Of/ On/ Over Tufo: Architectures of Uncertain Ground
Charting Uncertain Grounds
Of/On/Over Tufo; a series of social amenities and workshops exploring ground conditions and tectonics reinforce the essential nature of a healthy relationship with ground in Naples.
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Naples is sinking; the city is undermined by an unreliable substratum, disturbed by sinkholes, landslides, earthquakes and disease. Unlawful construction has moved up the slopes of Vesuvius, as inhabitants forget the nature of the ground they occupy. Concrete constructions within the city have led to collapses in the caverns below, giving new urgency to the adage that Naples is built on nothing. Of/On/Over Tufo seeks to re-engage Naples with its ground, reminding the city of its volcanic substrate, and that uncertain ground can form the basis for rethinking how Naples builds in and of itself.
The district of Rione Sanità (sanità, noun. health) stands guard over the highest number of subterranean caverns in the city. As the city grows upward, Sanità looks down. The health of the population of this once-prosperous district is failing, as is the health of its subsoil. The architectural proposals explored in Of/On/Over Tufo are aware of the uncertainties of this Neapolitan landscape and the precarious conditions of Sanità, but also of the intertwining material history of Naples, its people and its substrate: tufo, or tuff stone. A series of social amenities and workshops exploring ground conditions and tectonics reinforce the essential nature of a healthy relationship with ground. New gateways brace the Lotti and Tronari Quarries that allow those working with, on and over ground (fabricators, surveyors, performers) to operate in dialogue with the city.
Collaborators: Rachel Briglio, Holly Poulton, Hannah Williams