09.07.2021 18:00
Politecnico di Milano at the Venice Architecture Biennale
The MatRes project is hosted inside the Italian Pavilion and themed “Resilient Communities”
Politecnico di Milano participates in the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, running from 22 May to 21 November 2021, within the Italian Pavilion.
The Italian Pavilion’s Resilient Communities, curated by Alessandro Melis, project places climate change at the centre of the international debate this year. It is a firm belief that architecture must contribute significantly to improving the quality of life by providing appropriate responses capable of reacting to climate and social change.
A challenge taken up with the MatRes project by the research groups of the Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Department of Design and Department of Chemistry of Politecnico di Milano. The following took part in the project: University of Verona, University of Milan and MIT-IBM.
MatRes is a living laboratory of resilient materials, with biological, organic, sustainable, recycled origins, that have power and freedom to grow and transform over time. The installation evokes a tree metaphor to experience resilient forms, through its component materials. This includes natural composite materials (mycelium, used coffee, cellulose), 4D printing, energy-producing plants, textiles with optical, acoustic or heat-sensitive properties, natural or recycled fibres, positively reacting to stressful stimuli.
The Strolling Cities project unveils the naked, materially seductive form of some cities from the North to the South of Italy, through a generative Artificial Intelligence model which uses millions of images to create ‑videos in perpetual movement to form a continuous potential transformation of places. A.I. reacts to voice commands and poetry with innovative associations that dramatically expand future urban imagery.
Fast-Care is a resilient mobile health project which reaches patients who cannot get healthcare facilities. The project converts the central part of a wagon into a healthcare station, using an extending forepart when it is stationary.
In the pictures, a a section of a tree trunk under a microscope, as an inspiration for the concept of the installation, as represented in the following sketches. Various views of the completed installation and the light path that crosses it. Finally, the research group that gave birth to MatRes.
Credits
Team
Ingrid Paoletti | Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Material Balance Research
Anna Barbara | Politecnico di Milano, Department of Design
Saverio Spadafora | Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture Built Environment and Construction Engineering, ABCLab – MaBa.SAPERLab
Luigi De Nardo | Politecnico di Milano, Department of Chemistry Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta"
Giovanni Maria Conti, Martina Motta, Patrizio Terzi | Politecnico di Milano, Department of Design
Maria Anishchenko, Valeria Marsaglia, Andrea Giglio, Giulia Grassi | Dottorandi del Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture Built Environment and Construction Engineering
, Material Balance Research
Aimi Berton | Laureata del Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Material Balance Research
With the collaboration of:
Stefano Gomarasca | Università degli Studi di Milano, Department of Environmental Science and Policy
Federico Leoni | Università di Verona, Department of Humanities
For STROLLING CITIES project:
Mauro Martino | MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab
Emanuele Strano | MindEarth
For FAST-CARE project:
Stefano Capolongo | Politecnico di Milano, Director of Department of Architecture Built Environment and Construction Engineering
Andrea Rebecchi, Massimo D’Alessio | Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture Built Environment and Construction Engineering, ABCLab – Design&HealthLab
Installation assistance:
Danilo Casto | Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Material Balance Research
Find out more
MatRes project
Strolling Cities project
Padiglione Italia at Biennale d’Architettura di Venezia
Info for visiting Biennale on the official website