THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE
I consider the theory of architecture to be as important as an architect’s designing skills.
I greatly enjoyed reading and learning from John Ruskin during my university years, and my principal paper for one of my Master’s exams (a two-parts exam, ‘History and historiography of Architecture’), was a translation work of The Seven Lamps of Architecture by Ruskin. It didn’t feel as studying as I couldn’t wait to work on it.
It’s for this reason that my interest was spurred to dive again in this subject (architectural theory) in a more consistent way than just the occasional reading, although for an unhappy incident, the passing of Vittorio Gregotti one month ago today (15 March 2020).
Architect, urbanist, and architectural theorist, he was tightly connected to other Italian architects (e.g.: Aldo Rossi, Giorgio Grassi), as well as European architects (e.g.: Le Corbusier), who influenced Italian and European architecture.
The multifaceted architectural persona of Gregotti - as academic, theorist, and urban planner - is a development of personal skills, dedication, a culturally rich environment, and a different historic time.
Gregotti believed in the strong sense of the ‘local’ for his projects, as local geography and culture were fundamental aspects to keep in consideration in the design process. This would make the building fit only in its specific place, not to be reproduced or copied, so to speak. The design is ‘ad hoc’.
This might sound cliché but the concept of ‘uniqueness’ and its realization is less common than we think, as commercial aspects of a development take over custom made variations and original construction.
The ties to the local life, geography, and culture make the city planning principles fundamental to Gregotti’s approach. The city planning inevitably ties to urban studies in the borader meaning, including its social and economic aspects to human life. We can find here some links to Jane Jacobs theories and studies for example, as well as other architects’ work such as of Aldo Rossi.
Such focus on the project’s context is explicitly stated by Gregotti in his La città visibile (Turin, 1991):
[…] the most meaningful transformation coming from the positive criticism of modernity in architecture has been the acknowledgement of the importance of keeping in consideration the context - historical and geographical - as well as meaningful specific elements of the site. The modern architectural project therefore becomes conscious of its own nature, a dialogue between the existing state and the modification that the project will bring to it.
The last sentence is very strong also because it puts the responsibility of any implications on the architectural result, therefore the architect. The architect has a big responsibility and duty to connect to the local culture, geography, and people.