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We present the article “Project Strategies and Evaluation Methods for Contemporary Social Housing” by authors Romina Marvaldi and Elisabetta Pani. In the article Marvaldi and Pani explain the relevance of their research rests in “the deep social transformations [that] occurred in the last decades [which] have deeply affected the patterns of urban living. In this sense, experimentation on housing plays the dual role of investigation and validation of our hypothesis that residential space should reflect new life-styles. At the beginning of the 21st century, social housing represents the main field for experimentation.”
Finally, we share information from the fascinating book Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives (2020).
>> We encourage you to browse The Plan Journal and explore for yourself.
In the TPJ article “Project Strategies and Evaluation Methods for Contemporary Social Housing,” authors Romina Marvaldi and Elisabetta Pani share the iconic case study of
“‘The Whale’ housing complex, designed in Amsterdam by The Arkitekten Cie (1995-2000), [that optimizes its] …inner courtyard [which] is a green area of extreme quality accessible only for maintenance. The inhabitants appreciate this space, intended as an art installation adjacent to the private balconies, because it does not compete with the nearby park.”
The Whale complex. View from the internal courtyard. Photo by © the Authors.
Marvaldi and Pani’s research is reflective of an ethnographic study— considering the culture and context of the actors, their beliefs, behaviors, and patterns in order to design semi-private and public spaces and places. The latter social nodes encourage exchange between the inhabitants. Of course, the same considerations hold equal importance for the creation of private spaces where dwellers can retreat and relax.
Romina Marvaldi is an Engineer. She earned a PhD at the University of Cagliari, with the dissertation: “Contemporary Dwelling. Transformability and Project.”
Elisabetta Pani is an Architect. She earned a PhD at the University of Cagliari, with the dissertation: “Contemporary Social Housing. Strategies for Analysis and Project.”
“SoHousing” founders, Marvaldi and Pani authored a number of articles on housing and new living models. From 2004 to 2014 they taught at the University of Cagliari, taking part in several workshops as project coordinators. From 2010 to 2012 they developed the research project “Contemporary Social Housing. Analysis, Critical Evaluation, and Operational Proposal,” financed by the regional government of Sardinia, and conceived as a deep investigation on European social housing. They have been Lecturers at the University of Cagliari from 2011 to 2014 where they led the “LabSoHousing” course for final Master theses in architecture. The topic of housing has been further explored also through entering architectural competitions.
Elisabetta Pani: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabettapani/
The book Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives by author Sarah Williams Goldhagen looks at best- and worst-case building, city and landscape scenarios. Goldhagen utilizes her background in psychology and cognitive neuroscience to support her research which concludes with a call for authentic healthier environments for our urban areas– the spaces humans inhabit need to support both physical and mental well-being.
English
March 10, 2020
Harper Paperbacks
384 pages
6 x 0.92 x 9 inches
ISBN-10: 0062996945
ISBN-13: 987-0062996046
To learn more, check out: Welcome to Your World
Marvaldi and Pani’s article in THE PLAN Journal and Goldhagen’s book are inspirational sparks for those forward-thinkers longing to learn how urban conditions can respond to ways people have evolved and their living styles of today.
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The Plan Journal is intended to disseminate and promote innovative, thought-provoking, and relevant research, studies, and criticism related to architecture and urbanism. The journal grew out of an awareness that academia is all too often engaged in research that’s disconnected from the real-world challenges that face different professions, and that research is only possible for a small number of professional organizations, and, even then, with limited platforms for its dissemination. The overarching aim of TPJ is therefore to enrich the dialogue between researchers and professionals so as to foster both pertinent new knowledge and intellectually driven modes of practice.
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Prospective contributors are encouraged to submit proposals or complete manuscripts to the Editor-in-Chief. Subject to positive feedback, proposals can then be developed into complete manuscripts and submitted for review, using the dedicated portal on the TPJ website.
After preliminary approval, manuscripts will be forwarded to suitably qualified people for commenting. TPJ is committed to following a rigorous double-blind peer review process using at least two reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief may also occasionally invite recognized academics, critics, or professionals (including members of the editorial board) to contribute to the journal without going through the peer review process, if warranted by the author’s reputation.
