Pietro Quintino Sella is a designer whose cross-disciplinary practices are situated at the intersection of art, architecture, technology, and environmentalism. Pietro’s work addresses socio-economic and environmental issues through the synthesis of theoretical frameworks, contemporary aesthetics, and pragmatic design solutions. Each output seeks to enhance visibility which aims to highlight the overlooked and the invisible.
His project Subline creates an opportunity for humans of New York to reclaim city space.
On average we spend more than an hour every day in the subway. Metallic noises, dark lights, dirty walls, and phone screens are our everyday experience underground. The New York Subway system carries a large number of degraded, unused, and abandoned areas such as rails, tracks, platforms, and stations. Many have fallen into disuse or have been abandoned, no longer used by the Transit Authority for their original purpose: serving passengers.
His Thesis project considers new transportation routes and modes for cyclists and pedestrians in New York City, as an approach that both enhances mobility and expands the existing city map through its study and use of abandoned subterranean spaces as a design possibility. My design wants to create a space, a system for humans, or better; an adaptive environment for abandoned underground spaces.
The research explores the possibility of turning the rail tracks and tunnels into bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways. Developing more humanized, individualistic, and alternative ways to commute. The design proposal relates to the modernization of a rail-bicycle concept from 1899, together with an adapted self- sustained pavement for pedestrians.
He believes it is beneath the ground that New Yorkers must look to distinguish themselves as the greatest city in the world. New York City has an incredible real-estate infrastructure completely left to degradation with great potential. Investors, engineers, and designers are already exploiting these spaces and similar ones with beautiful creations, some of these have the potential to change the future of metropolis forever.
The idea of bringing a bicycle underground, together with a pedestrian walkway in New York City makes total sense to Pietro. An underground bike that would slide through the rails of Manhattan could indeed become a reality in today’s New York City. Seeing examples of retrofitting space mentioned previously such as the prominent Highline and the Lowline are strong realities. Indeed, New York City, being one of the world capitals of ideas, creativity and forward-thinking, He strongly believe his design proposal would be just fit for New York City.
Subline provides a futuristic vision of New York city, which has its basis in an existing and outdated transportation infrastructure – the infamous subway. The project combines well being and environmental concerns with a sense of an urban revival to present a new human centric function for degraded and abandoned subway lines within the metropolis. Subline creates an opportunity for humans of New York to reclaim city space.
Pietro was part of the fifth antenna conference, a collaboration between Design Indaba and the Dutch Design Foundation, The conference takes place every year in October during the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven.
source
0 Comments