Off

OFF is an academic gathering revolving around the recognised state of being off-focus.

Rather than renouncing knowledge, the blurred view encourages creative unease and the embrace of lateral questioning and permanent enquiry.

OFF collects random subjects and artefacts relating to architecture, urbanism and landscape, prividing material for debate.

MEMBERS

Elisa Bacilieri (UniRomaTre) / Federico Broggini (UniFe) / Silvio Cristiano (UniFi) / Fabrizio D’Angelo (UniRomaTre/UniFi) / Alessandro Delli Ponti (UniFe) / Silvia Farano (UniRomaTre) / Federico Marchese (Polito) / Ilaria Maurelli (UniRomaTre) / Emilia Nardella (UniRomaTre) / Sofia Nicoletti Altimari (UniRomaUno) / Giordana Panella (UniRomaTre) / Marco Ranzato (UniRomaTre) / Riccardo Ruggeri (Polito) / Valeria Volpe (UniRomaTre)

Instagram

INDEX

DISRUPTION

Monteverde Goes Down / The Construction Site of Imagination / Urban Disruptions as Laboratories for Innovation / Resurgence / The Story of Krater

ENERGY

Positive Energy Districts / Paesaggio Elettrodomestico / Cena Elettrica

SOIL

Asphalt Soils

BIOCLIMATIC

Frigidarium / Alfresco / Spazio Pubblico e Nuove Alleanze / Microclimatic Snapshopts / Ostiense Bioclimatica / Marciapiede Fresco / Borgofresco / Frigidarium

CONSTRUCTION SITE

Roma Cantiere Eterno / Trace / Cantieri Istantanei

FOOD

Convivio dell’Abbondanza

URBAN-RURAL

No–City FossileFertile

CARTOGRAPHY

Amphibious Cartoghraphies

SPATIAL JUSTICE

Reframing Spatial Justice / Eccedenza

BIOCLIMATIC

Frigidarium

BIOCLIMATIC

2020 / PHD Thesis / Rome, Italy

Is a series of temporary public installations providing cooling relief. Facing Rome's extreme summer heat, these "micro-climate shelters" protect health and reduce energy needs by harnessing the cooling power of rainwater and local fountains throughout the city’s streets and squares.

Borgofresco!

BIOCLIMATIC

2025 - ongoing / Research - project / XXX, Italy

BorgoFresh explores how festivals and temporary events in inner areas can become sites for experimenting with climate adaptation and shared environmental comfort. Developed in Val di Fiastra through a co-design process with Borgofuturo and the local network Errante, the project combines the monitoring of environmental conditions and event impacts with the testing of modular, low-tech, and transportable prototypes for shade, cooling, and small-scale energy generation. In this way, temporary events are reimagined as laboratories for more resilient, inclusive, and climate-responsive public space solutions.

Alfresco

BIOCLIMATIC

2025 / Installation / Rome, Italy

Alfresco is a cooling device designed to "hack" a public drinking fountain (a Nasone) located near Lo Spizio. It consists of a single metal sheet, rolled to create two open sections for inserting drinks and food. ALFRESCO is placed directly under the fountain's stream of cold water. The metal’s high thermal conductivity allows the coolness of the running water to be transferred to the food and beverages inside.

Marciapiede Fresco

BIOCLIMATIC

2023-ongoing / Research-Installation / Rome, Italy

Is an ongoing ecological transition experiment in Rome that aims to transform urban surfaces to improve microclimate and public space quality. Urban heat islands—intensified by dark asphalt, lack of vegetation, and impermeable surfaces—raise temperatures and energy consumption, especially in areas like Ostiense. The project applies “cool materials,” such as reflective white paint, to reduce heat absorption and mitigate these effects. Implemented near a school, it also acts as a tool for environmental awareness and education, combining research, design, and community engagement.

Ostiene Bioclimatica. Strategie per la transizione energetica urbana

BIOCLIMATIC

2022-2023 / Master thesis / Rome, Italy

Ostiense Bioclimatica is a contribution to the European research project PED4ALL, in which the Department of Architecture of Roma Tre University is a partner and which has its own case study in the Ostiense area of Rome. The assumption of PED4ALL is that positive energy districts (PED) can also be implemented in complex, highly heterogeneous urban contexts where conditions of energy poverty also exist. Ostiense Bioclimatica highlights that such a perspective on effective energy transition requires a broad perspective that is not focused solely on energy production from renewable sources, but rather on a more radical process of urban transformation.

Frigidarium Urbano. Infrastrutture effimere e sperimentali per un comfort della convivialità

BIOCLIMATIC

2025 / Scientifc contribution

The way many Mediterranean cities have been planned intensifies the effects of climate change, especially through urban heat islands caused by sealed, mineral surfaces that trap heat. This leads to discomfort, higher energy costs, and growing public health and social inequalities.
In Rome, where public space is dominated by asphalt and cars, summer conditions can become unlivable, particularly for those without access to cooled environments. Drawing on historical models of shared urban comfort, recent design experiments explore temporary installations that create cooling spaces while fostering social interaction, rethinking public space as a more accessible and climate-responsive environment.

Microclimatic Snapshots

BIOCLIMATIC

2025 / Scientifc contribution

Urban heat islands are a visible effect of the relationship between urban form and climate change, emerging especially in public spaces. Streets, sidewalks, and squares act as “spatial thermometers,” revealing environmental and social vulnerabilities. While mitigation strategies often apply standardized solutions, they struggle to address the speed of climate change and local specificities. Through experimental, low-tech installations in Rome, this research explores microclimatic, context-based design approaches that rethink everyday urban practices.