The concept of invariant corresponds to an analytic tool for the control of the variations of complex systems and/or of their components. In architecture, the use of invariants represents therefore a method both for the investigation of the built environment and for the designing phases. The characteristics of different inflections of invariant, such as standard, pattern, typology and classification, are analyzed in order to point out the critical issues of this method and its limits of applicability in the contemporary generic cities. This approach, mostly applied in the Structuralist criticism, constitutes a progressive process of abstraction based on the definition of constants: spreading from the assumption of codes by the different subjects of the building process (such as in the case of standards and classifications) to the shared systems of spatial solutions (whose recurrence should guarantee the resulting quality, such as in the case of typology and patterns). The use of invariants turns out to be a model of interpretation of the built reality where every different inflection acquires its meaning only if it is limited within a specific geographical and temporary (i.e. cultural) context. Therefore the reliability of the approach, specially for the residual character of the contemporary city, is bonded to the definition of such a limit.
Inflections of Architectonic Invariant / Declinazioni di Invariante Architettonica
ARBIZZANI, Enrico
2011
Abstract
The concept of invariant corresponds to an analytic tool for the control of the variations of complex systems and/or of their components. In architecture, the use of invariants represents therefore a method both for the investigation of the built environment and for the designing phases. The characteristics of different inflections of invariant, such as standard, pattern, typology and classification, are analyzed in order to point out the critical issues of this method and its limits of applicability in the contemporary generic cities. This approach, mostly applied in the Structuralist criticism, constitutes a progressive process of abstraction based on the definition of constants: spreading from the assumption of codes by the different subjects of the building process (such as in the case of standards and classifications) to the shared systems of spatial solutions (whose recurrence should guarantee the resulting quality, such as in the case of typology and patterns). The use of invariants turns out to be a model of interpretation of the built reality where every different inflection acquires its meaning only if it is limited within a specific geographical and temporary (i.e. cultural) context. Therefore the reliability of the approach, specially for the residual character of the contemporary city, is bonded to the definition of such a limit.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
