University of Cagliari
Department of Civil, Environmental and Architecture Engineering
General Profile
Giovanni M. Chiri (1971) was born and graduated (1998) in Palermo.
PhD in 2005.
Research Fellow and Lecturer from 2007.
Research associate from December 2008.
Associate Professor in Urban and Architectural Composition from 2015.
Between 1999 and 2008 he was practising architect and urban designer, in cooperation with the universities of Palermo and Cagliari.
From 2009 he has a full-time engagement in the academic activities of the School of Architecture of Cagliari, in which he is responsible for the course of architectural theory and design of the 1st year master and of a number of research projects.
He has relations of cooperation with the schools of Architecture of the Turin Polytechnic, Roma-Sapienza, Palermo, Sassari-Alghero and with FAPF-UEM of Maputo (MZB).
He interprets his academic role as focusing on the research of virtuous encounters between the educational, research and the so called “third mission” with a moral attitude and spirit of service.
Fields of Research
He carries out his didactic and scientific activity prevalently in the field of the relationship between architecture, the city and the landscape. His methodology involves multidisciplinary contributions of which the project is however the ultimate synthesis.
Note: The curriculum is structured in such a way as to highlight research activity, also in the design field, teaching activity and contributions to academic governance and consulting
Research Experience
1998-2006
He graduated in Architecture, Architectural Design curriculum, Faculty of Architecture of Palermo with a grade of 110/110 cum laude, with a thesis entitled "Around trains - Hypothesis of transfer of the central railway station and construction of an exchange node in the locality Brancaccio-Roccella in Palermo", Supervisor Prof. Arch. Marcella Aprile, co-supervisor Ing. Filippo Palazzo Head of ASA FS SPA. During his university years, he formed culturally with Francesco Cellini, Roberto Collovà and Marcella Aprile. He carries out research activities in collaboration with Marcella Aprile at the Chair of Architectural Design and in the Art of Gardens course and with Giuliano Leone, in the Urban Planning course, contributing to the editing of scientific publications, organizing exhibitions and conferences, holding seminars. He dealt with the relationship between Urban Plan and Urban Design, relations between Architecture and Landscape, and the hypothesis of the transformation of the urban fabric through high-density interventions. With his degree thesis, with his PhD (2005) and participation in the 40% PRIU, he explored the question of infrastructures in the contemporary city landscape. Results are partially published in "Forme del Movimento" edited by Gianni Fabbri. Parallel to his university commitment, he began his professional activity in Cagliari where, in July 1999, he opened a studio in partnership with Sabrina Dessi.
2007-2010
He was a component of PRIN groups (on the theme the project of architecture in the innovation and redevelopment of linear infrastructures in complex environmental or historical complex contexts, National coordinator Giovanni Battista Fabbri with Rispoli, Miano and Corti) and of local research projects. He coordinated a variety of workshops of national and international importance. He contributed to the drafting of the feasibility plan for the Museum of Nuragic and Contemporary Art “Betile” in Cagliari (for the autonomous Region of Sardinia) and to the pre-feasibility study on the district of Sant’Elia, subsequently developed by OMA. He was Principal Investigator on the project for the University Campus in Cagliari (ERSU) now under construction. He was designer for the Urban Plan of La Maddalena, with Enrico Corti, and in particular of the guidelines for the development of the waterfront and the reuse of the coastal fortificated structures. The results of this work are partially published on the book “Archipelago” (Gangemi, 2009.)
In the framework of the international partnership Italia-Guangdong, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the conference of the Deans of the Faculties of Architecture, he represented the Faculty of Architecture of Cagliari in the school cluster “Piattaforma Tirrenica” (With the universities of Cagliari, Genoa, Turin and Florence). He was the Co-head for the urban design of Zhaoqing Planning and Urban Design Bureau (Guangdong-PRC) and the winner of the competition by invitation for the redesign of the commemorative arch square and lakefront in Zhaoqing. The project won the OICE award and participation in Shanghai EXPO in 2010 in the House of Excellences in China – China-Italy-Architectural Organization with M. Bonino, L. Bazzanella, G. Ambrosini and Pierre Alain Croset. The Closing of the first phase of the Chinese experience has allowed producing a monographic, theoretical book in which a series of key terms in architecture are examined in their different cultural perspectives and meanings. (Complexity without contradictions, LISTLab, 2012).
2011-2016
The scope of the experiences in PRC and the character of the places explored has produced the necessity to further investigate the relationship between urban design and the environmental sustainability of the transformations, with particular attention to the climatic issue. From these premises, from 2009 he dedicated to the possible reconstruction of an “Italian way” to Environmental Urban design. He tried to retrace, in a series of articles published in international journals, the key passages and the missed opportunities in the history of the 20th century and tried to reassess the issue of sustainability in terms proper of urban design. At the same time, the methodologies applied and implemented with the support of other disciplines have been applied in at least four case studies: the guidelines for Zhaoqing urban development, the preliminary project for the University Campus in Cagliari, the masterplan for the Campus in Monserrato and, more recently, to the Eduardo Mondlane Campus in Maputo, Mozambico (still in development) whose outcomes have been presented in international conferences and partially published or in course of publication in papers and monographic books (Climatica, LISTLab, 2018, Elsewhere, LISTLab, 2020.).
2015-2019
The last four years are characterised by diversification of disciplinary interests and by the maturation of a series of themes addressed in the early stages of the academic career.
He is involved in International Cooperation projects in Africa. In Nanyuki (Kenia) for the project of the Catholic Mission “Christ the King” and in Maputo (Mozambique) for the project of adaptation of Urban Design of the campus of the University Eduardo Mondlane (in publishing) in cooperation with the Faculdade di Arquitetura e planeamento fisico of the UEM with prof. Anselmo Canì.
As a scientific advisor of the Municipality of Cagliari and of the Botanical Garden of the University of Cagliari, he undertook the project of the Urban Regeneration Plan of an area comprising the city’s historical hospital, the Amphitheatre and the Botanical Garden. The plan comprises a series of projects including the redesign of the Garden’s Arboretum, the new entrance pavilion, the element of junction between the garden and the Amphitheatre, the layout of the connections with the broader city centre, the feasibility study for the pathways and accessibility to the Archaeological site and to the Punic-Roman hydraulic system. The outcomes of this research project are discussed as posters in international conferences and partially published in “Tassonomica” (Listlab, 2018) with a preface by Joao Gomes da Silva.
The exploration of the theme of the accessibility of archaeological sites and the relationship between the “excavation and architecture is later developed during the activities of scientific support to the Italian heritage preservation authority for the provinces of Cagliari and Oristano for the design of the musealisation of the “Mont’e Prama Statues” excavations, a vast monumental complex of the Nuragic Bronze Age in the multi-layered context of the Sinis peninsula (Oristano). The outcomes are published in a monographic book (Archaoelogies, LISTLab, 2020.)
With M. Lecis he contributed to the feasibility study for the closing section of the city rail, on the historical urban docks of Via Roma in Cagliari. These themes were earlier researched and published in “Metropolis” (Aracne) with Carmen Fiol-Costa and Sergio Braz-Antao, and in the research activity on the relationship between Infrastructure and Landscape developed during the PhD research and the PRIN.
For the Sardinian Hydrogeologic District Agency, he Developed the pilot scheme for the creation of an articulated fluvial park system in a peri-urban area with high hydraulic risk. Presented at the conference INPUT 2019.
The Experience on Schools and Spaces for Education, built prevalently on the activities carried out as a practitioner (Preliminary project for the Comprehensive School of Villasimius, the competition for the IPSAR of Tortolì-Nuoro, the consultancy for the Amaldi institute in Macomer, the competition for the Comprehensive School of Valdesi in Palermo and the projects for the students – the services of the Campus), are enriched during the activities of scientific support to the Autonomous Region of Sardinia as a member of the special mission structure in the framework of the Iscol@ project – Schools for a new millennium. Currently, he is the advisor of the Province of Sassari for the project of the hotel management school of Arzachena-Budoni in the framework of the agreement between the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, the Province of Sassari, the University of Cagliari and the Polytechnic of Milan (Department of Architecture, Construction Engineering and Built Environment). General reflections on these experiences are published in “Forms of Education” (LISTLab, 2018.) with the preface of Bruno Messina.
Member of the technical board between the University of Cagliari and the Italian Ministry of defence for the rehabilitation of the coastal forts of La Maddalena and their adaptation to civil uses (in Militaria, Listlab, 2020). He developed with prof. Donatella Fiorino (Restoration) the project for the restoration of the 16th century San Filippo bastion at the ‘Porta Reale’ of Cagliari’s castle in the framework of the initiative for the reconversion of decommissioned military architectures in Sardinia, a University annexe destined to host a business incubator. On the same line the project for the historical archive of the “Guardia di Finanza” at Forte Aurelia in Rome with D. Fiorino whose outcomes are published in G.M. Chiri, D.R. Fiorino, E. Morezzi e F. Novelli “Paesaggi militari del Campo Trincerato di Roma. Progetti per FORTE AURELIA” (Politecnico di Torino, 2020.).
2020-today
The research on the Landscapes of Gallura and its social dynamics in equilibrium between landscapes of Gallura and social dynamics in the balance between military decommissioning and touristic development. The project consists of a cooperation agreement with the municipality of Arzachena, the constitution of a research centre focused on issues of landscape and sustainable tourism, and the introduction of a related international master school.
Participation in national and international research projects
2021. Participation as Local unit Principal investigator in the PRIN proposal: "Progettare le Buffer Zones. Misure a sostegno dei Siti Unesco e del loro contesto territoriale. Definizione di uno strumento progettuale dedicato ai Piani di Gestione delle aree cuscinetto, e armonico con gli strumenti normativi di governo del territorio nazionale. Definizione di una metodologia operativa multidisciplinare definibile come Heritage Strategic Design. Messa a punto e simulazione funzionale della Carta della Bellezza, data base valutativo dei Distretti della Bellezza.” Coordinatore nazionale CALIARI Pier Federico Mauro (POLITO).
2020. PI with Maddalena Achenza for the project “Pais - Projeto De Arquitetura Inclusiva E Sustentável – Moçambique”, in cooperation with “Universidad Eduardo Mondlane” in Maputo, Mozambique. The project won a selection for the research fund of the Regional Law 19/96.
2018. PI with Maddalena Achenza for the project “Pais - Projeto De Arquitetura Inclusiva E Sustentável – Moçambique”, in cooperation with “Universidad Eduardo Mondlane” in Maputo, Mozambique. The project won a selection for the research fund of the Regional Law 19/96.
2018. Development of the pilot scheme for the creation of an articulated fluvial park system in a peri-urban area with high hydraulic risk. In collaboration with G. Sechi for the Sardinian Hydrogeologic District Agency, in the research program PROTERINA-3Évolution for the management of flood risk.
2017. International cooperation Project UNICA-DICAAR e UEM-FAPF for Eduardo Mondlane University Campus development in Maputo (Mozambique)
2016. International cooperation Project with Archidiocesis of Nyeri (Kenia) in support of the Catholic Mission “Christ The King” in Nanyuki.
2009-2010. International cooperation program Italia-Guangdong (PRC), promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by the conference of the Deans of the Faculties of Architecture. Head of Cagliari Faculty of Architecture team.
2005_2006. Participation in the PRIN project “The project of architecture in the innovation and redevelopment of linear infrastructures in complex environmental or historical complex contexts”. National coordinator Giovanni Battista Fabbri. Research Unit “the project of architecture in the redevelopment of linear infrastructures in the urban area of Cagliari” PI Prof. Enrico Corti.
2002. National Research Program MIUR 2001-2002. National PI Prof. Antonio Piva (Politecnico di Milano). Local PI: Prof. Pasquale Culotta (Dipartimento di Storia e Progetto dell'Architettura. Facoltà di Architettura di Palermo).
Participation in the international invitation call for the “Centro di coordinamento e documentazione degli archivi dell'architettura del XX secolo in Sicilia”. With Sebastiano Gaias e Sabrina Dessì
Editorial Activity
A series of lines of research, characterised by a multidisciplinary integrated approach is published prevalently in the international journals of design research, generally more inclined to publish multidisciplinary products.
In 2017 he establishes the book series “back to basics” with the publisher LISTLab, with the aim to hit the aim to gather and spread monographic researches and investigations on Architecture, Urban Design and Landscape in their intersections with other disciplines. The editorial project consists in three numbers per year son topics developed in research projects and – less frequently – during didactic activities with a scientific approach. The scientific committee is composed of young recognised experts, prevalently Italians, but with an international inclination, affiliated to some of the most prestigious schools of the country.
Participation in editorial boards of journals and book series
2021. Member of the Editorial Commitee of the Bookseries “Cagliari architettura”
2014-2021. Member of the Scientific Board of the Journal “Project for” (Arcane) Directors L. Reale (Sapienza) e F. De Matteis (Univaq).
2018-2021. Director of the book series “BacktoBasics”. Listlab Publisher.
2019-2020. Referee for the journal “Enter_vista Architettura, teoria e progetto in Italia”
2019-2020. Referee for the journal “Enter_vista Architettura, teoria e progetto in Italia”
2019-2020. Referee for the journal A-Class “U+D Urban Form e Design”