Architettura, narrazione e l'arte di vivere

This paper draws from the idea of philosophy as a “life art” - as discussed by philosopher Alexander Nehamas in his book The Art of Living - in order to highlight a hidden connection between architecture, as a creative practice, and the narration of the self.Can the criteria for a great architecture be reduced to standards and values that are deemed ‘universal’? Or should concepts such as “originality”, “authenticity”, and “uniqueness” be regarded context-dependent and determined retrospectively, only relevant within the narration of a unique personal creative course?Through a short, imaginary story - which is based on actual historical events - I will argue that the value and impact of every architectural creation cannot always be inherently defined but are usually directly related to what is called “the care of the self”. What I intend my story to tell is that no ‘recipe’ for great architecture exists for someone to follow, precisely because every exemplary architectural creation is always constructed on the scaffolding of an exemplary life. Exemplary not in a moral sense, but in the aesthetic sense of a narration related to the art of living.Likewise, if every influential architectural work is based on a personal biography then the creative potential of architecture cannot but be intertwined with the question of a narration of the self that is focused on the self-construction of the architect as a person.At the same time narration is often used as a means to transcend the objective foundations and limits of architectural creation and in order to further establish a social distinction; a distinction (in Bourdieuan terms) between the architects and the Architect. From Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn to Rem Koolhaas and Bjarke Ingels the various efforts to narrate a unique biography are nothing but rhetorical techniques used in the framework of a persuasion strategy. The moral of all these narratives is that the person actually matters more than the project. In other words, architecture’s value, impact and command are related to the creation of the architect as a person as much as - if not more than - architectural creation itself.Questo articolo trae spunto dall'idea della filosofia come "arte di vivere" - sostenuta dal filosofo Alexander Nehamas nel suo libro The Art of Living – con lo scopo di evidenziare una connessione nascosta tra l'architettura come pratica creativa e la narrazione del sé .Le caratteristiche di una grande architettura possono essere ricondotte a standard e valori "universali"? O invece concetti come "originalità", "autenticità" e "unicità" devono essere considerati come legati a un contesto e determinati a posteriori, rilevanti solo in relazione al racconto di un percorso creativo personale?Attraverso una breve storia immaginaria - basata su eventi storici reali - sosterrò che il valore e l'impatto di una creazione architettonica non possono essere sempre definiti intrinsecamente, ma di solito sono direttamente correlati a ciò che viene chiamato "la costruzione del sé". Ciò che intendo dire nella mia storia è che non esiste nessuna "formula" da seguire per la grande architettura, proprio perché ogni creazione architettonica esemplare è sempre costruita sull'impalcatura di una vita esemplare. Esemplare non in senso morale, ma nel senso estetico di una narrazione legata all'arte del vivere.Allo stesso modo, se ogni influente opera architettonica si basa su una biografia personale, allora il potenziale creativo dell'architettura non può che essere intrecciato con la questione di una narrazione del sé incentrata sull'auto-costruzione dell'architetto come persona.Allo stesso tempo, la narrazione è spesso usata come mezzo per trascendere le basi e i limiti oggettivi della creazione architettonica e stabilire una distinzione sociale; una distinzione (nell’accezione di Bourdieu) tra gli architetti e l'Architetto. Da Le Corbusier e Louis Kahn a Rem Koolhaas e Bjarke Ingels i diversi sforzi per narrare una biografia singolare non sono altro che tecniche retoriche usate nel quadro di una strategia di persuasione. La morale di tutte queste narrative è che la persona conta davvero più del progetto. In altre parole, il valore, l'impatto e l’autorevolezza dell'architettura sono legati alla creazione dell'architetto come persona tanto quanto - se non più - della stessa creazione architettonica

Middle-class Housing as a Cross-cultural and Multi-disciplinary Project: Rethinking Critical, Interpretative and Methodological Frameworks

The history of the modernization processes of post-WWII European cities could be observed through the lens of the emerging middle classes between the 1950s and the 1970s when housing significantly contributed to establishing and defining new social identities. Middle classes were the main protagonists of the rapid urban development and massive expansion that profoundly influenced the production of new estates, neighborhoods, and urban sectors, leaving relevant traces on the contemporary built environment of the European cities. In a sense, Europe, in its various civic configurations and cultural representations, became the symbol of progress and prosperity for the middle classes, an international formation restored and restructured by the middle classes which was meant to serve and protect according to a new post-war social contract

Middle-Class Mass Housing in Germany

The article presents a study on the conceptual and contextual framework of the middle class mass housing (MCMH) neighbourhoods in Germany, contributing to the cross-geographical debate at a broader European level. It complements the case studies presented in this publication, providing a wider framework for their better understanding. The aim of the study is twofold: (1) to contribute to a broader awareness of the specificities of MCMH in Germany, compiling historical description that details background on its emergence and changes to MCMH over time, in particular in the second half of the 20th century; and (2) to provide basic information about the typologies and characteristics thereof, and to give an insight into the specific problems inherent to the conservation and renewal of the MCMH in Germany

An Identity Crisis of Architectural Critique

Over the last three years Greece has been facing one of its worst crises since the 1950s, a crisis which most understand to be a financial one. The word crisis (from the Greek κρίσις) has a double meaning in the Greek language. Its first meaning indicates a radical — usually negative — change in the sum of conditions or flow of events, while its second refers to an opinion, a theory, a personal judgment or point of view towards a specific subject. I will argue that the current crisis is not just financial, but deeply cultural. An examination of the history of architectural discourse in Greece will help us better understand the cultural identity of the recent crisis by illuminating its core: the ambivalent relationship between Greece and Europe, from the establishment of the Greek state until today

Docomomo Journal special issue "Middle Class Mass Housing"

This special issue of the Docomomo Journal is dedicated to the investigation and comparison of Middle-Class Mass Housing in Europe since the 1950s. MCMH has been generally underestimated in urban and architectural studies, and there is still a lack of comparative analysis and global perspectives. This special issue is linked to the EU-COST-Action on the same topic (https://mcmh.eu) that aims to develop new scientific approaches by discussing, testing and assessing diverse case studies, their social and cultural context, interventions and public policies. Most housing research still focuses on social and affordable housing and , while the definition and identification of MCMH are still under construction, it is evident that MCMH has different forms of urban and architectural representation and various governance models. The editors like to invite contributions from Europe and from other parts of the world that document, discuss and compare typologies (cases) of this modern heritage as a key resource for a sustainable urban and social development. Articles should display concepts and actions at social, cultural and political levels that will contribute to the formulation of new planning and intervention strategies (policies) for existing MCMH

Le double voyage : Paris-Athènes (1919‐1939)

« Paris m’a ouvert les yeux » écrit le sculpteur grec Apartis, élève de Bourdelle, arrivé dans la capitale française en 1919. « C’est l’Acropole qui a fait de moi un révolté », déclare pour sa part Le Corbusier en 1933. Nous saisissons là l’essence même du « double voyage » : durant l’entre-deux-guerres, intellectuels et artistes traversent la Méditerranée orientale dans les deux sens, d’Athènes à Paris et de Paris à Athènes, chacun puisant dans ce va-et-vient fécond ce qui lui manque : les Grecs viennent se former à Paris et se frotter aux grands courants artistiques du moment, les Français partent en Grèce à la recherche d’une Antiquité renouvelée et découvrent un pays qu’ils ne soupçonnaient pas. Le poète Séféris, le romancier Théotokas, l’architecte Pikionis, le compositeur et chef d’orchestre Mitropoulos, tous sont passés par Paris, où deux Grecs, Christian Zervos et Tériade, jouaient un rôle déterminant au sein des avant-gardes artistiques. Dans l’autre sens, des personnalités aussi diverses que les architectes Ernest Hébrard et Le Corbusier, le photographe Eli Lotar, le sculpteur Ossip Zadkine, ou encore l’écrivain Raymond Queneau, ont trouvé en Grèce les éléments d’une autre modernité, tandis que Roland Barthes, venu en 1937 jouer Les Perses d’Eschyle avec les étudiants de la Sorbonne, éprouve à Athènes un trouble dont, comme Freud, il se souviendra quarante plus tard. Le double voyage est issu d’un programme franco-grec de recherche pluridisciplinaire qui exploite de nombreuses sources documentaires inédites ; il offre un aperçu de la richesse et de la variété des échanges littéraires et artistiques entre les deux pays durant l’entre-deux-guerres et vient combler une lacune dans un domaine de l’histoire culturelle encore très peu exploré. S’adressant aussi bien au chercheur spécialisé, qui y trouvera une bibliographie très complète et des données nouvelles, qu’au lecteur de bonne volonté, qui y découvrira un sujet passionnant, il a pour ambition de devenir un ouvrage de référence pour un public très large, en France comme en Grèce