T·001
IS ARENAS
Status: Diploma Final Project
Year: 2019
Location: Park of Molentargius, Sardinia, Italy
Master in Architecture,
Academy of Achitecture of Mendrisio, CH
with professor Frédéric Bonnet
“Is Arenas” is a strip of land in the Regional Park of Molentargius in Sardinia, Italy. This is the site I choose for my diploma final project that focused on the potentials of CAGLIARI’S PERIPHERY to create continuity at both the urban and territorial scales.
Masterplan
Is Arenas sets in the middle of the former system of Cagliari’s salt pan and is now facing the problem of BEING ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED by informal constructions and a lack of planning to preserve the unique ecosystem of the Park.
The design proposal started with the development of a MASTERPLAN divided into three steps.
First came the idea of INTRODUCING AGRICULTURE AS A WAY TO STOP THE SPREAD OF ILLEGAL BUILDINGS and organize the land with an activity that respects the territory and could FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE PARK.
The organization of this first part follows the structured cultivation of the VINES and CYPRESS OLIVE TREES which are planted as WIND BUFFERS in front of every field determining their extension.
Masterplan
The choice of these two main cultivations is due to the great Sardinian tradition and potentials of the area.
Second was the intuition of INCREASING THE EXISTING ECOLOGICAL STRIPE by expanding the artificial lakes already present in Is Arenas and connect the Bellarosa Minore with the Perdalonga.
This humid stripe functions as a buffer and allows the spread of the flora and fauna which makes this area unique.
The third strategy was creating a CONNECTION between Quartu Sant’Elena and the Park. The space was organized starting from the urban grid and the activities chosen answer to the need of the municipality and to the will of encouraging the people to discover the Park.
Zooming in the architectural scale there are two main categories of buildings suggested for Is Arenas: the ones along the natural paths such as PERGOLAS and LOOKOUT TOWERS that supports leisure activities.
Pergola
Lookout Tower
The others are the production/retail and tasting ones: the WINERY and the OLIVE OIL MILL.
The structure of these buildings directly derives from the STRUCTURE OF THE VINE PLANTATION so sometimes a row of vines becomes a rammed earth wall which defines the edge of a path or contains different functions.
olive oil mill
winery