Linz
RUNNER UP AP421 – URBAN MONOLITH
Gian Luca Zoli (I), Alessandra Rampazzo (I), Marcello Galiotto (I), Nicola Montini (I), Marco Montagnini (I), Francesco Fusaro (I), architects/ Faenza
Contributors:
Scalvini Paola (I), Barbiero Alessia (I), Nascimben Enrico (I), Pevere Ludovico (I), Dellamotta Francesco (I), students in architecture
The project illustrates how to make the site a powerful address. It creates a strong accent at the corner giving a convincing balance between existing and new buildings, opening up to the Danube, providing a good quality of the inner spaces.
The jury discusses intensively the value of the water surface: the drawings are highly seductive, suggesting a “Zen-garden” atmosphere, calm and remote from the noisy urban life. This act of “dimming down” could be criticized as a concept which ignores the life of the surroundings. On the other hand it creates a strong and convincing statement by “calming down the site” in a fruitful and productive way, making it resistant to forced communication. The designers respond to the respond to the question of large scale with a seductive dream. The dream needs a rich protagonist, such as an American art collector who wants to implement his own dream-project. Parts of the jury exactly see the motif of the dream as a pragmatic response to deal with the myth of Behrens providing an attractive distance between city and ‘factory’ (excerpt & paraphrase of the jury minutes).
