Re-conditioning the Urban by Martin Zanolli

Recent CCNY Spitzer School of Architecture graduate Martin Zanolli explores new ways of creating urban parks to respond to their environments through his thesis, Re-conditioning the Urban. According to Zanolli, "Urban environments often dissociate us from the pleasures of the elements [...] By momentarily defamiliarizing urban dwellers from their routines, my project produces a new kind of urban park – encouraging escape and a reconsideration of the human position within the urban ecosystem.

Archinect connects with Zanolli as he shares his experience as an undergraduate student who has completed his final year during such a challenging time. He also shares his experiences during the transition to remote learning in addition to his thoughts on the industry and the value of thesis work.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were displaced as schools shut down, academic communities had to adapt to a new virtual format, end-of-year celebrations were canceled or changed dramatically, and now these students are graduating into an extremely challenging employment market. To support the 2020 class we're launching a summer series of features highlighting the work of thesis students during this unique time of remote learning amid COVID-19. Be sure to follow our 2020 thesis tag to stay up to date as we release new project highlights.

This project is about celebrating the beauty and power of wind and using it as a programmatic agent to reconnect inhabitants with the spontaneity of the wild.

Please describe your thesis project.

Urban environments often dissociate us from the pleasures of the elements. This project is about celebrating the beauty and power of wind and using it as a programmatic agent to reconnect inhabitants with the spontaneity of the wild. By manipulating temperature and intensity, this project aims to distort the physical and emotional sensations of the urban environment in ways that induce new kinds of movement, behavior, and desire. By momentarily defamiliarizing urban dwellers from their routines, my project produces a new kind of urban park – encouraging escape and a reconsideration of the human position within the urban ecosystem.

This new park typology is meant to inhabit the existing cracks and openings of a city, allowing otherwise ambiguous areas to become new kinds of passageways and gathering spaces. As a formally adaptable and prefabricated proposal, this park can be integrated into a variety of urban sites and social contexts, instead of being limited to major commercial developments.

For this park, I have chosen a residential block in upper Manhattan. Through formal manipulation of the air, the site is distorted physically, socially, and environmentally by the park’s presence, or what I call an un-condition. The site and program are ever changing, a literal expression of the fluctuating wind and climate conditions we often become habituated to in the city. The harnessing and manipulation of environmental conditions allows for unique situations or hyper phenomena of space. Air attracts and deflects people through the space of the park, effecting how they walk through and use the space. Wind and form also create additional sensations tied to varying intensities of humidity, light, coolness, wetness, and stagnancy. These unique environments open possibilities for foliage and plant growth different from the manicured gardens normally found in the city, and further the otherness/wild nature of the park. Through a distortion of scene, this park attempts to explore the ambiguous space between natural and artificial environments and questions how technology can be used to re-condition the sensory perception of urban dwellers. 

Through a distortion of scene, this park attempts to explore the ambiguous space between natural and artificial environments and questions how technology can be used to re-condition the sensory perception of urban dwellers. 

How did your project change as studios transitioned to remote learning?

Prior to the transition I was already heading towards a more digital approach to my studies. After the switch to online, I put more emphasis on methods such as animation and video. It’s possible I might not have explored this territory so thoroughly if the studio were still available.

Understand that your project is exploring the very nature of the discipline, and that by opening new pathways for architectural thought you are extending and sharpening the boundaries of the profession. 

Any tips for students as they continue to work on their thesis?

Understand that your project is exploring the very nature of the discipline, and that by opening new pathways for architectural thought you are extending and sharpening the boundaries of the profession. There are a wide variety of thesis projects, but considering the specific and broader dialogue surrounding our projects, there will always be territory and ideas that stem from this research. Be open to ways in which your project can be interpreted in different ways. You may find your project may intersect and strengthen other ideas. Ideas are malleable which is why the dialogue surrounding your project will continue to exist as long as you fuel it.

Being in a thesis studio puts us at the forefront of change, and I believe we should continue to thoroughly explore how our ideas can help further the profession.

As a recent graduate experiencing the direct effects of the pandemic, how do you feel about the architecture industry right now?

This pandemic is accelerating changes in the profession that were already happening. Firms being forced into remote methods are showing the flexibility and effectiveness of work outside the office. The trend to have open communal workspaces has been halted with the pandemic and attention is again focused on more isolated workspace environments. But more importantly, firms are increasingly realizing the potential for outsourcing work. This and programs like BIM are allowing much more efficient ways of completing projects with fewer people. These factors allow for greater efficiency and flexibility of the field, however it is also causing many of our current roles to become less needed. Due to these changes it is now more important than ever for architects to broaden their discipline to stay relevant. Being in a thesis studio puts us at the forefront of change, and I believe we should continue to thoroughly explore how our ideas can help further the profession.