Alla finestra. Il ruolo delle bucature nelle riflessioni sull'abitare ai tempi della quarantena

The reflection that we want to propose in the essay returns to the theme of living, a subject on longly debated, addressing the many aspects that characterize its richness and complexity. But if we think back to the words of Mies van der Rohe, when he said that «every art of building is linked to its time» then we can only go back to interrogate ourselves, in this very particular moment that we are living. The virus that forces us home, it is actually taking us elsewhere. Even if we still don’t know where but surely somewhere: this is a passage. The house suddenly regains the idea of the den in the imagination, the place of protection. It always has been like that, but now we all have, perhaps, a greater awareness of it. Certainly the role played by the walls, which keep us away from the enemy who is outside, bring us back to reflect on the importance of the limit. On the one hand, it defines the measure of the internal space we live in, draws the contours of our possible world through «the art of spatial delimitation» where there is no fear and where we can carry out all those activities that still make us feel part of a society that works and produces. That goes on. On the other hand, right where this limit disappears and becomes immaterial, that is, in the holing, the miracle that holds us together takes place. Carlo Scarpa, in a lecture held on the occasion of the inauguration of the academic year at the University of Venice, said: «It is the openings, openings and transitions that create spatial relationships». The window, today, is the architectural device that par excellence allows us to communicate with the world and, following this idea, the theme of the passage between inside and outside takes on a renewed value. Not only it let the air to enter in our rooms, but it allows the light to color our interiors and to play with the shadows, to remind us of the warmth of the sun. The window now also represents the place of connection, of social relations, of fellowship. A space between, where inside and outside coincide but in which we feel protected, strengthened by the closeness to our intimacy, to which we can immediately return. An area to live in, now more than ever. But how?