2024 – Cool City Design Lab — curated by Kyong Park
This lab explored ways to reactivate Naples’ ancient aqueducts, cisterns, and fountains with international architects and students to counteract urban heat islands created by global warming. The lab has designed how to bring up cool water and air from underground ancient infrastructure and create new communal spaces and public life. Beginning with the tours of the Complex of Santa Caterina a Formiello and the surrounding area of Porta Capuana, the Centro Direzionale Business Centre; the Casa dell’Acqua in Volla; the Source of Acqua Ferrata at Chiatamone, to inspect ancient and modern water systems, including underground aqueducts and cisterns. The principle of water as a subject and not an object and the personhood of natural resources will be paramount to the lab activities and central to the discourse that situates water as a resource of the Commons. In addition, there has been a special one-day workshop by Marjetica Potrč on “The Personhood of Nature ” and a series of lectures by Kyong Park on The idea of Progress. Ancient cooling systems, and “What is water?” The manifesto of this work is that nature is not a natural resource, and water is the origin of the first ‘community’ and first ‘state’ of human civilization, all under the questioning of The Idea of Progress.
Workshop Leaders: Dongwoo Yim (Hongik University, Seoul), Carla Langella (Federico II University, Naples), Obra Architects (Pablo Castro + Jennifer Lee, New York & Seoul). Labs Lecturers: Kyong Park (University of California San Diego); Renato Papale (Unione Geotermica Italiana); Pablo Castro (Obra Architects, New York & Seoul); Roberto Germano (Promete Srl); Stefano Serafini (International Society of Biourbanism); Common Views (art collective); Mohamed Adel Dessouki (Arab Academy for Science and Technology); Marjetica Potrč (artist, Lubiana).
2022 – Walking for an Atlas – Public walk of knowledge of the Agnano Bowl – in collaboration with: MED.HYDRO SRL / Reclamation Consortium of Agnano and Campi Flegrei / Vanvitelli University Department of Engineering / Lux in Fabula / Legambiente and with the support of the Goethe Institute Neapel
2021 – In-depth workshop on the route of the Bolla Aqueduct
From the starting point by the “Casa dell’Acqua in Volla-Casalnuovo” to Santa Caterina a Formiello arrival point at the city border, the path of the waters that fed the Poggio Reale and the ornamental fountains on the ancient access road to the city
2020 – Cool City Lab – Seoul, Summer Online Workshop
“A Space Design Workshop on Rediscovering of Subterranean Water in Seoul”
Cool City Lab-Seoul summer online workshop on the rediscovering and innovative regeneration of Bukchon waterways. This workshop is part of a project for <Future School> for the Korean Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale. The Cool City Lab-Seoul online workshop has been composed of a virtual Bukchon site tour, lectures, and online design studio classes. The design results have been exhibited at Bukchon HanokCheong in Seoul and on <Future School> Online in July 2021.
2019 – THE PROPER VOID (NAPLES)
Seminars and workshops on urban voids, marginal and invisible places within the dense fabric of the historic city of Naples; in particular, on the areas of sediment resulting from collapses or demolitions, privately owned, for which the General Regulation Plan (Piano Regolatore Generale) provides for the reconstruction of the same volume for public and/or public facilities.
2013 – UNFORMAL SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION STRATEGIES (BERLIN)
Seminar with students of Washington University on positive examples of immigration in the district of Neukoeln in Berlin. Discussion with Cordula Simon (European Office of City Council Neukoeln) on local strategies for Roma social inclusion.
2012-13 – THE PRICE OF ROMA INTEGRATION
European Conference: The European Network for Research and Cooperation on Roma Issues – Design Policies for an integrated Approach for Roma Social Inclusion (2013-2020) Interdisciplinary Discussion – Roma Social Forum, Encounter among Italian and European Roma Organization. Bucarest (Romania) / Naples (Italy)
2010 – NAPLES WITHOUT BORDERS
Seminar on cultural/physical borders. In partnership with the University of Washington, interdisciplinary department, Prof. Julie Willegas
2008 – MAP(HAPPENING)NAPLES
Monitoring architectural/spatial needs of Roma People. Design workshop for a shared upgrade of Roma living conditions in informal settlements in Naples
2008 – UN-SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT
Seminar and field trip in Chiaiano Hills Park. In partnership with Iowa State University
Can national security policies undermine local environmental potentials? How do we react?
2008 – EU-ROMA INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP (ROME)
State of the art of Roma housing conditions in Europe. Seminar/workshops/documentation for an open discussion of the Italian context. With the participation of Catalin Berescu, Maria Papadimitriou,Pietro Nunziante, Claudio Marta, Lucy Orta, Alexander Valentino
2008 – MAP(HAPPENING)ROME
Mapping Roma Husing conditions in Rome, La Monachina, Castel Romano and a nomadic community of Kalderasha. With the support of studens of Iowa State University, Ohaio State University
2007 – IL MANDRIONE (ROME)
Seminar and workshop research program in partnership with Waterloo School of Architecture Rome
2007 – UNDERGROUND (NAPLES)
Workshops research program in partnership with NJIT
2006 – RE-CYCLING TIBER 2 (ROME)
Research project in partnership with Waterloo School of Architecture, Rome
2006 – URBANWATER 2 (NAPLES/PALERMO)
Research project “City and water”, Naples in partnership with NJIT
2006 – URBANWATER 1 (NAPLES)
Grand Tour South Italy in partnership with Ohio State University. Urban research on forms of hydraulic civilization in southern Italy: Matera, Siracuse, Palermo, Trapani, Naples
2005 – RE-CYCLING TIBER 1 (ROME)
Research project in partnership with Waterloo School of Architecture, Rome
2005 – URBANOCEANO 2 (NAPLES)
The relationship between the city and the see, boat trip in Naples harbour. In partnership with NJIT and open to European students
2005 – URBANOCEANO 1 (NAPLES)
The relationship between the city and the sea, Boat trip on the Neapolitan coast. In partnership with Ohio State University and open to European students
2004 – NEXTSHOPWORKSHOP (NAPLES)
Abandoned areas, Double deck bus night journey in the east side of Naples. In partnership with New Jersey Institute of Technology NJIT and open to European students