Water as a composition element of the landscape

This article is a partial revision of a research report carried out by Laboratory of Landscape Construction and Architecture of the University of Pavia at that in recent years has explored the subject of environmental and landscape renewal, ecological architecture and landscape design through the development of efficient systems and innovative design proposals, along with that of the international desing seminar “Urban Culture and Landscape Renewal” held by the Institute of Advanced Studies that developed a number of projects in the city’s critical areas with a view to increasing the urban quality and achieving morphological integration of the outskirts. From an urban point of view, the issue of transforming the landscape by means of regeneration and renewal projects of extensive sections of land is at the centre of the current debate amongst scholars, with the ever-increasing awareness of the need to safeguard “soil”, “water” and “energy” (solar and wind) resources through the development of sustainable technologies and by proposing eco-compatible projects. The landscape renewal study of the area of the Darsena of the Naviglio Pavese and the area of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni is an opportunity to test-run new design approaches in the setting of Pavia, basing itself on new intervention strategies: a reflection of social needs regarding perception of the landscape and of relationships with the environment.