Thursday | 23rd MAY | ILARKS Open Lecture Series 9.00-11.00 am - 7.30 – 9.00 pm Carla ROMBY | UNIFI| Florence “I Luoghi di Leonardo. Firenze e l’Arno” Conferenza della Prof.ssa Giuseppina Carla Romby, dell’Università degli Studi di Firenze, sul fiume Arno e sui progetti di Leonardo riguardo la canalizzazione del fiume stesso. A lecture of the history of Florence and its relationship with the Arno river, told trough the Leonardo water management Project for the Arno (Firenze-Prato-Pistoia-Serravalle-Fucecchio lake-Arno) Giuseppina Carla Romby professore ordinario di Storia dell’architettura presso l’Università degli Studi di Firenze (Dipartimento SAGAS). I suoi studi sono orientati alla storia dell’architettura e della città fra Medioevo ed Età Moderna, con particolare riferimento all’area fiorentina e toscana. Oltre all’attività scientifica , testimoniata anche da partecipazioni a convegni nazionali e internazionali, a partire dal 1988 ha svolto una intensa attività di consulenza ad Enti Pubblici territoriali per la realizzazione di iniziative di valorizzazione dei beni culturali che si sono tradotte nella progettazione e realizzazione di sistemi e strutture museali . Elena BARTHEL | Rural Studio – Auburn University| Hale County, Alabama “RURAL STUDIO: design and build in hale county” La Prof.ssa Elena Barthel, dell’Auburn University School of Architecture, parlerà del programma Rural Studio, che professa l’importanza che chiunque debba godere del buon design. Lo Studio lavora a stretto contatto con la comunità, cercando di capire cosa si debba costruire piuttosto che cosa si possa costruire. Rural Studio is an off-campus design-build program of Auburn University. The program, established in 1993 by D.K. Ruth and Samuel Mockbee, gives architecture students a more hands-on educational experience while assisting an underserved population in West Alabama’s Black Belt region. In its initial years, the Studio became known for establishing an ethos of recycling, reusing, and remaking. In 2001, after the passing of Samuel Mockbee, Andrew Freear succeeded him as director. Since that time, Rural Studio has expanded the scope and complexity of its projects, focusing largely on community-oriented work. The Rural Studio philosophy suggests that everyone, both rich and poor, deserves the benefit of good design. To fulfill this ethic, the Studio has evolved towards more community-oriented projects. Projects have become multi-year, multi-phase efforts traveling across three counties. The students work within the community to define solutions, fundraise, design and, ultimately, build remarkable projects. The Studio continually questions what should be built, rather than what can be built, both for the performance and operation of the projects. To date, Rural Studio has built more than 200 projects and educated more than 1,000 “Citizen Architects.” Elena Barthel is graduated in architecture (University of Florence 2000), member of the Institute of Architects of Florence (2001) and PhD at the Department of Urban Planning (University of Florence 2010). She taught Urban design thesis studio (Planning Department, Florence School of Architecture 2001-8) and Architecture Design Studio at the Architectural Association in London (2006-7). In 2008, for the Architectural Association, she co-designed the ‘Hooke Park Design & Make Strategic Plan’: a ‘on the ground’ program, developed in consultation with West Dorset local Perish and Planning Authorities. The project focused on the ethical, social, environmental, and economic impact of the design and built program on both, the London based AA institution, and the local rural community in Hooke. Since 2012, the Design & Make program has been teaching students from all over the world. She is currently Adjunct Professor at Auburn University School of Architecture Rural Studio: a community based, design and build program located in west Alabama where she has been working full time as Assistant professor from 2008 until 2016. During this period, She run the Rural Studio Farm: a prototypical homestead as a laboratory for organic farming and passive architecture strategies. Since 2008, she has been lecturing in architecture programs and different venues from Tel Aviv Eco Week, Quito Biennale, Rhode Island School of Design, University of Alabama, Bergen and Amsterdam School of Architecture, Helsinki Art Museum, Turin Polytechnic, University of Roma 3, Trento University of Engineering Milan Polytechnic, Florence School of Architecture, Syracuse and California State University. In 2014 she co-authored ‘Rural Studio at twenty: Designing and Building in Hale County, Alabama, published by Princeton Architectural Press. In 2018 and 2019 she published the articles ‘Thinnings’ (Harvard Magazine 04/2018) and ‘Taking off’ (Lotus 03/19). In 2016 with Rural Studio, she co-designed “Forum” for the exhibit “Architecture as art”, at the Milan Triennale and the ‘Theatre of the useful’ for the XV Venice Biennale “Report from the front”, both installations produced zero waste emphasizing on a responsible everyday use of resources. In 2017, in collaboration with Andrew Freear and Studio Tempi, she won the Jury Prize for the project ‘1 City, 1 Landscape: Re-Call’ in San Giovanni Valdarno. With the Comunità di Base delle Piagge, and the comune di Fiesole she is currently working on the design of participated community public spaces. In 2018 she was part of the SIAT YOUNG 2018 competition jury in Turin.
