Designing public space

Lo Public space by definition, it is identified as “the set of streets, squares, forecourts, open spaces, parks, gardens, parking lots that separate buildings or groups of buildings at the same time as they connect them to each other”.

The term is identified for the first time in explicit terms by GB Nolli in his New Map of Rome published in 1748 and translates into the unitary project that takes into account topographical and architectural adjustments. The design and subsequent control of space imply specific technical and in-depth knowledge of many fields such as flooring, irrigation systems, lighting systems and furniture.
Greenery and landscape design, according to art. 1 paragraph A of the European Landscape Convention, is of fundamental importance as part of the territory as perceived by the population, based on natural factors, human factors and their interrelations; therefore, green design interventions are highly complex, even if they are currently limited to built spaces.
In the configuration of green spaces, integration with buildings or urban planning helps us in the design of the space; therefore we can define two components: Horizontal and Vertical.

Horizontal Components

The horizontal components are intended as a general subdivision of the open spaces in relation to its environment. Depending on the objective, which we wish to achieve, the forms can be combined in different ways: side by side, opposed, grouped, etc.
Controlling horizontal components helps the designer in configuring space through the use of the largest design scale and 2D representation.
To make a landscape project complete, it is necessary to consider the forms in relation to the components, the interaction of the structures, the differentiation of the materials, the relationship between the full and empty spaces, etc.

Vertical Components

The vertical components, in the conception of open space, take into account the relationships of the surrounding reciprocities by choosing the material, the volumes and the views. The control of the same can be easier through 3D spatial representations or sections that allow the identification of the reciprocities and connections.
For example, if the observation point is in a depression or on a hill, totally different spatial effects are obtained. Vertical control elements can be walls, isolated bodies, roofs, height changes.

Project setup

In defining good practices for the structuring of equipped public open space, we introduce here the term “green” as a “material” rather than as a living and continuously evolving component. 

This concept involves changes in the configuration of space and in some cases its functional characteristics.

Plants are a different component from other building materials that we are used to using normally, in fact these have growth times and require the observation of periodic or seasonal deadlines both for the system and for maintenance. 

The designer, at the time of its conception and implementation, has the task of thinking about the configuration of the space both at the time of planting and in its future evolution; furthermore, the control of the spaces at a volumetric level derives from this in relation to the growth times (age of the plant), the vegetative cycles (deciduous plants, annuals, etc.) and external conditions. The transformations over time become in this way difficult to predict in their entirety. In the design of greenery, exposure is of fundamental importance, understood as orientation with respect to the sun. When inserting vegetation, the development of roots in the subsoil must be considered, which, depending on the case, could cause interference in an urban environment due to the passage of technical networks. Its foliage, on the other hand, could develop considerably to the point of completely closing the space, causing inconvenience to the surrounding buildings.

The choice of the type of plant plays a decisive role both for the comfort of the space and for the well-being of the individual; in this case, the unfavorable developments of this would also cause significant maintenance and management interventions such as irrigation and pruning.
Starting from the previous considerations, in an urban context, we can define aesthetic and functional criteria. 

Aesthetic Criteria

The choice of trees and vegetation in urban areas in general can follow some precautions such as:

• choice of evergreen or deciduous trees;
• Foliage characteristics;
• calendar of seasonal blooms and colors.

© Photo by Indra Yudhistira on Unsplash

Functional Criteria: 

• distancing from structures and buildings;
• shading;
• full plant development size;
• thermo-hygrometric comfort.

© Photo by Carlos Aranda on Unsplash

When you want to create a green space of high urban quality, the effort that every designer has the task of pursuing involves the evaluation of the economic resources to invest.
Through maintenance plans that differ depending on the type of space that follow different regulations, especially in terms of public contracts, it is possible to obtain a sustainable and effective project over time. Planning therefore plays a fundamental role, it takes into account, in relation to the series of vegetation, both the climatic and environmental conditions in relation to the resources available in the medium-long term.
The goal is to significantly increase the quality of our cities, in reference to the new transformations that we are going to propose or the interaction with the pre-existing buildings with the new open space.

Structuring the intervention

When we think of an intervention with the open green space, we must follow the procedure of any construction process, which usually begins with demolition, construction of systems, construction works and finishing.

When organising the construction site, it is therefore good practice to observe a work sequence:

• soil preparation: including drainage, rainwater collection, preparation for various sub-bases based on the type of vegetation, excavations for building structures, levelling of the ground, etc.
• preparation and possible connections of network systems: irrigation and electrical system;
• construction of building products;
• laying the flooring;
• planting of tree and shrub species.

Reference sources: Architect's Manual Neufert; Treccani; Urban Green. Technical Guide to Interventions.
Cover photo: ©Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash