LARGO

Largo, in Italian, is a word that its self doesn't quite know the meaning, just like the largo that I am in the process of designing for my studio class. It is mainly just a large space that most would then just classify as a piazza. Except that it's not used as a piazza, or really at all. And thus our task. 

The project we've been assigned for this semester is to re-design the Largo Annigoni and also add (and design) a Gastronomy Center to the piazza. Site analysis for this project was crucial since we know nothing of the culture of the area or how it really works. And the very in-depth (and I'm serious about in-depth, we had to create an entire booklet) made sure that we were well versed with the area and the problems that we would have to find solutions for to make it a workable space.

Site analysis was the first step, and next we are into an in-depth version of precedent studies. Since we are designing two portions to the piazza, both types of projects we are unfamiliar with, we have to find our own successful piazzas and city buildings that can be related to our project constraints and conditions. These individual precedents are also going to give our teachers a sense of our styles and  stylistic eyes, since we're also unfamiliar with each other. 

Even simply the set-up of the studio is unfamiliar to me. Our University implemented inter-disciplinary studios for the architecture and interior design programs during the first year, but those started the year after mine. For the first time with our Florence program, they've also introduced inter-disciplinary studios, one of which I am in.

New city. New language. New studio.

Wish me luck!