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The progressive decline in rural building architectural design seen in Italy since World War II has led to an increased interest in the study of how to make these constructions appropriately blend into the landscape. Considering these phenomena, this study deals with the definition and calibration of a structured methodological path aiming at ident...
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... viewshed calculation, made by defining a set of observation points on the top of each building, gave the area visible from the considered location. This area in turn coincides with the part of the landscape from which the built system will be visible if it is placed in this location, i.e., the visual influence area (see figure 5). In order to consider the maximum distance of perception significance (generally considered as varying from 3 up to 10 km), the viewshed was outlined using a circle centred on the project location, with a radius varying according to this distance. ...
Citations
... A Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) [27] can be achieved by way of grouping into the following two main categories [28]. Formal aesthetic methods estimate the beauty of the landscape by describing and analyzing physical or aesthetic components of it [29][30][31][32][33]. However, they do not take into consideration subjective psychological components which can also affect landscape interpretation [34]. ...
The perception of apparent sizes of buildings in a rural environment depends on the height ratio between the building and its surrounding vegetation, and it is this parameter which is currently used to assess the built landscapes. The impact of a contrasting height is less strong if the building does not exceed the horizon line. For buildings overshooting the skyline, the building’s level of sharpness and number of lines in contrast to the sky determines the impact of the scales, and vegetation in the background helps to reduce impact. The specific objectives of the present study were: (1) finding height–ratio thresholds between building and background vegetation, which may improve the integration of rural buildings in sky-sensitive locations, and; (2) comparing the results in two rural contexts with very different climatic conditions: Spain and Sweden. A survey of eighteen scenarios (nine Spanish and nine Swedish), all digitally modified with different relative height ratios between vegetation and buildings, was performed. The survey was evaluated by the public from both countries. Regardless of the country of origin, integration of the building was good or very good when the vegetation in background did not exceed one half of the height of the construction. These
... Descriptive methods estimate landscape beauty by describing and analyzing physical or aesthetic components (Coeterier, 1996;Jeong et al., 2013;Otero et al., 2007;Sheppard, 1989). When scoring of components is based on agreed standards, descriptive methods constitute formal aesthetic methods (Tassinari and Torreggiani, 2006). However, they do not take into consideration subjective psychological components which can also affect landscape interpretation (Swanwich, 2009). ...
A test for quantifying the contribution of colour and scale to the visual impact of buildings in the rural setting was developed and validated by means of a public opinion survey. The method was based on some psychological aspects of visual perception and on a simple image treatment performed by a well known and easily available computer program. Results were provided as numerical values, enabling the quantification of the impact for the two individual elements studied and for their potential interactions (aggregate impact, AI). Validation involved 44 images and 1,046 participants arranged into two groups, and the method proved to behave with consistency in predicting the AI of these elements, since the ratings assigned by the observers to the visual proposals examined displayed a high correlation with the predictions obtained from the application of the test. A general threshold for AI was drawn from the results, and such threshold could be transferred without major difficulties to authorities performing the planning and regulation of the rural landscape, since the test is simple and requires just a minimal training. Extending the application of the method to testing elements other than scale and colour and their AIs might assist the searching of a global indicator of impact that may satisfy the needs of landscape planning and regulation in the future better than the current tools.
... Numerosi studiosi hanno indagato le questioni attinenti alla qualità architettonica e paesaggistica del sistema costruito rurale[Di Fazio, 1989;Ruda, 1998;Ayuga, 1989;Garcia et al., 2003Garcia et al., , 2006Ayuga et al., 2004;Tassinari, 2006;Tassinari and Torreggiani, 2006;Tassinari et al., 2007;Tassinari et al., 2010][Lynch, 1964Figure 1,2: Archivio Cartografico dell'Emilia-RomagnaFigura ...
In various historical, geographic and cultural contexts, inhabitants have drawn forms and structures on the landscape fruit of their social, economic and production systems. These signs represent material evidence of a unique geographic and cultural identity. The paper aims at discussing the relationship between uniqueness and universality and related aspects which deal with the mark left by man on the landscape at a large and small scale, thus focusing on base concepts of quality landscape patterns to be adopted in metadesign perspective. The design approach refers to the well-known concept of imageability, which the authors extend to the countryside where it has the potential of being fertile ground for new planning and design of rural settlements.
... The theme of landscape integration of rural settlements is closely related to the studies of visual perception by Bell (1993Bell ( , 2001, which were developed on the basis of Gestalt psychology (Arnheim, 1977). In this regard, various authors make specific reference to the visual impact of transformations and suggest design criteria to make them appropriately blend into the landscape through their architectural composition and proper siting, based on the analysis of basic visual elements of the countryside and its components (colour, texture, form, strength, lines and others related to compositional issues, such as scale and spatial character), at the landscape, farm, farmyard and building scales (Garcia et al., 2003(Garcia et al., , 2006Schmitt, 2003;Sheppard, 2005;Smardon, 1986;Tassinari & Torreggiani, 2006). Thus, we will focus on the analysis of the perception elements which can generate balance, contrast, dominance, assonance or dissonance between the components of the farmyard and the surrounding landscape, in terms of the key visual resources and signs and elements of the traditional cultural landscape. ...
This study addresses the issue of landscape quality in farmyard design for farm wineries. Tourist and marketing strategies have been increasingly emphasising the relationships between landscape and typical products through the farmyard image. However, ordinary farms often lack accurate design research, due to economic constraints and cultural issues. The study aims at defining the main variables that should be considered in designing outdoor spaces of small and medium-sized wine farms, based on a contemporary interpretation of the hortus topos. It allows us to consider the farmyard as a transition space between architecture (farm buildings) and cultivated land, combining functional and aesthetic values. Landscape, composition and architectural characters of various design solutions, as well as the main requirements and critical issues related to farmyard design have been analysed on a representative sample of farms, with reference to an Italian study area. Moreover, useful design references were obtained from the analyses developed.
... The urban physiognomy of many rural settlements, in terms of both dwelling and productive architectures, and their open spaces, is probably caused by an intention to show an image of well-being associated with city life, in an anachronistic and diachronic way, distancing from a condition of subordination to the urban middle-class. Many scholars have focused on the architectural and landscape quality of rural settlements (Di Fazio, 1989;Ayuga, 1989;Ruda, 1998;Ayuga et al., 2004;Garcia et al., 2003Garcia et al., , 2006Tassinari, 2006;Tassinari and Torreggiani, 2006;Tassinari et al., 2007;Tassinari et al., 2010;Tassinari et al., 2011). The need for a multifunctionality of contemporary agriculture, and in particular tourist and recreational values as well as marketing strategies, nowadays prove very important in the characterization of rural settlements. ...
The paper presents a wide range of images, contexts and issues related to contemporary forms of urban–rural interface. The urban and rural environments come in contact in various ways, generating patterns with hybrid identities which can be read both on a regional scale (in those cases where cities merge to form megapolitan conurbations), on an urban scale (suburbs of the cities), on a settlement scale (city quarters, farmyards and farmsteads), and even with regards to single buildings. This creates manifold diversified configurations of interface spaces, showing seemingly opposite trends. This work focuses on these bidirectional trends, which are discussed by means of a selection of different concepts, images, projects and experiences, within the international context. On the one hand, an increasing number of projects insert what is commonly associated with the idea of countryside into the cities: urban agriculture, mainly located in periurban open spaces, but in some cases even within the built system through various forms of integration with the building envelope, in line with a growing sensitivity about the need to conceive ways of virtuous relationship between food production, consumption and environment. On the other hand, town planning in many cases “ejects” the spaces for business and leisure, locating shopping malls, entertainment and (agri)tourism centres within the countryside. Moreover, typical rural spaces and activities (farms, farm holidays, wine farms, etc.) often refer to urban styles, due to poor design attention, or rather to marketing strategies aimed at enhancing the farm image. Thus, settlements located in rural areas show markedly increasing urban characteristics, with regards to their built environment, open spaces, and outdoor furniture. Whilst many scholars and designers have focused on reinterpreting the agricultural functions when these are inserted in urban architecture and built areas, further interdisciplinary work is needed to analyse how urban functions can be brought into the countryside and improve the quality of rural settlements.
... The assessment of landscape quality is a multidisciplinary activity that can be approached in different ways depending on the aims of such assessment and the training of the people involved (Palmer and Hoffman, 2001). Experts in landscape architecture, engineering, psychology and planning, all approach assessment from different angles (Carlson, 1977;Ribe, 1982;Dearden, 1987;Ayuga, 2001;Tassinari and Torreggiani, 2006). However, the literature shows there to be two clearly differentiated main approaches that can be followed (Briggs and France, 1980;Lothian, 1999;Arriaza et al., 2004). ...
The present work proposes a simplified model for assessing the quality of landscapes from rural roads in Spain. The proposed model is based on the full Cañas method but takes into account only four of the 16 factors, the latter contemplates: vegetation, land use, form (elements differing from the background) and texture (reflection of light from surfaces). The procedure was tested by assessing the landscapes captured in 109 photographs taken from sections of rural roads around Spain and comparing the results with (a) those obtained using the full Cañas model, and (b) the landscape preferences of the evaluators determined using the Likert scale. The correlation between the Cañas method and the proposed model was strong (R2 = 98.5%), indicating that the simplified model is sufficient for landscape quality assessment in the present setting. A strong correlation (R2 = 96.24%) was also found between the landscape quality values obtained using the simplified model and the landscape preferences of the evaluators recorded via the Likert scale. The proposed model differentiates between the landscapes seen from the rural roads better than the Cañas method and could be used in the planning of rural roads and other transport infrastructures (greenways, railways, highways, etc.) around Spain and even in other parts of the Mediterranean after further validation. It might also be employed in the decision-making process surrounding the investments to be made in existing but deteriorated rural roads with agricultural and/or leisure uses.
... Based on a critical review of the technical-scientific literature on architectural approaches to design, with particular emphasis on the relation between buildings and their surroundings, the work identified historical-typological consistency as one of the possible architectural quality postulates to be adopted at the meta-design stage for new rural buildings . The in-depth study of the scientific literature about the general theme of visual and landscape impact represented the basis to develop and calibrate, with specific reference to the rural built environment, methodological paths aiming at identifying and comparing design solutions (Tassinari and Torreggiani, 2006) and at evaluating the potential that different typologies of corrective solutions may have to mitigate residual impacts of existing buildings (Tassinari, 2006). The methods consider both landscape and agricultural ___________________________________________________________________________ P. Tassinari, D. Torreggiani, G. Paolinelli and S. Benni. ...
If we accept that any project which brings about a change within a given area can--at least potentially--produce an alteration of its landscape, then it is clear that redevelopment and even more so the construction of new buildings can, both singly and jointly, result in significant transformations. It is therefore necessary to preventively evaluate how any building project will affect the appearance of the locality in question, i.e. whether it will enhance or detract from its landscape. The general problem of landscape quality must be taken into account at multiple stages and levels of the rural building design process. This means that considerations relating to the architectural quality of the rural built environment, and its interactions with the landscape, are complexly interwoven with the theoretical and practical scientific research in this field, and with the disciplines of land management planning and statutory regulations. The paper suggests a conceptual model about the relations among such domains, underlining their strengths and weaknesses and quoting current and ongoing methodological approaches. The paper performs thus a critical analysis of the role played by scientific research in rural building design, also by means of a critical review of the state of the art in the field, and discusses the main fields of research activity pertaining to the analysis of the landscape structure and to the formulation of design models of rural buildings satisfying requirements of landscape quality. The theoretical analysis of the above-mentioned relations, supported by specific closer examinations, also considers their effects on the final outcomes of the design process.
... The author of this paper, together with her research team at the Division of Territorial Engineering of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Engineering of the University of Bologna, has for a long time carried out research into landscape and environmental preservation and improvement of rural areas, including projects on behalf of institutions responsible for territorial planning. More precisely, these studies focus on the analysis of landscape impacts of the most widespread typologies of constructions built in rural areas, and consider the numerous components of landscape, paying particular attention to perceptive aspects and visual connotations (Tassinari and Torreggiani, 2006). ...
... The method proposed by the author draws upon the experience of the international scientific community regarding the definition of indices and parameters for assessing the quality and vulnerability of landscape and territory and the formulation of visual quality standard objectives with reference to the level of quality measured (Senes and Toccolini, 1998;USDA Forest Service, 1974;Sheppard, 1989;Smardon, 1979;Smardon et al., 1986;Colombo and Malcevschi, 1999). For discussion of these subjects, reference can be made to a work already published by the author (Tassinari and Torreggiani, 2006). The method also relates to the goals clearly expressed by the latest European codes -amongst which the European Landscape Convention cited above plays a predominant role -which are highly pertinent to the aim of the study. ...
... The author of this paper, together with her research team at the Division of Territorial Engineering of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Engineering of the University of Bologna, has for a long time carried out research into landscape and environmental preservation and improvement of rural areas, including projects on behalf of institutions responsible for territorial planning. More precisely, these studies focus on the analysis of landscape impacts of the most widespread typologies of constructions built in rural areas, and consider the numerous components of landscape, paying particular attention to perceptive aspects and visual connotations (Tassinari and Torreggiani, 2006). ...
... The method proposed by the author draws upon the experience of the international scientific community regarding the definition of indices and parameters for assessing the quality and vulnerability of landscape and territory and the formulation of visual quality standard objectives with reference to the level of quality measured (Senes and Toccolini, 1998;USDA Forest Service, 1974;Sheppard, 1989;Smardon, 1979;Smardon et al., 1986;Colombo and Malcevschi, 1999). For discussion of these subjects, reference can be made to a work already published by the author (Tassinari and Torreggiani, 2006). The method also relates to the goals clearly expressed by the latest European codes -amongst which the European Landscape Convention cited above plays a predominant role -which are highly pertinent to the aim of the study. ...
The main themes of this study are based on the observation that in most rural areas, landscape has undergone deep structural, morphological, social and economic changes. This is in part due to the criteria of extreme functional and technological rationalization adopted for the design of rural service buildings, which are usually precast concrete structures, and thus prove incongruous with the rural landscape and with territorial traditions. The study, which is part of a broader research project undertaken in collaboration with the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Province of Bologna, sought to define a methodology for assessing the visual impact caused by the rural built system and for evaluating the mitigation potential of different typologies of solutions that may be found. The definition of reproducible models for designing vegetational systems to mitigate the visual impact of inadequate rural buildings, which also represents a goal of the broader regional research project, is only outlined in this paper, with the in-depth analysis of some study cases. Full discussion of the definition of these models will be the subject of future work.
