Where Water Rests | Bologna, Italy | Unit 21 | 2026

Located within Bologna’s abandoned Fonte Remonda cistern, Where Water Rests transforms forgotten water infrastructure into a refuge for stray cats and a place of quiet encounter. The design is guided by a site-specific coordinate system derived from the cistern, terrain and movement patterns. VR testing allows spaces to be experienced and adjusted from within. Shelter, veterinary care and public routes are carefully embedded into the existing structure, pre-serving heritage as a living framework for care, coexistence and renewal.

Design Methodology – The Dissipative Self Exploring “Recipe and Agency,” The exploration reimagines Taoist Qi through bio-informatics, viewing meridians as energy-exchange structures and translating invisible flows into spatial form.

Plan – Sections

Renders

Exploded Axonometric Drawing – Hide and Seek Using drawing as a method to transform the axonometric drawing into an atmospheric exploration. Layers of visibility and concealment evoke curiosity, movement, and discovery, revealing how space is perceived, occupied, and emotionally experienced.

Final Animation