conversation

The complex site of the ex-church and ex-convent of Saint Christopher in Lodi is transformed in an area of intercultural exchange. The new intervention takes place in-between the historical stratification of the site; markets, food research lab, kitchen class/workshop space, co-working space, restaurant and exhibition space are placed on the existing site, generating new relationships, with the food market as the driving force for the site. The intervention reproduces the organic characteristic of the Italian street on an introverted site.

Geometrically, the project explores boolean operations as a method to emphasize main paths and entrances.

Polytechnic University of Milan
prof. Eleonora Bersani,
prof. Martinez Arroyo Maria Del Carmen, prof. Kousidi Stamatina
with: Alice Cavicchi, Diana Andreea Navlea

intercultural dialogue

The intervention site – the Convent, an important asset of the city of Lodi, is to be transformed into a site for public use. The whole block has a historical stratification characterized by a complex of buildings and courtyards, which already have a system of circulation but are closed to the public. How can this system be included in the system of public life in Lodi, while introducing a layer of intercultural dialogue?
It is important that the new intervention is well integrated into the courtyards and the existing buildings; hence, the idea is to introduce a number of new interventions within this system so that the whole site works as a system of autonomous elements, that work well together, and create a new configuration.

Lodi is already known for many food related events; the aim is to bring a segment of that life to the site, with the market as the first considered parameter and driving force for the site. The path that would connect the markets at the two entrances from the two streets that confine the site, with a difference of 9.4 meters from one to the other, is the main architectural element defining the site. This element which is envisioned as a pedestrian street, the most important public space in Italian culture, with possibilities of many events and exchanges happening, creates the opportunity to have a ground floor level throughout the site that generates constant interaction. This element connects the facilities of the existing site with the added functions/facilities: markets, food research lab, kitchen class/workshop space, co-working space, restaurant and exhibition space.
The walk through the site becomes a ceremony, through interacting with different activities, smells from the market, views from the different levels, etc.