Nolli Map | La nuova topografia di Roma Comasco

Drawn by Giambattista Nolli, the nolli map of Rome is used as a tool to understand the flow of space within a city. Through figure ground representation, a black and white drawing technique is used to create contrast, where white represents void (open) and black represents mass (enclosed). It can also be seen as the static and kinetic, where the former are representations of permanent fixtures like buildings and concrete columns and the later as occupiable space that hosts movement, features such as open public spaces and pathways/roads. In contrast, the black void represented in the coral map drawing (on the right) is representative of the dwellings of the polyp encapsulated by the white mass of the calcium carbonate structure of the coral. The line between these relationships is blurred by a gradient created as a result of the accessibility and usability of space. This understanding is applied to land-water relationship to better articulate the littoral ecotone. As a result, the thesis aims to offer a form of analysis that repositions ourselves within the gradient between land and sea. By drawing on relations to the ecology and on a mapping of how we relate to this environment, this thesis proposes a diluted and porous way of contemplating the thresholds as gradients, which fragile as they may be, hold a wealth of life.