Infrastructures are an intrinsically human and cultural phenomenon, which has occurred for thousands of years, to sustain civilizations of many scales and levels of technology. Global Energy Landscapes is an essay on the new capabilities and responsibilities of man-made logistics to intervene the planet’s resources in the new century. It is an interdisciplinary study of the Environmental, Territorial, Economic and Social impact of the new infrastructures that pretend to enhance the resources of the planet; exploring the levels of appropriation of the world’s great natural reserves or “global gardens”, antagonistic to the growth and urban concentrations in globalized hyper dense cities.
Architects: Stefano Romagnoli, Pont Tomás, Juan Cruz Serafini
Status: Concept
PLANET – Climate change, we landscape architects can (must) help.
Today, about 97% of the energy generated is from nonrenewable sources, and although by the end of the century the population is expected to grow considerably, technological advances of recent times show a clear intention to harness world resources in a clean and efficient way. The sea represents 71% of the Planet surface and one of the greatest potential of energy generation, despite being one of the less studied fields. This is why “Global Energy Landscapes” takes as a model the development of tidal energy, in one of the highest tidal range coasts in the world, Rio Gallegos estuary, located in one of the greatest natural reserves, the Patagonia. The isolation of the lagoon allows eradicating any environmental impact on the coasts, marine migration and ecological system.
PLACE – Territory as a sustainable operative landscape.
Our project proposes to understand the landscape as an operative platform of systems and networks that allow human existence, in the same way that happens with the infrastructures that give life to our cities. In the era of megalopolis, of the continuous consumption and industrial state, the infrastructures acquire a new degree of visibility and complexity; being responsible for connecting human and environmental spheres.
It is through this understanding that we intend to transcend the appropriation of the current infrastructural typologies to develop a proposal that uses the LANDSCAPE AS OPERATIVE LAND. Consequently, the new water infrastructure is the result of multiple studies about natural logic of the estuary, including its natural reserves, ecology and vitality.
PROGRESS – New research method of multiple scale projects
The strongest strategy was to introduce MINIMAL components in a TERRITORIAL scale project, forming networks in order to achieve the domestication of this new infrastructure.
Based on our research, we defined a specific method to tackle projects that focuses on 21st century issues:
1 – Incorporating multiplicity of scales.
2 – Understanding natural biophysical processes.
3 – Relegating the place of man in himself, and position it within the ecosystem.
4 – Change the concept of occupation, by the one of symbiosis.
5 – Find in nature and its components, the order of architecture.
6 – Redefining standardization of infrastructures.
This project was started in the National University of Cordoba ( Argentina ) , and its continuing its research at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Stefano Romagnoli
Stefano Romagnoli holds a degree in Architecture from the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (UNC) in Argentina and is actually pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University. During and after his studies at the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, he served as a Teaching Fellow in architecture studios for 3 years with Taller Mediterraneo and worked in several architecture firms, including the internationally recognized AFT Arquitectos.
His devotion to landscape architecture began with his on-growing interest in finding links between the profession and renewable energies, while strongly considering ecology and the territory. Together with his clear initiative to contribute to global issues, such as global warming, sea level rise, energy, and pollution, he is interested in projects that can collaborate environmentally, socially, economically and infrastructurally at a city, province and national
level.
His thesis project, Global Energy Landscapes, proposes the use of tidal energy in Patagonia through a territorial infrastructure that merges energy, water production, tourism, and its design is the result of multiple ecological considerations given by the context. Its research is on-going since 2016 and meetings with professionals from diverse disciplines had been held, including the Government of Argentina.
Stefano Romagnoli has been awarded in numerous national and international design competitions since hisearly years in 2014, including projects in Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Jordan, and Italy among others. In this way,
he strongly believes in the opportunities that competitions offer to continuously rethink the discipline in the 21st
century.
In 2017 and 2018 his thesis project received 10 different awards and distinctions both at the national and international level. His team received the Holcim Awards Next Generation 1st prize in Latin America, Holcim Awards Global Ideas prize, IFLA Student competition 1st prize, Tamayouz International Awards, among others. Moreover, the project has been distinguished by the Bienal Internacional de Arquitectura de Argentina (2018), the Bienal Latinoamericana de Arquitectura del Paisaje (2018) and published in journals around the globe.The project has been exhibited at the Dean’s office of the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), the Folium (Zurich), Costa Rica and is expected to be exhibited in the following Biennales in Argentina and Mexico respectively.
In 2018, his thesis project received a Research in Practice Grant from the LafargeHolcim Foundation to continue its research for the next two years. This research will include a territorial strategy for tidal energy in Argentina, together with the development of new activities link to this renewable energy and the design of pilot projects along the Patagonian coast. Stefano Romagnoli current research focuses on the development of renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, natural disasters, resilience and adaptation, all topics that deal with climate change and the health of our planet.
PONT Tomás
Tomás Esteban Pont Apóstolo is an Argentinian architect, graduated from the National University of Córdoba in 2016. Since he was young, he has felt a great responsibility in the fight against inequality. He has participated for several years as a volunteer in various NGOs and support groups in his city.
From his beginnings as a student he became interested in the new paradigms and possibilities of architecture, as well in the need to tackle global issues through the profession. Is in that search that he found a great passion for architecture competitions as a medium to explore ideas and solutions. He has participated nationally and internationally as a student and architect, obtaining numerous awards in diverse categories; and has been invited to ceremonies and workshops in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
At the Academic level, he has contributed with his public University participating as a Teacher Assistant in Architecture I, Architecture V and Architecture VI and research workshops. He founded his own architecture studio with Arch. Tomás José Beverina Pagés; with wich they have developed small and medium scale plans, and collaborated in larger projects.
In 2017 he received the 1st Prize in the Next Generation category for Latin America in the LafargeHolcim Awards with Stefano Romagnoli and Juan Cruz Serafini for his final thesis work: “Global Energy Landscapes: Evolutionary Process of Infrastructures in new territories – The Patagonia Case”, where they studied the new roles of architecture and its contribution in the fight against climate change. In 2018 he received the LafargeHolcim Awards Idea Prize with his team, and in September of the same year they were awarded with the Research in Practice Grant. Their thesis work has also been published and exhibited in different formats in various countries; and received the following awards:
Finalist Arquisur – Aroztegui Prize (2017 – Latin America) / Finalist National Sustainable Architecture and Urban Design Prize – National Federation of Architects (2017 – Argentina) / 2nd Prize – Tamayouz International Excellence Award ( 2017 – International) / 1st Prize – IFLA Group Han Prize – International Federation of Landscape Architects ( 2017 – International) / Finalist – CLA TIL 2018 – (2018 – Latin America) / Distinction – Landscape & City BIA – AR – International Architecture Biennale of Argentina (2018 – Argentina) / Honorable Mention – Latin America Biennale of Landscape Architects ( 2018 – Latin America).
Currently, Tomás performs as a Project Manager in a collective of architects focused on medium and large housing development in America and Europe with an emphasis on conscious and responsible with the environment architecture. He also participates in research related to global issues, focused on diverse energy obtainment sources and ocean algae treatment in Argentina and México.
Juan Cruz Serafini
Juan Cruz Serafini is an Architectural designer specialized in landscape as well in urbanism, finished his bachelor in 2016 at Nacional University of Cordoba.He describes himself as a passionate and creative architect, always concerning about sustainable architecture and green urbanism.
The last 3 years he has been participating in competitions and workshops about urbanism and landscape in different countries all over the world such as Costa Rica, Canada, Jordan, Mexico and Argentina, besides he won 6 different competitions. The last one was on Cordoba-Argentina and the challenge was to create a green park to regenerate a degraded and spread area, the team won the first price.
Nowadays he has his own architecture studio in Cordoba City -Argentina, he receives every kind of projects from his clients starting from small scales to big ones. He also is the co-founder and director of an architectural visualization company called Bridge Visual (bridge-visual.com) the company offers renders and videos to express and show architecture.
His research the last few years has been focused on infrastructures and how to become them more accessible for citizens.
He has also worked in diverse scales such as developments in growing towns and even recreational parks for capitals cities, housing projects and educational architecture.In addition, he and his team also run a research practice in Argentina about sustainable energies on seawater, the research has already two years of investigation and has contacted many specialized people.
