From Genoa to Antwerp, the meeting on Italian architecture in Flanders – Primocanale.it
GENOA – The conference at Villa Cambiaso From Genoa to Antwerpa dialogue of Italian architecture in Flanders by the Fondazione Ordine Architetti di Genova, again as part of Manomissioni, its 2022-2024 cultural programme.
It will be an opportunity to face a journey in reverse, which leads to looking at Antwerp and Flanders of today with the same astonishment and interest with which Rubens guaranteed Genoa in 1600. In this spatial and temporal reversal, the relationships and points of interest on the themes of the city and architecture are important, which prompted FOA.GE to organize an event in which to dialogue with Giuseppe Farris of Studio Farris, with offices in Antwerp and Cagliari, and Francis De Wolf of Studio Brut of Antwerp, designers who have been working in Flanders for years, especially in the ‘t Eilandje district, “the small island” identified by Rubens as the place of expansion of the city which could have drawn inspiration from Genoa.
After the institutional greetings by Pierluigi Feltri and Riccardo Ravecca, president and councilor of FOA.GE, the introduction will be entrusted to prof. Ilja Van Damme, professor at the University of Antwerp and historian of the city and of Belgium, editor of the Historical Atlas of Antwerp who will offer a long-term cultural vision of Antwerp, a city since the time of Rubens open to influences from the south of Europe, and which will analyze the urban developments of the city, linking past and present, Antwerp and Genoa, the Netherlands and Italy.
Francis De Wolf De Wolf will illustrate some projects carried out in Antwerp to provide an overview of the wider urban regeneration processes underway in the city, such as the development of the Eilandje, the renovation of the river banks, the development of the Nieuw-Zuid district and the redevelopment of the district centres. These projects will also be the starting point to talk about contemporary issues in architecture and urban development, such as collective housing, qualitative densification within the existing urban fabric, improvement of public space in relation to climate adaptation, new housing typologies for different target groups.
Giuseppe Farris will talk about the changes in the city through two of his projects: The Park Tower, a residential complex which with its 78 meters of height, as well as being one of the tallest buildings in Antwerp, has redesigned the city’s skyline. It stands in a unique location within walking distance of the new MAS museum, the ‘Eilandje’ harbor district, the riverfront along the Scheldt and the historic city centre. The project is integrated into the strategic development plan that aims to transform the northern districts of the city, and has a connecting role between the parts of the city that have already been the subject of intervention. Studio Farris recently won the competition for the design of the new terminal of PSA, a world leader in container transport. The project involves the construction of both the area used as offices and that dedicated to logistics for the sea and land disposal of containers.
The event is free and open to all upon registration on Formagenova.it, both to participate in presence and to participate in webinar mode.