The design of volcanic ground, from disaster to heritage. Architecture and landscape in Macaronesia

The Atlantic Ocean Islands situated west of the S trait of Gibraltar, off the coasts of E urope and North Africa, which have been grouped by the ancient Greek geographers under the name of Macaronesia — fortunate Islands— , they have turned out to be a lucky place for architecture today as well. From the beginning, the human settlement plan here has been based on listening. This condition, on one hand, directs the search for a dynamic balance with the forces of volcanic nature bearing fertility but also destruction; on the other hand, it has helped to absorb and integrate all civilizations gone through these outposts in the exploration of new worlds. The isolation deriving from borderlands condition and the presence of a lush nature whose "luck" comes from the same soil, rough and dynamic, yet threatening, have led to a particular attention towards sympathetic, resilient and adaptive forms of living. The study highlights the peculiar characteristics of a design approach careful to the telluric dimension of architecture and both to the relations with the environment and to local culture roots, through the analysis, largely developed on the field, of some exemplary architecture and landscape architecture works, often linked to the numerous World Heritage sites on the islands