Relevance ad reinterpretation. Inflection as a relational strategy in Architecture

The investigation commences with the premise that the city is simultaneously a witness to its own history and a layered fabric composed of the physical structures and spaces that shape it, along with the people who inhabit it. In these terms, the city, conceptualized as a structure where relationships are interwoven, poses the discipline with the question of their configuration. The issue of formal relations in architecture, and the way in which these relations are not only interpreted but also represented, emerges as a significant aspect in the current condition, compelling the discipline to reflect upon it. Furthermore, if space—following Merleau-Ponty's assertion—is not merely the sphere where things are arranged but the means by which the positioning of things becomes possible, it is necessary to consider the structures and modalities underlying its configuration. This involves contemplating the strategies of adaptation and rootedness that enable the development of "the universal power of its connections" (Merleau-Ponty, 1999)—that is, the relationships between parts within architectural units and between objects within natural spaces—recognizing how the ability to activate these associations defines the spatial structure of the object. The questions raised by the research find common ground in the understanding that for the ontological aspect of architecture to exist in direct relationship with its context, especially in contemporary conditions, it becomes necessary to devise strategies that enable architecture to respond to increasingly complex conditions. The paper aims to link the concept of relevance, which may be associated with a research project for various reasons as discussed during the conference, to the study of the concept of inflection in architecture. The purpose is twofold: firstly, to demonstrate how the concept of relevance in this work can be associated with the interpretation provided of the concept; and secondly, to illustrate through the examination of a case study how the concept of inflection allows for a reinterpretation, in a new light, of certain architectural structures. As this constitutes a research paper, the aim is also to furnish a broad outline of the research's structure. Hence, the article is organized to closely reflect the same structure employed in the study.