts for reuse, intentional weathering of ‘cheap’ timber off-cuts, and 3Dprinted components that can be recycled and reprinted based on desired spatial configurations. Based on site observations in Bologna, the cultural and architectural importance of the portico condition is recognized as a stage for public life and circulation. Combining the promenade experience of the portico with the temporal grotto, it creates arrangements of densities and corridors that can be reconfigured over time to achieve new spatial conditions.
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The project reconsiders notions of permanence and impermanence, being conceived as under perpetual construction, some areas appearing completed and others with an open form, anticipating that parts may be added or taken away in time.
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