I tre balconi

Besana square has always been at the centre of a heated debate; a debate that no project has been able to quell, until today. There was a competition set up by the municipality in 2008 for a redevelopment of the square. While I was working I became aware of it almost by chance and analysed the projects, to see the point of view of professional architectural firms, without limiting myself to my own ideas. After studying them, I can safely say that none of them managed to solve the problems of the square. Changing the pavement and adding a few designer street lamps does not solve the huge problems. I was also glad that no one had the same idea as me, which I shared with my lecturer from the very beginning. This also says a lot about the fact that without a minimum of historical research, it is also difficult if not impossible to solve a problem of this magnitude. Let’s go in order. The first choice at the design level was to remove all the parking spaces in the square, they will be relocated at a later date. I want to specify this because in this day and age, in a reality such as my country, any activity that removes parking spaces is seen as infamous. I remove them all. Afterwards, I decided to completely remove the driveway in the square. In the street in Piazza Umberto I, no cars will be able to pass regularly, except those with a specific permit. Parking and driveways removed.These two choices are well thought out and not risky, you will fully understand why at the end of the explanation and after seeing the whole project.
Now, the most important and pulsating part of the project. The balcony. This square lost its architectural identity the moment the balcony was removed. That long-lasting pride has been erased. Badly, because the traces are still visible. Traces found in the orography of the terrain. The houses on Via Carlo Ferrario are built at a lower elevation than the square. To be precise, about 4 metres lower. The inhabitants of those houses, in order to access the buildings from the street, have to walk up the road, open the gate, and walk down. I explain this fact because it was fundamental to the project. The primary idea was to restore the balcony but I could never have done it if I had been in a situation where the houses are built at the same height as the square. So I managed to solve one of the portions to restore the balcony. The second, perhaps the simplest, concerns the park (it is an understatement to use this word) in Piazza Umberto I, which rises in height and joins the square, destroying the balcony front.This is removed, the green part remains but does not bridge the two elevations; note that it is at the same height as where the adjacent houses were built. A green area will still remain, but it borders the balcony front, not rising in height. On the north side, the last segment remains to complete the balcony. Originally, it had only one front, looking west. Today the use of the villa has become (will soon become) for public use, or rather, it will no longer be a private residence as in the past. It will be at the service of the community. What better place than the town square. In this case, the entire lot between Piazza Umberto I and Via Carlo Ferrario will be lowered to the same level as the park and the houses I mentioned earlier. In this way, the balcony is volumetrically defined, even better than in the past. The functions of the buildings, in particular that of Villa Adda, have changed. Today, it is unthinkable to have a private home, in the centre of town, with more than 3000 square metres of gardens to maintain and a Villa that is an artistic heritage site which consequently has a whole series and regulations of constraints to respect. This is madness. Which is why the villa and grounds have been in a state of neglect for more than twenty years. In the most strategic and important spot in the town.
I don’t think that Viganò would ever have consented to such a misdeed, but the reality of the facts is that today, just as we have witnessed the abandonment of farmsteads and a certain type of family, the same phenomenon also has repercussions of this kind, on these assets. Assets that as an architect I have the task of protecting “by planning rationally and building concretely” (quote by Leon Battista Alberti). Volumetrically, I thus re- obtained the balcony. Another important part is the roundabout between Villla Borella, the town hall, and the square. Putting a crossroads there was a mistake. When Via Roma was built, perhaps no real thought was given to what would be done to the square.

But one step back, the municipality. Villa Borella has not always had stairs leading to the square, or rather that today lead to a roundabout. Analysing their position, they seem to point right at the war memorial, right in line with the corner of the square. Of the old square, which I propose again, then an observation that today is almost impossible to notice without knowing the historical background. In my opinion, having a square that truly connects the religious and political realities is a source of pride. To have the two most important elements of the city in the same square. With the creation of the crossroads, pieces of the city have been carved out in a curvilinear way to make it easier for cars to travel. My design is such because there is a need to close off the square better, and to give it a new dimension thanks to the municipality’s staircase, and to really get it into the square. I am adding that curvilinear element for these two reasons and especially for another. The main reason concerns the view. First we need to talk about another aspect. In my research I was really fascinated by the views in these photographs and postcards I found. Starting with the ban on building to the north and north-east of the square, to prevent the view from being covered. In the mid-1900s it was decided that this was no longer of any importance. This is to say that today, from the height of the square, the mountains are hardly visible as they once were. Having removed the idea of demolishing all the dwellings that cover it, I came up with the idea of using the new element I create to connect the square with the municipality and to use the vegetation as a screen. I decided, with the help of my supervisor, where to place vegetation strategically to cover some of the buildings. This is to ensure that the view from the square is not completely obscured by the mediocre 1950s buildings. The Villa Borella was built eight metres higher than the balcony height. The best view in Besana is from the mayor’s office. I create a new space accessible from the square where the height of the Villa is reached, so that we can still enjoy that view. I close the circle by talking about parking and the road system. Once the road in the square is removed, Via Giuseppe Verdi will be used, which leads to the end of the project area. From there there will be access to an underground car park to the east of Via Carlo Ferrario. There will be light wells shielded by vegetation.
Another aspect to mention about the project is the paving of the main square. All the different lines that divide the square indicate the location of the other fractions of Besana. These linees are there to indicate that even if Besana is not in the center geographically, it’s in the center of the community. Before analysing the project in detail, I will mention the variant to the PGT that will come into effect. It has been decided that the square, as it is at present, is to be enclosed with a curtain wall with commercial on the ground floor and residential on the first floor. It will be placed next to the villa, attached to it. This move, which in the first place may seem functional as it encloses the square, is the wrong thing to do. Firstly, the west side of Villa Adda, the one from which its garden was accessed, has a balcony. It is not a closed, blind front. From an architectural point of view, to create a building that closes off the square and thus attaches to the villa, is really difficult. It is so difficult because it is not the right thing to do. In the past people have never built there and the reason is mainly the view. To close the square there would ruin it even more and make it even more problematic than it already is. The municipality’s idea to close the square is sensible, but you have to work with the orography. With my project I close the square at that point, with the balcony, there will be a parapet. The result is the same but with totally different moves. The confrontation that I will have with the mayor and the municipality will be very important, with this project I want to raise awareness of the idea of the square that the people of Besana have. Because they are not absurd or very complex interventions. Yet they can restore dignity to that place. There is no need for a new shop to make people use the square. There is only a need for a beautiful square, with a beautiful view.