Fab-Housing is the Master’s degree project presented by Eugenio Aglietti, Luca Beltrame and Jessica Tiberi for the final thesis of IN/ARCH Post-graduate Master Course in Digital Architecture – Expert Designer in Emerging Technologies, class 2014.

The proposal concerns the requalification of Caserma Ruffo area, located in the District IV of Rome Municipality, and intends to redevelop the main buildings of the site, Palazzina Truppe and Palazzina Comando, and Forte Tiburtino, one of 15 reinforced military battlement of the City, now abandoned. The projects aims to give a different interpretation of Social Housing theme, adding a connotation related with work and productivity.

The buildings’ transformation is arranged as new facades in front of the existing ones through a new layer of stairs and walkways maintaining continuity with the current floors, and through 1.200 square meters of honeycomb-like productive residences. The existing dormitories have been converted into new social housing consisting in two different spaces: a private lofted space and a semi-private filter area facing the walkways and the productive area. The system of new hexagonal cells for the activities, co-working spaces in proximity of stairs and semi-private filter areas contribute to create a new productive community in which each habitant can provide a specific service or expertise.

In this way Fab-Housing community is able to cover several functions like small shops, laboratories, educational and professional activities, training spaces, gyms, nurseries, bicycle repair areas, offices, cafeteria, small showrooms, art galleries, tailor’s and craft shops. These and other tasks, located into the new honeycomb modules, are available to Caserma Ruffo habitants and to district citizens which contribute to the economical growth of the community.

The 89 modules consist in 4,80 meters high and 6,20 meters wide hexagonal cells, matching the structural grid dimensions of the existing buildings, with a variable depth from 3 to 8 meters. Every cell is composed by a steel structure, self-bearing insulation panels, wood and resin panels. The hexagonal grid structure allows to join multiple modules creating 46 different configurations: in fact each loft could have one, two or three pertaining cells with different depths, according with the required space for the specific activity. The resulting facade combines honeycomb cells with semi-public open terraces facing the inner courtyard, in which the current parade ground and Forte Tiburtino have been turned into a new urban park.

The park includes spaces for temporary markets and public events, urban gardens for crops, livestock and Km 0 products, playgrounds, skate park, pedestrian and cycle paths. From these public spaces habitants can enjoy the view of the new two facades, where the hexagonal cells aggregation according to the function is underlined by the different colors of internal resin panels. In this way each user is able to find the easiest way to reach the needed module passing through the nearest walkway and stair.

Trailer of Fab Housing at bit.ly/1z7bwv1