THE HUG BY MENOMENOPIU ARCHITECTS & PAOLO VENTURELLA

The project is a contemporary evolution of the classic courtyard tipology, unfolding the four sides of the courtyard along the axis of the main road, creating a central urban square facing south for both students and citizens.

The creation of two different external levels that takes shape from the terrain, has enabled the customization of two different open spaces. The Lower square at 0.00 represents "THE HUG", the most dynamic front, south faced, the New Centrality of the Alvar Aalto Campus. In this space of social interaction all the public university activities and the commercial/gastronomic front are concentrated.

The north side of "THE HUG", which is less enlightened, becomes the Media Lume of the campus with the presence of two theatres and one exterior stage. The Upper square at +5.00 is the quieter front of the project thought as a green open space with big terraces. The goal is to keep low in front the Alvar Aalto's building.

The program is developed in a linear way on the site. Placing on the south-east the commercial front and on the north-west the university activities. Following the logics of the planning, the program turns into a curve that ends on the VTT Building and generates the large central space, "THE HUG". This approach creates an interactive environment for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, releasing and lengthening the visual outlook.

The basement of the building is a vibrant glazed space, conceived like a green house, whereon the east side is concentrated a large retail front, such as grocery shop, copy shop, material shop, book shop, galleries and restaurants, and on the west side all the common activities of the university campus, such as exhibition spaces, lounge point, interactive and audiovisual areas, administrations, stages (Media Lume).

This mix will guarantee a continuous daily life of this place, making it an attractive center either for its users or for those of the nearby universities. In fact the project's purpose is to provide a clever urban link between all the activities already existing and those that will be realized. On this common basement three boxes are settled. The lower one, that is in visual relation with the Alvar Aalto building, hosts all dining activities with their beautiful terraces on both sides.

The development of the internal program is based on the principle of the mixing and sharing of activities, believing that this system could be a fruitful way to break down the usual concept of a university campus. The VTT expansion has been considered as an integrant part of the project being one of the sides that embraces this new centrality, in fact the highest box relies on the corner building, connecting it to the whole system and bringing into it new cultural energy.

The Shading envelope provides a climate control depending on the exposition, concentrating glazed surfaces on the south-west to accumulate heat during daylight hours and more opaque surfaces on the north side to eliminate the heat loss. The roofs play a key role in the project as generators of life, interactions and energy.

The lowest roof is totally merged with the ground, being a beautiful terrace and a set back with the Aalto building. The second and the third roof are two powerful terraces serving the university spaces where in summer period students can enjoy the beautiful views on the bay. Those two roof decks could be imagined also as exhibition spaces for the artistic production of the campus.

The Highest roof is equipped with wind turbines that guarantee the production of the energy for the new building and the surroundings. All the design choices are directed in the way of durable development through the use of high performance materials, capable of limiting consumption, natural ventilation, natural management of humidity inside, rainwater recovery and the use of renewable energy such as geothermal energy.

 

Location: Otaniemi, Helsinki, Finland 
Architect: MenoMenoPiu Architects & Paolo Venturella 
Project Team: Rocco Valantines, Paolo Venturella, Alessandro Balducci, Mario Emanuele Salini, Gilberto Bonelli, Pietro Bodria, Julie Terrancle  
Renderings: +imgs

AUSTRIAN PAVILLION EXPO 2015 BY PAOLO VENTURELLA

The main concept of the pavilion is to create two different spaces. One for the exhibition and another one for a big greenhouse. They are connected to allow people to walk in a unique single space.

The greenhouse is the place where people can pick up and eat food directly from the hortus. From an aesthetic point of view is used the typical shape of the Austrian wood house and of the greenhouse. The hortus is placed on the south side facing the sun. It is connected with the bar and restaurant in order to creating a place where people can easily eat the vegetables picked up by themselves.

The exhibition space is placed on the north side to avoid direct sunlight. Moreover this part of the pavilion is lifted up to allow the pedestrian flow on the area. The two spaces are similar in shape but totally different in their function. One is made in glass, lightened with natural light of the sun, and the other is covered with stoff material for a darker space where is possible to show panels of the exhibition and places for offices.

The two spaces are linked one to another with a facade that fade from dark to bright. The shape of the classic tilted roof house recall the typical mountain Austrian house and at the same time the greenhouse creating a very recognizable and iconic design. The path inside the pavilion is made in a way that people walk in a kind of loop, passing from the exhibition space to the greenhouse and from the greenhouse to the exhibition again.

In the pavilion the user feel very interactive since he is picking up food directly and eating in the same place. This fact shows the clear sustainable message of the self made food, genuine and controlled. The simple idea is to have a very iconic volume that symbolises Austria that works either for interactive and for educational purposes.

The “Rampant house” clearly show the message of how an architecture can really be sustainable, a space where food is selfmade, where natural light is controlled and where a dark and multimedia space is merged with  social and open space for all the user.

Location: Milan, Italy 
Architect: Paolo Venturella 
Project Team: Fabrizio Furiassi, Manuel Tonati, Angelo Balducci 
Year: 2013
Images: wemage

ITALIAN PAVILION EXPO 2015 BY PAOLO VENTURELLA

The proposal for the “Italian Pavilion” for the EXPO 2015 in Milan is based on the integration between sustainable food and renewable energies.

Food is incorporated in the design by the continuation of the green of the exterior space, while energies are integrated in the façade.

The idea is to make the hortus goes from the exterior to the interior of the pavilion in order to create a greenhouse where people can easily produce food. This become the main element that characterize the volume from outside and also the interior space.

According to solar exposition the huge greenhouse (that requires direct illumination)  is placed on the south side while a covered space for events and expositions (that requires indirect illumination) is placed on the north side looking to the lake on the “Piazza Italia”.

The pavilion is organized through a series of shifting volumes that create terraces facing south. They are part of the exhibition space, even if serving the whole building, and they are used for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables , showing how is it possible to incorporate the production of food in the building.

These terraces look like a big urban step with a green wall system that works as a natural filter for ventilation and illumination. Each volume has its own function. Exhibition spaces, offices and spaces for events are placed at different levels as requested, and they find their point in common in the greenhouse.

The greenhouse guarantees a perfect control of interior climate along the year. The green wall works perfectly in every period. In the winter, since the plans have no leaves, the heat is released in the interior, in the summer, since plans have more leaves, the heat is stopped outside so to keep fresh the interior spaces.

The other characteristic element is the louver system. Since the pavilion requires spaces with direct light and others with indirect light, the shading system fades from south to north according to the program.

Louvers are made by photovoltaic panels so to guarantee a perfect integration with renewable energies that characterize the aspect of the building. They are tilted with different angles according to each side, so to optimize the solar radiation during the all day.

The pavilion personifies the icon of nature in architecture. It symbolizes the symbiosis between sustainable food and sustainable energies making the all building an example of sustainability.

Location: Milan, Italy 
Architect: Paolo Venturella 
Project Team: Angelo Balducci, Interpro SRL, VIA Ingegneria 
Year: 2013
Images: wemage