Dottorato in ARCHITETTURA E COSTRUZIONE

Titolo della tesi: CONCEPTUALISATION OF URBAN FORM OF SIBERIAN HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONAL CITIES

The city and its heritage are in a constant state of becoming, with new layers being added to the old, creating an increasingly complex urban palimpsests. These palimpsests are different in different locations and have temporal, spatial and disciplinary dimensions, encompassing multiple congruent layers of existence, including urban form, social and cultural forms, narratives, values and histories of place, etc. However defined, these historical parts of the city, their buildings, spaces and neighbourhoods, and their associated practices, lifestyles, rhythms and rituals, determine the character and identity of the city. This palimpsest is at the heart of this research. We build our understanding of the new on something we already know, adding new information to the old. Similarly, continuity in the development of environments is achieved through certain similarities and continuities between old and new - both tangible (e.g. buildings) and intangible (e.g. human relationships). In summary, people need a clear starting point in the unknown in order to become familiar with it and to acquire further information. Especially in an atmosphere of radical change, we still need a starting point for habituation, orientation, familiarisation. In addition, the ways of habituation (Husserl) shape the interrelationship between man and his immediate environment. All this can be expressed in form. At the same time, the production of urban form is currently in crisis in many locations around the world and requires the variety of methodologies allowing to meaningfully conceptualise forms. How should this palimpsest, which encompasses congruent socio-cultural and urban forms be studied and methodologically integrated into architectural practice? Process-based typology (Caniggia) provides some answers, but should be further clarified. The notion of form became the starting point and fundamental concept of this work, determining the approaches and ‘philosophy’ of the entire study. Therefore, this research focuses on the physical and socio-cultural congruent layers imprinted in urban form. First, this thesis selects the definitions of the notions of form and type, enriching them with philosophical and social dimensions. It then selects, defines and clarifies the methodology that can potentially provide continuity in the development of urban palimpsest, enriching it with the interdisciplinary insights. The methodology is then tested and elaborated on the selected case studies of fundational cities in order to answer the question: what is common to all humanity, what is local, and what particular patterns persist over time despite change and transformation, and how? The process of local settlement formation is examined to show how local identities are formed in the process of formation and transformation. Finally, an illustrative conceptual design research is presented to demonstrate the potential work of the refined method. This thesis illustrates how the selected and refined methodology can be applied to the examples of foundational cities in Siberia helping to conceptualise genesis of urban form for the potential application in architectural practice.