Paesaggio, Città, Architettura. Cinque domande a Franco Purini e Laura Thermes

Architects Franco Purini and Laura Thermes answer five questions about current issues involving the landscape, the city, and architecture. When an architect designs a building in a historic city centre, he can choose to operate in three diff erent ways: either dialogue with the context, as seen for example in Vittorio Gregotti’s Bicocca in Milan or Giorgio Grassi’s residential building along Köthenerstrasse in Berlin, or seek dissonance with the environment like Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao or remain neutral. According to Franco Purini the state of emergency of Italian landscape will have to be addressed urgently in coming years, and will require signifi cant restoration work. The timing and modes of this work will be determined by the contemporary dynamics. In the relationship between innovation and tradition, innovation should always prevail and tradition should have a suggestive role. According to Laura Thermes the new defi nes the meaning of the ancient and not the opposite. Today architecture, divided into three parts historically (fi rmitas, utilitas, venustas) and communication, must fi nd a unity that will restore its organic nature.