Architectural philosophy in Italy: From Bruno Zevi’s didactics to the concept of resilience
DOI: 10.23951/2312-7899-2025-2-159-174
The main theoretical field in which philosophy and architecture meet is the problem of the habitat, which is dominated by the concepts of place identity, space production, and the image of cohesion with the landscape. “Architectural philosophy” is a relatively new interdisciplinary approach that does not consider architecture as part of the philosophy of art, or even the philosophy of technology, but considers architecture itself as a method of cognition of reality. The “formal logic” (rules, positions, consequences and conventions) of the functioning of the metalanguage of architectural forms, aesthetic, figurative and visual approaches are analyzed in this study, taking into account certain temporal characteristics, by the method of topological reflection. The emergence of new conceptual approaches in architecture and urban planning over the past thirty years is explained by special social changes in post-industrial society: a shift in emphasis from visual/iconic to ethical and “sustainable” concepts, including due to new theories of posthumanism and intergenerational responsibility. In this sense, the Italian experience of topological reflection is unique. Originated largely on the phenomenological grounds popular in the Italian architectural discourse of the 1950s and 1960s, this approach persists in current projects of space creation, demonstrating conceptual continuity. The actualization of this approach goes simultaneously with attempts to comprehend the possibilities of multisensory technologies. Sociological concepts of “sensory fields” are also being introduced into practice. In general, we can talk about the emergence of several new trends, yet based on old traditions, which assign architecture, renovation and urbanism a significant, if not the main, role in creating conditions for a territory’s resilience.
Keywords: architectural philosophy, Bruno Zevi, philosophy of architecture in Italy, resilience, organic architecture, sensitive approach, topological reflection
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Issue: 2, 2025
Series of issue: Issue 2
Rubric: ARTICLES
Pages: 159 — 174
Downloads: 635