The Measured Opening: Enclosure, Permeability, and Urban Quietness

Minimal, strategically placed openings in perimeter walls can create controlled permeability in enclosed urban spaces without eroding their spatial identity. This approach, tested on Flemish Béguinages, demonstrates how 'fitting'—a design paradigm emphasizing subtraction and limitation—enables the requalification of abandoned intra muros areas into collective quiet zones. The study shifts focus from buildings to enclosed open spaces, leveraging their introverted nature to foster urban pauses in dense environments. Applied to the former convent of Santa Maria della Ripa in Forlì, this method offers a model for rebalancing enclosure and accessibility while preserving symbolic qualities.

Scandroglio Anelli, M. (2026). The Measured Opening: Enclosure, Permeability, and Urban Quietness. EAAE Annual Conference Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.51588/eaaeacp.529