Trip to Alghero, Sardenya

On the 16th of May of 2018 we exposed our project Life Reusing Posidonia in Dipartimento di Architettura, design e urbanistica, Università degli Studi di Sassari, in the island of Sardenya. 

We did a double presentation: on Wednesday 16th we unveiled the exhibition ‘Life Reusing Posidonia/Alghero’ and on Friday 18th we took part in the ‘Conferenze sull'Economia Circolare in Edilizia, organized by Antonello Monsù Scolaro. 

The opening included the projection of the documentary and the speeches of one of the local experts and professor in the Univesità di Sassari (UNISS) Antonello Monsù Scolaro, architect; Francesco Spanedda, architect and town planner, and Vicenzo Pascucci, geologist. 

Vicenzo Pascucci explained the good condition of the posidonia meadows in Alghero, a city which name is due to the marine plant, and the good coastline control system, as the regular system is the displacement of the dead leaves to the beach shore. In comparison with the other places that we have visited, they are so advanced that their control system is what Xisco Xavier Roig i Munar, Doctorate in Geography and Doctorate in Geology, claimed for the Balearic Islands in the presentation of LRP in Maó. And now it will be possible its implementation thanks to the adoption of the pioneer ‘Decret 25/2018, de 27 de juliol, sobre la conservació de la Posidonia oceanica a les Illes Balears’.

Notwithstanding the above, Vicenzo Pascucci considers the system nowadays applied in Alghero is an expense of resources and money, and he suggests not to remove the posidonia leaves gathered at the beach, and educate tourists to share theis baths with dead leaves, essential to perserve the dunes. From Life Reusing Posidonia project we support and applaud this option, that is more respectful with the ecosystem, and it is perfectly suitable with the use of the posidonia surface layers that have no sand in those places where power is enough. 

Francesco Spanedda explained the state of the recovery in Sardenya and Antonello Monsú showed the resources map bound to the reuse, drawn from his book Progettare con l'esistente. Riuso di edifici, componenti e materiali per un processo edilizio circolare.

And on Friday 18th we took part in the Conferenze sull'Economia Circolare in Edilizia organized by Antonello Monsú Scolaro too, with academics and institucions from all over Europe. That day we got to know a lot of people that share interests with the LRP project. 

In his exhibition, Antonello Monsù proposed the following game: 

‘If we replace the word ‘automobile’ in the residues regulation of the automotive sector for ‘building’, the sense doesn’t change. So, why don’t we aplly it?

We can’t make a summary of all the interesting talks of the day, but we do want to remember one of the ideas that Laura Cutaia, from ENEA( Agenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l'energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile) introduced, idea that we had already discovered with UDO in Madrid, and it deals with considering cities like 21st century querries. That is to say, the stock of the building already constructed, obsolete and disused has to be the main resource base for the construction industry. 

EPILOGUE AND GIFT ANECDOTE

When the session finished I asked if someone could come along with me to see Marco Zanuso’s house in Arzachena, who we knew for  T’EdA arquitectes, as an exemple of local architecture and integrated with the environment. 

Some of the attendees asked 'perché vuole andare alla Costa Esmeralda’? where Zanuso’s house is located, and it is cosidered one of the most affected areas for the massive construction, built before the entry into force oh the law that forbid the construction at less than 2.000 meters from the seaside, in contrast to Spain, where the ‘Ley 2/2013, de 29 de mayo, de protección y uso sostenible del litoral y de modificación de la Ley 22/1988  de Costas’ determine a protection area of 100 meters. 

We enclose a picture of the views from ‘case di vacanze a Arzachena’. 

The unspoilt landscape surprised:

Does it seems constructed?
If we cconstruct more we will seem the Balearic Islands. 
Of course, thank you. 

We want to thank the hospitality of Andrea Manca and Chiara Salaris, architects and doctors of the Architecture and Civil Engineering School of Cagliari, that came along with me to visit the house and other examples of tradicional architecture. 

Life Reusing Posidonia in Valencia

The Life Reusing Posidonia project that has been awarded with the Architecture FAD2018 stills touring european cities. This way we want to transmit our vision of architecture and a futur that, with the involvement of all sectors, can be more respectful whit the environment.

On the 21st of June we visited the Colegio Territorial de Arquitectos de Valencia where we presented our work and projected the documentary “Reusing Posidonia”. The function was introduced by Maria Antònia Garcías, manager of IBAVI, and the round table was composed for Camila Mileto from ETSA-UPV, Joaquín Martínez from IEL, Pilar Valero from BIOCÉ and Carles Oliver from IBAVI.
During the open debate we talked about similar initiatives to the recovery of the tradicional professions like the one from www.arrelantelterritori.org

The expert in interior design from the platform BIOCÉ, Pilar Valero, explained some of her own experiences during the making of the local resources plan, which they call approximation map, and she talk about some exemples of places where they have used vegetal residues of artichoke and marble and glass industries mud.

With this round table is clear that the diffusion of this kind of projects is very important and we conclude too that in the Comunitat Valenciana there is a good substrate to start changing the architecture production model. 

Camila Mileto, Architecture (Ph.D.) from ETSA-UPV, explainedher work abput the recovery of tradicional architecture systems —like ceramic turns and scale turns— perfectly viable nowadays. Also, she talked about the creation of the national directory of good practices in the area of tradicional architecture www.redmaestros.com

Joaquín Martínez, graduated in marine sciences, explained the positive state of posidonia’s meadows in Alicante and we talked about the great amount of posidonia that is accumulated in landfills. Numbers show that changing the running system of the beaches in the Comunitat Valencian is essential, because the method used is harmful for the dune ecosystem inasmuch as it collect not only posidonia but sand and moreover, it means a big expense. Notwithstanding, Joaquín Martínez said that making use of the accumulated material is already possible in projects like Life Reusing Posidonia.

The expert in interior design from the platform BIOCÉ, Pilar Valero, explained some of her own experiences during the making of the local resources plan, which they call approximation map, and she talk about some exemples of places where they have used vegetal residues of artichoke and marble and glass industries mud.

With this round table is clear that the diffusion of this kind of projects is very important and we conclude too that in the Comunitat Valenciana there is a good substrate to start changing the architecture production model. 

Life Reusing Posidonia in Paris

Life Reusing Posidonia project arrived in Paris on the 25th of May. The presentation took place in the Pavillon de l’Arsenal.

This time, the exposition’s purpose went beyond, because we wanted to pay tribute to Henri Quillé’s work, architect and town planner that opens the documentary film “ReusingPosidonia” that we projected in Paris too.

IBAVI’s architect Carles Oliver introduced the project accompained by Tanit Quillé, Henri Quillé’s daughter, who also takes part in the documentary.

Henri Quillé is a French architect and town planner born in 1928 who lives in Paris currently, where he worked during the 50s, before he settled in Spain, specifically in Formentera. When he arrived in the island, in the 70s, Formentera was an isolated cultural scene, there he started investigating the self-sufficiency and he built houses like La Casa Erró or his familiar house.

His architectural work combines the standards of the modern movement, the technical progress of renewable energies’s use (solar energy and wind energy), at the same time that he incorporates the local knowledge of Formentera. In fact, in the documentary, Tanit explains how his father built always trying to answer some questions like “how to be warm when its cold, how to be cold when it’s warm in summer, how to conserve water...The wind, the sun, the rain, it was what he needed; nothing else.

This vision became Henri Quillé a pioneer of sustainable architecture and renewable energy in a moment in which environmental issues were not newsworthy and they weren’t given any importance; here comes the nowadays relevance of Henri Quillé in the project of Life Reusing Posidonia. 

Life Reusing Posidonia in Seville

The exhibition and documentary Life Reusing Posidonia can be visited in Seville from 25 January to 6 February in the former convent of Santa María de los Reyes.

It was officially inaugurated on the 25th by the general director of Housing, Rehabilitation and Architecture of the Department of Development and Housing of the Junta de Andalucía, José Manuel Colmenero, and the director general of Architecture and Housing of the Department of Territory, Energy and Mobility of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Eduardo Vila.

There followed a roundtable discussion attended by Eva Morales, architect from the Cotidiana studio; Rosa Mendoza, head of Life Posidonia Andalucía; and Isidoro Gordillo, lime master craftsman from Gordillos Cal de Morón. Over the course of the session, speakers and attendees alike helped to outline a Map on Resources in the South.

Eva Morales stressed the importance of rehabilitation in the face of the amount of empty buildings in the region, as can be seen in the following photograph.

Thus, the first item we must consider is rehabilitation, with new construction as the last option. But rehabilitation in its truest sense! Touching as little as possible and safeguarding the characteristic features of Andalusian homes.

Rosa Mendoza, head of Life Posidonia Andalucía, explained that the posidonia meadows in Andalusia are in relatively good condition but do not produce enough dead leaves to be washed up on the beaches for use in building, unlike the Balearics. Hence having considered the use of cork, of which over 36,000 tons per year are produced in Andalusia! In this link you will find more information on the strategic plan for cork oak groves and cork in Andalusia 2017.

With Isidoro Gordillo, lime master craftsman from Gordillos Cal de Morón, we learned the value of the lime from Morón declared Unesco World Intangible Heritage in 2011. The lime from Morón, as well as offering many environmental benefits for households, is burned in kilns using discarded olive wood branches. It is part of the landscape of the southern Iberian Peninsula, where the whitewash helps to endure the sweltering summer heat.

After the talk, the Cotidiana studio decided to begin to create a Map of Resources with local and ecological industries in Andalusia. Will you help broaden our list with other businesses?

We wish to thank Isabel Martín, from the Cotidiana studio, for leading us through the maze of the exquisite historical quarter of Seville and show us the city’s treasures, and the people of Seville, for not running us down along the narrow winding streets (not with their bicycles, but with their horse-

drawn carriages!).

Trip to Sicilia

We began the European tour in the Italian island of Sicily, with the opening on 20 April of the exhibition at the SDS Architettura de Siracusa school of architecture (University of Catania).

We have discovered an island with an extraordinary heritage which is, nonetheless, falling to pieces. Perhaps therein lies the beauty of Sicily. A beauty which becomes more evident in the buildings erected by the master builders, made of stone, wood and limestone cladding, particularly when compared to the concrete blocks built as of the 1960s, with balconies protected with green mesh.  

Presentation and round table 

The presentation included the usual round table which enables us to discover the local resource map. Francesca Castagneto, architect and professor of Construction and Bioconstruction expert who has coordinated the exhibition on behalf of the SDS; and the experts in posidonia oceanica [seagrass] Benedetto Sirchia, marine biologist from the ARPA (Agenzia regionale por la Protezzione dell'Ambiente) and Salvatrice Vizzini, ecologist and professor at the University of Palermo were among the participants, along with SDS teachers and Drs. Giancarlo Bellissimo and Filippo Luzzu.

Francesca Castagneto explained the situation of bioconstruction on the island where the volume of new builds is very low (fortunately for the region). Courses are provided at architecture schools such as those on adobe building (usual technique used in areas such Cefalú) of the SDA, but with few examples to date.    

We were surprised by the lack of prominence of types of local stone in the collective imagination, such as Etna volcanic stone, which is still evident in some streets on the island. What would you think if asphalt were to be phased out in favour of local stone paving able to maintain the water balance and prevent surface currents?

We were also surprised to discover Sicilian ‘sandstone’, present in almost all the buildings in the historic quarter.  Few quarries, such as that of 'Pietra Sabucina’, are still in business.

In fact, the famous “Orecchio di Dionisio” (Dionysus’ ear) in the archaeological complex of Neapolis, in Syracuse, is a magnificent sandstone quarry.

Do you know why it has curved walls like a ship? Because of the extraction tool used: the hammer in the stone cutter’s hand. The curved angle allows the stone cutter to keep his fingers intact! 

Greek and Roman culture has been recovered in theatre and literature, but not in construction. Perhaps because architecture is a lesser art? Or because traditional techniques are considered demodé?

For this reason, we believe it is necessary to reveal the conclusions of the project that connects heritage, architecture and climate change. Because we have confirmed that the recovery of these local and low energy use techniques, which form part of our culture and our landscape, complement and enrich the pursuit of new production models adapted to climate change, as well as those based on state of the art digital technologies. 

Learning can be a lengthy process. In Majorca we had to wait until the arrival of Jorn Utzon in 1970 to remind us of the value of sandstone which, at that time, was being marginally used to build chicken coops and pigsties. Utzon showed us how to use it to meet the demands for comfort of modern society, with an air chamber for temperature and moisture insulation.

But even today there are those who question the benefits of sandstone given its (mis)use as a cheap building material in the 1950s-60s. However, it is one of the most environmentally-friendly materials available, as it reduces CO2 emissions by 60% compared to cement, as well as the cultural and chromatic wealth it brings to the landscapes of Majorca and Minorca.

Formentera is a large sandstone block in the middle of the sea, but it can no longer be quarried. For this reason, we only imported a small amount for the 14 social housing units for use in the domes of the water reservoirs and some paving. 

But if these had been built in Majorca, they would have been made of sandstone. In fact, the next works of the IBAVI [Balearic Housing Institute] are made of this. We shall take the opportunity to present the project of five housing units in calle Regal 97 and eight units in calle Salvador Espriu 37, both in Palma.

So, if any follower of J. Utzon should have to refurbish a building in Sicily or design a collectively required new building (the only current options for resilient construction), he/she would most certainly consider using Sabucina stone or something similar. But using it properly: to build load-bearing walls, 10 and 20 cm thick, and not just to cover up cement. This Sicilian stone was formed in the Pliocene, 3 million years ago, and thus worthy of respect.

Another local Stone that is available is marble which, as a result of the economic crisis, has been ousted in favour of cheaper similar stone from countries such as Turkey; hence our emphasis on encouraging the use of local products, which enable us to verify working conditions. In the case of Turkey, for instance, obtaining a certificate of labour rights compliance would be essential, in order to avoid accidents such as the one that happened in the Soma coal mine in 2014, causing 300 deaths. Unfortunately, fair trade certified seals have not yet reached the construction industry.  

The other question we addressed when drawing up the resource map of Sicily was: what is the condition of your seagrass meadows? Benedetto Sirchia explained the ecosystemic benefits of posisonia, the richest ecosystem in the Mediterranean in terms of biodiversity and largest scupper of CO2 to which we owe the transparency of the water and the white sand of the beaches. He also described how seagrass tends to concentrate in the western and south eastern coast of Sicily, with only a small presence in the north, in Palermo. Its state of conservation is very good, compared to that of other places we have visited, such as Catalonia. Moreover, he mentioned the existence of the LIFE SEPOSSO project, which includes measures to regenerate the meadows using transplant techniques. 

But we were surprised by the fact that, in the absence of any seasgrass protection regulations in Italy, every city council decides on the collection system on the beaches which, in most cases, is done using conventional shovels that remove the seagrass and the surface layer of the sand, dumping them in a landfill at a cost of almost 1 euro per kg! 

This system causes a serious alteration of the dune ecosystem and is forbidden in the Balearics by the Good Practice Protocol of the Ministry of the Environment.

Salvatrice Vizzini reminded us of the absence of the concept of waste  in nature and in circular economy, and that therefore seagrass cannot be taken to a landfill. Moreover, she believes it is essential to know the amount of posidonia generated per year in order to calculate the percentage that can be used without damaging the dune ecosystem.  

We at the Reusing Posidonia team could not agree more, and are therefore willing to act as liaisons with the Department of the Environment of the Government of the Balearic Islands which is about to approve the Posidonia Decree.  

We hope that this collaboration will help to develop legislation to regulate the collection of seagrass on Sicilian beaches. The best option would be to help tourists and residents to learn to live with the posidonia, without removing it, as do the 4th grade primary school pupils in Formentera in the documentary   ‘Reusing posidonia’. But if this option were not possible, the best is to leave the posidonia at the edge of the beach and return it to the water in autumn so that its leaves can protect the sand during the first storms. 

As for the use of posidonia as an insulating material, we must point out that only the sand-free upper layers are used, which is why it is best to remove it before the city halls begin their beach ‘cleaning’ in May.  

This has been our visit to Sicily. We hope that Sicilian cities maintain their beauty and no disasters such as the reform of the Ortea Palace ever happen again. For the time being, the more ancient buildings have rebelled against restorations using rigid cement. 

We were surprised by the extension of Priolo Gargallo, a complex comprising industrial facilities for refining oil, located between Catania and Syracuse, over 20 km long, which, following the peak oil, will required a good team of architects, ecologists, biologists, environmentalists, landscape architects and sociologists to reconvert this future ghost town; so, no worrying about the future, as there will be work for everyone.