Ottaviola

Drawing inspiration from the fragile, web-like city of Ottavia in Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, this project explores the relationship between structural security and the inevitable void. The design is characterized by a vertical hierarchy of open, semi-open, and closed volumes, connected by a delicate framework of sticks. A consistent design language of hatched and dashed surfaces creates visual permeability, allowing wind and light to dictate the spatial experience. These “dashed” interfaces are not merely aesthetic; they function as essential filters for the inhabitant’s biological cycle of energy and water, turning the architecture into a living machine. My name is Viola, I live in Ottaviola, I am a signal-sender, a child of this suspended world. My cycle begins in the Birth Chamber, where the open-hatched facade allows sunlight to charge my core. When hunger strikes, I move to the feeding grounds. Here, rain enters through my upper cone, and as I feed, the excess water flows down to nourish the trees below, completing the loop. Wet from feeding, I seek the “Drying Room.” In this space, the floor and ceiling are sliced open, allowing the wind to rush from below and exit above, drying my frame. Here, I wait for the lightning—my second energy source—to strike and recharge me. Once fully powered, I bounce on the trampolines, climbing through the corridors and railed pathways that promise safety. I ascend to the very highest point, only to face the ultimate reality of Ottavia: the fall. I drop into the void, yet I land in a different place from where I began. This cycle teaches me that while the city holds us, life is about the courage to climb, even if the destination changes.