iSpace wood pavilion

Nature-Art-Perception-Territory

Spaces to rediscover our belonging to the natural world and discover the territory through the senses, in harmony with nature.

iSpace is a project born out of an idea combining art and architecture in the creation of environments that stimulate people to perceive the influence of a space on their moods. It is a re-evaluation of the territory, allowing us to rediscover our bond with nature.

The project consists of the construction of 10 timber architectures / sculptures in the local woods of Rossa. The installation of the first work was completed in October 2020.

First structure "iSpace"

Set in the woods of the village of Rossa, in the Calanca Valley, the project, undertaken by  Davide Macullo Architects with the support of the RossArte Foundation, the municipality of Rossa and the Swiss National Park Val Calanca has involved the inhabitants of the valley, visitors and institutions in working towards a common goal and contributes to the debate on the enhancement of rural areas. One of the main aims of the RossArte is to foster healthy ambition for social, economic and cultural growth for the future of the region. These structures form part of the wider work of the foundation, giving Rossa and Val Calanca an identity as a destination for work and life, as well as for tourism.

Panoramic view of the "iSpace" structure

The work of Davide Macullo’s studio is centred on the awareness that architecture is the link between the DNA of a place and its future and that every line drawn that becomes a built space can be nourished with reason, passion and joy, that are released once a space is built, giving a sense of discovery and wonder throughout the life of the inhabitants. Engaged in research on the subject of the relationship between man and nature, the architect uses sketches and illustrations to explore the perception of space and scale. The series of drawings ‘man seeking space’ imagine man’s constant search to find the ideal space and scale at which to feel at ease and it is this idea that informs the architecture and has been translated into Ispace.

Human beings have the extraordinary ability to "feel" space through their senses with their eyes closed. The perception of space through the senses is central to the work of the studio, beginning in the 1980s during Macullo’s studies under professor Luis Flotron in Lugano, who made the perception of space his main focus during a lifetime of research.

Interior sketch of iSpace

The intervention in the woods acts to counterbalance the current trend of exponential development of technologies that will alter the way humans build their habitat. The selection of native material; larch trees cut on site to deforest the areas on the slopes of the valley involved in the archaeological restoration of the ancient terraces, is the first sign of sensitivity to the environment and uses the material to the best of its evocative power. The purity of design thinking and the almost absence of particular construction techniques remind us of a work that does not need to declare a temporal condition to emphasize the centrality of the relationship between man and nature.

 A few sketches "man seeking space"