5 exercises, 1 project, 1 trip
"Building a house has become an adventure. It takes patience, courage enthusiasm. The project of a house is born in different forms. Instantly, sometimes, others painfully slowly. Everything depends on the possibility and the ability to find stimulation - the support of the architect, difficult and decisive. Every house project is almost the same: walls, windows, doors, roof. Â However, it is unique. Each element enters into a relationship with the others and is therefore transformed.
I like to open the first-year Atelier with this short text by Alvaro Siza, from 1982 and included in the magazine 'Costruir'. The Portuguese master's words better than others describe the architect's work, which, despite his experience, is made up of hard work, research but also a lot of passion and enthusiasm. What I am interested in transferring, in addition to what has already been described in the Atelier syllabus, is the awareness that a good project feeds on uncertainty, cultivated through study.
[Cover image: Architecture Biennale, photo by Elena Vigliocco, Venice 2023]