Alessia Foderaro

Advisor: Carlos Rueda

The image shows four aerial urban views in a 2x2 grid, overlaid with abstract black and gray sketch-like lines and geometric forms. Each section blends realistic mapping with creative elements, featuring grids and light sandy or waterfront areas.
The image is a collage of ten black-and-white photos related to grape production and rituals. Key moments include an older man holding grapes ("CEREMONY," "CARRY VALUE"), working with others ("CREATIVE PROCESS," "TOOLS & METHODS"), and overseeing aging bottles ("AGING," "PRESERVATION"). Other images focus on symbolic actions, group discussions, and the cultural meaning of the process
The image is an artistic collage with several scenes: on the left, an arched hallway with paintings leading to a room of green plants; the center features a vintage poster with a cyclist and surrounding paintings; on the right, two silhouetted figures toast with wine glasses against a hilly landscape. Dining settings with glass tables, wine bottles, and glasses are also included.
The image is a dark, monochromatic drawing of white chalk-like lines on a black background, depicting abstract, sketchy forms of a city skyline or industrial structures. The rough texture and intersecting strokes create a dynamic, unfinished look.
This image shows a collage map of the Winnipeg Osborne area. Combining various visual elements.

A Hermeneutic Architecture: Revealing Italian Rituals in an Urban Atmosphere    

Architecture is a source of meaning and existential orientation yet, in today’s world there is a generalized disconnection between place and the complexities of human experience. In urban environments, such disconnection often reveals how human values can be overlooked by the built environment, neglecting the rituals and identities that shape our shared spaces. If contemporary architects assume that the sites they build upon lack intrinsic qualities, they may fail to engage in the possibilities of exercising a “hermeneutic imagination” which, paraphrasing architect Alberto Pérez-Gómez, is the capacity to understand meaning and significance of experiences and environments, that can resonate within a place. 

This thesis explores strategies to enhance what one could call hermeneutically oriented urban architecture, emphasizing design for the cultural continuity of human rituals. Through an examination of how traditional practices become rituals, and rituals give way to architectural spaces, this design research highlights the significance of cultural identity and ways in which these practices can be better expressed into a physical space. The ambition to explore this hermeneutic path will arguably deepen an understanding of architecture as a narrative medium for cultural continuity and a productive tension between tradition and innovation.  

Winnipeg is a culturally diverse city, yet there is a perceived contemporary disconnection between a rather generic architecture and the complexity and singularity of its inhabitants. Corydon Avenue serves as a reflection of the shifting socio-cultural landscape for the Italian community. A question arising is how can urban architecture better respond to an evolving urban fabric and enhance a rich cultural identity for the community as whole? This research explores design and hermeneutical methods to propose architecture through the lens of ritual and atmosphere. For demonstrative purposes, the thesis links its processes and ideas to Italian traditions and cultural practices around wine, specific to my Calabrian background (of Greek origin in “good aura”), a community already integral to the transcultural fabric of this city. Ultimately, this thesis aims to foster deeper connections between urban architecture in Winnipeg and the narratives of Italian and wine ritual, which help shape our shared environments in contemporary urban life.