The journal diségno publishes essays on theoretical topics and advanced research outcomes concerning the scientific-disciplinary area of graphic representation, promoting advanced dialogue in the fields of architecture, engineering, design, landscape, cultural heritage, archaeology, and cultural and creative industries. The journal also deals with Drawing in the broadest sense as a cognitive medium of formal structure, as a tool for the analysis, transmission, fruition and dissemination of cultural heritage and existing values, tangible and intangible, with possible interrelationships between the hard sciences and the humanities. Each issue also features the columns: “Editorial” written by the Editorial Director of the journal; “Cover,” an introductory essay on the issue's theme drafted by the issue's editor(s); “Image,” a drawing evoking the issue's theme, accompanied by a short commentary essay written by a scholar belonging to the cultural area of the journal; “Readings/Rereadings,” a critical review of a book that has been relevant to the theme of the issue or is particularly relevant to the history of the cultural area of the journal; “Reviews,” critical reviews of recently published monographs and edited works by scholars belonging to the cultural area of the journal; “Events,” critical reviews of national and international conferences/seminars/workshops held or sponsored by UID; “The UID Library,” a showcase of scholarly publishing reports. Each issue is the result of an open call that is published about eight months before its release: the first issue of the year, coming out in June, is the result of a call published in the previous October; the second issue of the year, coming out in December, is the result of a call published in the previous March. The first issue of the year concerns a specific but sufficiently broad topic, deduced from the areas of the declaratory of SSD ICAR/17 - Drawing, now SSD CEAR-10/A belonging to GSD 08/CEAR-10 - Drawing, declined according to the principles of topicality, innovation and multidisciplinarity. The second issue of the year is mainly devoted to a reflection on the issues of Drawing referring particularly to a specific discipline of Area 08, especially in light of the issues raised by the Reform of Knowledge. In order to ensure a plurality of viewpoints capable of fueling scholarly debate, each issue is edited by one or more scholars identified among researchers from Italy, abroad and other SSDs. The editor(s), as already mentioned, is entrusted with the opening essay (cover). Each topic proposed by the journal is divided into focus/topics designed to better articulate the theme and accommodate the different voices and viewpoints of the authors. Each focus/topic is generally opened by an invited contribution written by a scholar or protagonist of that specific topic. The journal does not charge authors for submitting, carrying out the editorial process and publishing articles.
Copyright (c) 2026 diségno http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Representation of Constructive Forms
The volume La représentation des structures constructives by Adrian Gheorghiu and Virgil Dragomir [Gheorghiu, Dragomir 1968], the former an architect and the latter an engineer, was published in France in 1968 as a translation of a previous Romanian edition (fig. 1) [1]. It is a book that I regard as a working companion and, in a certain sense, a pivotal reference in my own education: for nearly twenty years it has accompanied my research, ever since I first studied it during my doctoral work at Sapienza University of Rome, where it served as an indispensable text for understanding the geometric nature of ruled surfaces. Over the years, I have come to appreciate that this work is not merely a technical manual; it is, rather, a true treatise on the profound relationship between form, structure, and representation, capable of speaking even today to architects, engineers, and scholars concerned with the logic of spatial configuration. [read more]
The first issue of diségno, the biannual journal of the scientific society Unione Italiana per il Disegno, was published in December 2017 and continued with regular periodicity through December 2025, reaching issue no. 17. Overall, this amounts to eight years of scientific activity, during which the patient, competent, and courageous work –initially of Vito Cardone, UID President, founder of the journal and its first Editorial Director, and subsequently of Francesca Fatta, who succeeded Cardone as UID President and served as Editorial Director for two terms– together with that of the Editorial board across its three components (scientific committee, coordination, and staff), led to the online Open Access publication of 16 issues. These were characterized by diverse calls for papers and included nearly 250 articles selected through a double-blind peer review process, in addition to invited contributions. [read more]
This essay focuses on one of the great wonders of the built world –the Pantheon, constructed around 126 AD– and, through drawing, proposes a possible clue as to how its form may have been generated in relation to human perspective. The oculus is interpreted as a lens, connecting the individual viewer to the infinity beyond. Between the circular opening above and the finite point of the observer below, an invisible geometry is formed: the cone. This central cone is understood as the building’s generative DNA, closely aligned with the internal workings of the human eye and the stereographic cones through which we perceive the world. [read more]
Geometric Evolution of Structure in the Gothic Architecture of Guillem Sagrera in Perpignan. Graphic Analysis
Guillem Sagrera is an essential architect during the 15th century in the Crown of Aragon. He is known for his participation in the construction of Mallorca Cathedral, first as an apprentice in the Portico del Mirador, from 1397 and later as a teacher. He was also commissioned to build the Lonja (Maritime Exchange) in Mallorca, begun in 1426. In this period his residence in Perpignan is documented, at least from 1410, but there are certain unknowns about the works in which he may have participated in Roussillon during this period, such as his part in the Lonja del Mar, in Perpignan or the chronology in the works of the chapterhouse of Saint John the Baptist. This period influenced and modified the way of conceiving the geometric layout of the structure in his buildings. This study aims to determine two aspects: 1. Through the parallelisms in his sculpture, to determine the works that he was able to carry out in this period in Roussillon. 2. Once his participation in the Chapterhouse of Saint John the Baptist was confirmed, to carry out a deep graphic analysis, modelling the architectural space, in which the structural and geometric experimentation is confirmed, observing how there was a change from the southern Gothic layout, eliminating capitals and corbels, to a freer layout with a mastery of the geometric layout, going beyond the canons and how this would be reflected in two of his later works, the Lonja de los Mercaderes in Palma and the Sala dei Baroni, in Castell Nuovo in Naples.
Giotto and the Construction of Space. The Stories of Saint Francis in the Upper Basilica of Assisi
Interest in the pictorial representation of architectural space has deep roots in classical and Roman antiquity and has developed as a form of decoration or as an integration of built architecture with virtual special constructions, continuing into the modern age. In the first half of the fourteenth century, a substantial evolution took place: painted architecture was emancipated from its traditional role as a mere backdrop, typical of the Byzantine tradition, to acquire volumetric and perspectival consistency, capable of actively interacting with the symbolic and narrative construction of the scene. This transformation can largely be attributed to Giotto, who reinterpreted the Roman figurative heritage in an original way, drawing from a vast repertoire of classical sources and integrating his pictorial compositions with architectural models of contemporary buildings. The cycle of the Stories of Saint Francis, attributed to Giotto and his workshop and executed between the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries in the Upper Basilica of Assisi, represents the first fully realized example of this new approach. This study constitutes an initial reflection within a broader research project based on a high-accuracy digital survey of the decorated interior surfaces of the basilica. The pictorial cycle is thus examined not only as an ordering principle of real space but also as an opportunity to explore drawing as a tool for knowledge, analysis, and mediation between architectural conception and figurative narration.
Sketching Structural Lightness: Frei Otto and the Treehouses (1959-1987)
Frei Otto’s treehouse projects offer his vision through their detailed drawings and unbuilt architecture’s structure hybrids. These works echo the ecological and anatomical analogies proposed by Philip Steadman, underscoring the deep connection between the built environment and natural systems. The concept of the ‘treehouse’ or Baumhäuser, and its intrinsic relationship with architecture and nature, was a consistent theme in Otto’s work from 1959 to 1989. The treehouse is a timeless architectural idea, found across cultures and centuries from Papua New Guinea to modern designs by Baumraum studio. These structures blend structural design, nature, and spatial adaptability. The objective of this research focus in Otto’s ‘treehouse’ concept through four key case studies from New York to Berlin. It begins by examining interviews, drawings and literature on his philosophy, tracing the concept’s evolution from early unbuilt proposals to the Ökohaus in Tiergarten. This project, the most comprehensive built expression of these principles, was studied via fieldwork and drawing analysis to understand its materialization. Otto’s earlier works –including watercolours, sketches, and experimental models–demonstrate his interest in architecture rooted in the genius loci and a holistic ecological vision. His treehouse projects exemplify a synthesis of form, construction, and environmental awareness, an approach that remains pertinent to contemporary architectural discourse.
Beyond the Limits of the Constrained View: Interactive Digital Spaces for the Perspective Quadrature of the Royal Palace of Portici
Between the 17th and the 18th century, quadraturism established itself as a technical and conceptual device capable of altering the perception of the architectural space: by means of linear and aerial perspective –sometimes rigorous, at other times departing from geometrical principles to create deliberate artifices– the quadratura creates the illusion of a depth that dematerializes the wall surface, expanding the space behind its physical boundaries. This results in alternatives and fictional spaces of unlimited depth, interacting with the real structure, enriching its spatiality to the point that it becomes impossible for it to maintain an independent and autonomous identity. Thus, a tension is established between what is real and what is represented through the use –for illusory purposes– of perspective drawing: this tension is what makes the Sala delle Guardie of the Royal Palace of Portici (Naples) an emblematic case of ‘revealed structure’ through drawing, the latter intended as an act of knowledge, interpretation and organization of visible space. By means of digital photogrammetric survey and perspective restitution of painted architectures, research intended to critically reinterpret the rules and derogations adopted by the artist-scenographer in designing his ‘augmented’ space in terms of spatial perception, offering a three-dimensional reconstruction of the painted architectures in order to allow their exploration from unrestricted viewpoints through Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality.
The Revealed Structure. Drawing between Construction and Form
The coherence of built architecture often depends on a latent structural design whose essential role can govern architectural outcomes even when not overtly visible. Structural logic is either integrated into the building as a whole or concealed behind finished surfaces. However, this concealed structure often defines space and regulates formal relationships. Instead of viewing structure and form as opposites or as directly corresponding, it is more accurate to understand them as mutually influential, their relationship shaped by specific design choices. Every construction act creates an order, and every form manifests through its underlying structure, highlighting an ongoing interplay between these elements. [read more]
Idea, Form, and Structure: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Archeseum
The design of the Guggenheim Museum had a long and troubled history. The building was strongly opposed by supporters of the International Style due to its revolutionary and innovative nature [1], but Frank Lloyd Wright strenuously defended his idea, presenting it to public opinion as the only example of Organic Architecture [2] in New York [Dal Co 2004, p. 27]. The initial planning constraints were roughly the following: having to build no further than Midtown, the building would have belonged to the rigorous New York Hippodamian grid, so, in spite of himself, Wright was forced to fall back on the idea of a compact and vertical museum. [read more]
Revealing the Structures and Forms of Propaganda. Patterns and Symbols in the Colonial Architectures of the Mostra d’Oltremare
In architecture, the relationship between form and structure often constitutes a central interpretative node for understanding the meaning of a work. In particular, in Italian Rationalist architecture produced between the two World Wars, this relationship assumes an ideological value of complementarity: form becomes a symbolic expression of power and tradition, supported by a structure –sometimes displayed, sometimes hidden– that acts as a cultural medium in shaping the spaces of propaganda. This interdependent relationship is evident in the narrative-ideological trajectories of exhibition complexes. A prominent example is the Mostra d’Oltremare complex in Naples, with particular attention to the pavilions of the Geographic Sector –most of which have been lost– where the interaction between structure and form creates a rhetorical device aimed at sustaining an image of order and power. This image refers to the rich repertoire of overseas imitation models and classical references, often not immediately recognizable and interpretable only through a careful reading of the underlying formal codes. From this perspective, design assumes a hermeneutic function, aimed at rendering intelligible the original configurative matrices. These are reconstructed through a process of surveying and analyzing historiographical sources and translated into a digital model capable of revealing and reflecting on the relationship between form, constructive logic, spatial organization, and symbolic-functional matrices.
The Palatine Chapel Revealed: Methods and Tools for the Geometric Interpretation of Aachen Cathedral
This study presents an integrated workflow combining digital surveying and 3D modeling for the geometric analysis of architec- tural surfaces, with application to the vaulted system of the Palatine Chapel, the Carolingian nucleus of Aachen Cathedral. Since 2022, a collaborative research initiative has conducted an extensive 3D survey of the entire complex. Based on these data, the investigation addressed the morphology of the vaulted structures, focusing on their geometric genesis. The chapel is organized around a central octagon with three levels, surrounded by two ambulatories that mediate the transition to a sixteen-sided perimeter. The lower ambulatory, covered by groin vaults alternating quadrangular and triangular bays, produces a highly permeable space. The upper ambulatory is more articulated, defined by semicircular arches that structure spatial rhythm in plan and elevation, with radial chapels and triangular transitional units. The analysis distinguished the geometric principles of triangular and quadrangular vaults by comparing ideal mathematical models with point cloud data. The proposed workflow proved effective in linking constructive knowledge with morphological analysis, clarifying the relation between design intent and built form. The results provide new evidence on medieval construction processes, reference models, and the technical expertise required to achieve complex vaulted systems.
Fit Structures. The Representation of Bridge and Viaduct Design in the Work of Silvano Zorzi
This paper presents the results of an investigation into the use of graphic representation in the design of bridges and viaducts within the work of Silvano Zorzi, a central figure of the twentieth-century Italian School of Structural Engineering. The study was carried out within the framework of the SIXXI research project – XX Century Structural Engineering: the Italian Contribution (ERC Advanced Grant, PIs: Sergio Poretti, Tullia Iori). Its aim is to highlight the role of drawing as a means of making visible the internal logic of the designed structure and, in particular, the coherence between form, structural behaviour, and construction process. The analysis is based not only on the available literature but, above all, on documentation preserved in the Zorzi Archive at the Politecnico di Milano and in numerous other archives belonging to clients and construction firms. Through these materials, the essay investigates how Zorzi, as a structural designer, employed representation –from the preliminary sketch to the executive detail– not only as a critical tool for control, used to describe and validate technical solutions, but also as a means of expressing the logic, at once rational and aesthetic, that governs structural form.
Dimensioning and Geometric Patterns in Hadrianic Architecture: the Case of the Temple of Venus at Baiae
The so-called Temple of Venus at Baiae (2nd century A.D.) is one of the most extensive and complex surviving Hadrianic composite vaulted architecture. Although traditionally identified as a temple, the building was in fact part of the Baian thermal complex. Its spatial configuration reflects the experimental character typical of Hadrianic design. This study, based on an integrated survey, investigates the geometrical logic underlying its plan and elevation. The analyses focus on whether the composition was governed by a modular grid in plan and elevation, with diameters set as multiples of seven and articulated through the ad quadratum scheme. Reverse modelling protocols and best-fitting algorithms were applied to the polygonal model of the rotunda to test these hypotheses. The results confirm a design diameter of 91 pedes, with a modular subdivision of 13 pedes, consistent with other Hadrianic domes. In elevation, the vault appears as composite “umbrella” dome made up of alternating cylindrical segments and trikentron surfaces, creating a coherent vaulted system. The unusually slender proportions (1:8.86 diameter-to-thickness ratio) highlight the structural audacity of the monument. The research demonstrates how Hadrianic architecture employed flexible geometric tools, –multiples of seven, ad quadratum, and modular grids– not only for design efficiency but also to generate innovative spatial solutions. These findings contribute to the broader understanding of Hadrianic experimentation.
The External Structure. For an Aesthetic of Facade
In the urban landscape that had seen a strong adherence to languages based on neoclassical eclecticism, as a requirement for civic decorum, during the pre-war reconstruction phase, Messin’s residential architecture, between the 1950s and 1960s, participated in the national and international debate, assimilating the linguistic codes of the Modern Movement and the International Style. The new multi-story collective buildings, located in vacant blocks or completing undeveloped areas, brought references to a modern home in both their language and their amenities. The aspiration toward international modernity also became a social connotation. It was primarily engineers, designers, and builders who undertook syntactic reinterpretations in which the language of the façade developed new and bold solutions, in line with technical experimentation. The openness to new modern and rationalist tendencies nevertheless allowed for the ability to unify the architectural composition starting from structural data. The facades are arranged within the urban block, sometimes as separate parts, in terms of height, colour, and materials, other times perfectly inserted into the regularity and scale of the rigid urban grid.
Research and applications of graphic representation largely concern the ‘design’ of form. Form is, in fact, the powerful reference, the attractor toward which the processes of knowledge acquisition and design generation tend to converge. Research and applications on the structure instead, which nevertheless supports the form, is sometimes less evident, either because it is somehow taken for granted and considered less relevant than the corresponding formal outcomes, or because it remains hidden behind a certain intellectual secrecy, not always naive. The topic of codes, methods, and tools adopted in the work on the structure, therefore offers an interesting frame for further explorations. But which structure? [read more]
Visible Logic: Algorithmic Drawing and the Construction of Form
The paper explores algorithmic drawing as both a critical and operational tool, highlighting its capacity to transform representation into a constructive process. Drawing has always possessed a generative nature: it does not merely depict an idea but establishes its validity by gradually constructing the spatial field of form. The digital transcription of algorithmic logics amplifies this dimension, translating the graphic gesture into sequences of rules, constraints, and parameters that render the entire design chain, from conception to realization, transparent. Indirect modeling, in particular, allows form to be conceived as a relational field, where dependencies among elements define coherent behaviors under transformation. The chain of models (conceptual, exploratory, continuous, procedural, fabrication, and physical) produces not only representations but genuine constructive programs capable of integrating geometric constraints, production requirements, and performance objectives. The case studies demonstrate how algorithmic drawing enables the management of complex forms, their translation into efficient constructive systems, and the preservation of project identity through variations, a visible logic that reaffirms and enhances the constructive nature of drawing.
Fractal Structures. Understanding the Geometries of Nature
The observation of nature has historically guided design disciplines, from the proportional harmony of antiquity to the empirical studies of the Renaissance, which laid the groundwork for the development of biology and bionics. In the 20th century, the formulation of fractal geometry and the emergence of computer science made it possible to describe and simulate complex systems, going beyond formal imitation to investigate the processes of growth, adaptation and self-organisation characteristics of living organisms. Mandelbrot’s research has enabled the quantitative interpretation of morphogenetic phenomena in the natural world, highlighting fractal rules common to both animal and plant systems. The history of architecture is full of examples of the unconscious adoption of self-similar logic, which can now be reinterpreted using algorithmic and parametric modelling tools. This article proposes a reinterpretation of organic models and construction archetypes, such as brick, within a design paradigm based on computational morphogenesis, in which natural principles are transformed into operational protocols capable of combining formal complexity, structural efficiency and construction innovation.
From Graphic Analysis of Equilibrium to Architectural Design. Cèsar Martinell
Graphic statics is a structural calculation method derived from the concept of the thrust line and used by Catalan Modernism. A disciple of Antoni Gaudí, Cèsar Martinell, employed it in the design of 15 wineries between 1918 and 1922, which are now known as cathedrals of wine. One of them, the Pinell de Brai winery, illustrates the transformation of an initially projected structure with wooden trusses into one using masonry arches, which is the object of this study. By analyzing eight of the sketches using a graphic restitution methodology, it is possible to compare the masonry arches to the shapes of the catenary and the parabola, with an ac- curacy of ± 0.077 m for scale 1:100, and ± 0.052 m for scale 1:50. This analysis has made it possible to determine how the design process was developed: from trusses, to structural definition through trial and error using architectural drawing with graphic statics, and finally, the executed project featuring tied arches. In conclusion, none of the 14 drawn arches is strictly parabola or a catenary. The eight arches of the central nave tend toward the catenary shape, while the smaller-span arches of the side naves tend toward the parabola. The four masonry arches in the final project were drawn through point transposition using an auxiliary construction with a hanging chain, where the architectural structure was resolved using graphic methodologies.
The Geometry of the Invisible: Drawing as a Bridge between Chemistry and Design
This paper investigates drawing as the critical epistemological bridge between the invisible laws of chemistry and the material realities of architecture. While chemists rely on graphic representation to render hidden molecular behaviors intelligible –from Bragg’s static lattice sketches to Matsumoto’s dynamic simulations– architects appropriate these same geometric codes to generate spatial form. We argue that drawing functions here as an “operative tool,” translating crystalline logic into three distinct structural typologies: spanning, compression, and inhabitation. The study traces this translation through three specific case studies. First, the truncated icosahedron of fullerenes (C60) provides a universal diagram for spanning, realized in Takaaki Bando’s bamboo artistic pavilions. Second, the self-interlocking, high-pressure lattices of Ice VI offer a speculative blueprint for compression, suggesting dense, vertical load-bearing systems for future infrastructure. Third, the “guest-host” chemistry of clathrate hydrates mirrors the metabolic logic of inhabitation, finding a powerful historical parallel in the permanent-transient structure of Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower. By mapping this trajectory, we demonstrate that drawing is not merely representational but generative: it is the medium through which the invisible performance of molecules is transformed into the habitable logic of the built environment.
Between Structural Theory and Construction Practice: The Role of Drawing in Pier Luigi Nervi’s Ribbed Floor Slabs
Among the many structural solutions that characterize the work of Pier Luigi Nervi (1891-1979), the leading Italian figure in twentieth-century structural engineering, the ribbed floor slabs arranged according to the isostatic lines of bending represent an emblematic outcome of his synthesis of structural logic, constructive efficiency, and expressive quality. In this solution more than in others, drawing plays a decisive role in translating the static principle into built architecture, acting as a critical instrument of selection: through drawing, among the multiple configurations referable to a single guiding principle, those capable of combining constructive correctness with expressive effectiveness are identified. [read more]
Structure and Expression at Gut Garkau: Hugo Häring’s Artisanal Vision
Between 1922 and 1926, Hugo Häring designed and built part of the Gut Garkau agricultural complex, located on the southern shore of Lake Pönitzer See. This work is a clear example of functionalist expressionism with vernacular influences, inspired by ideas of Hans Poelzig and later developed by Bruno Taut and Erich Mendelsohn. Häring claimed that the form of the building should come from its function, without imposing preconceived forms, similar to how a living organism functions. When designing the farm, he analyzed in detail the agricultural culture, including daily tasks, the movement of animals and the distribution of industrial machinery, adapting the architecture to these needs. Its architectural expression responds to functional demands, using materials and structures that dialogued with the natural environment. From his project, the barn, stable and an annex building were built around 1924, while other proposals for the horse stable and pigsty remained on paper. The barn, the most prominent part, features an arched roof in the form of a light vault, with a wooden structure formed by a three-dimensional mesh of diamonds, based on the Zollinger system. The study seeks to show how Häring achieved a clear formal expression that reflects the function for which the building was conceived.
Geometrical Analysis of Vilanova Artigas’s Trapezoidal Columns
Constructive honesty was one of the premises of modern architecture. The best way for architects to make reality perceptible was to leave the structural elements apparent. From 1930 to the 1960s, this discussion took place in Brazil. In this way, one question emerged: What is the symbolism of a structural column in modern architecture? In the present article, we discuss the geometry of columns designed by the architect João Batista Vilanova Artigas (1915-1985) between the ’50s and ’60s. Vilanova Artigas documented his vision of architecture in his texts, which discuss the relationship between architecture, technique, and construction. We identified concepts that guided his design strategies, particularly how structure shapes architecture. Our research used drawing as a powerful tool to reveal geometrical characteristics in the constructed buildings, as well as to contribute to clarifying these concepts. Based on the original technical drawings, we modeled the structure of selected projects to investigate and reveal the constructive system, paying attention to the geometrical characteristics of the columns. The obtained results allowed us to demonstrate the sculptural character of the Vilanova Artigas columns based on the morphological analysis of the trapezoidal geometries. Furthermore, the research results reveal that Vilanova Artigas designed his architectural projects and structural conception as one thing, in an original and innovative way, harmonizing art and technique.
The Shell Structure of the Frontón Recoletos: from Design to Construction
Shell structures, also known as laminar structures, profoundly influenced the design and construction mentality of the leading ex- ponents of Constructive Rationalism in the first half of the 20th century. The structural art of designers like Eduardo Torroja, Pier Luigi Nervi and Félix Candela achieved its maximum aesthetic expression in this fascinating type of construction, which based static resistance on the shape of the structure itself. This construction archetype –mainly influenced by the geometry and relationship of the structural elements– requires an accurate representation –both in the two-dimensional and three-dimensional spheres– of the spatial elements that compose the work. This is accom-panied by the practical aspect of construction, characterised by the use of concrete with the support of articulated ribs and formwork. This article addresses the main aspects of laminar structures, to which Torroja contributed through the creation of some of his most famous works. The most audacious –both from an architectural and geometric-structural point of view– was undoubtedly the Frontón Recoletos and its roof, whose geometric and constructional peculiarities made the building famous worldwide. Much of the credit for the construction of the shell and its skylights is attributed to the engineer himself, who was responsible for the design, structural calculations and actual construction.
Parametric Architecture: the American Visions of Vittorio Giorgini
This paper analyses the American work of Vittorio Giorgini (1926-2010), a Florentine architect who, starting in 1969, found in New York the ideal context for developing visionary and experimental research. The study focuses on the projects Walking Tall (1982-1983) and Hydropolis (1981-1982), emblematic examples of an architectural language that combines geometric rigor, structural experimentation, and strong expressive intensity. In these works, geometry acts as the generative principle governing form, structure and function, anticipating approaches that can today be associated with parametric thinking. Through the analysis of archival drawings and manuscripts, the research identified the elementary geometric units and the aggregation logics underlying the projects, translating them into dynamic digital models through VPL (Visual Programming Language) procedural modelling tools. This method made it possible to validate the consistency of Giorgini’s design grammar, confirming its relevance and translatability into flexible generative systems. The digital reconstruction does not operate as a mere reproduction, but as a testing environment capable of verifying the feasibility of the proposals, transforming utopian vision into operative hypothesis. The paper thus highlights the anticipatory value of Giorgini’s research, a still under-recognized figure who combined geometric experimentation, attention to the urban context, and the aspiration towards alternative models of the city, and who can today be considered among the forerunners of parametric architecture.
Mara Capone (2024). Dal piano alla superficie Strumenti e metodi per costruire forme complesse. Milano: Franco Angeli
The book Dal piano alla superficie. strumenti e metodi per costruire forme complesse by Mara Capone presents itself as an articulated, in-depth work capable of tracing a coherent trajectory that connects the conception, representation, and transformation of geometric forms. [read more]
Matteo Flavio Mancini (2023). Esordio, maturità e consacrazione internazionale di Andrea Pozzo. Prospettiva e architettura nei grandi cicli di Mondovì, Roma e Vienna. Torino: Fondazione 1563 per l'arte e la cultura della Compagnia di San Paolo
The volume by Matteo Flavio Mancini, entitled Esordio, maturità e consacrazione internazionale di Andrea Pozzo. Prospettiva e architettura nei grandi cicli di Mondovì, Roma e Vienna, investigates a pivotal theme within both the history of Baroque Art and Architecture, and the visual culture of the 17th and 18th centuries: the œuvre of Andrea Pozzo, a master of quadratura and a theorist of perspective. [read more]
Francesco Di Paola, Andrea Mercurio (2023). Parametric Experiments in Architecture. A Connection Joint Design for Sustainable Structures in Bamboo. Cham: Springer
The book by Francesco Di Paola and Andrea Mercurio belongs to a line of research linked to building practices between tradition and innovation. The authors offer a multidisciplinary perspective that reconciles the most advanced techniques of three-dimensional representation and simulation with the science of materials, construction techniques, and structural mechanics. [read more]
ICGG2024. The 21st International Conference on Geometry and Graphics Kitakyushu, Japan August 5-9, 2024
Geometry and Graphics understood both as disciplines and fundamental tools of perception, technique and thought, today embrace an increasingly complex set of research areas. In this context, the International Conference on Geometry and Graphics (ICGG) has been a relevant meeting point for the scientific community since 1978, promoting exchange between scholars, professionals and institutions involved in research on the foundations, innovations and applications of Geometry and Graphics. [read more]
Il Disegno Virtuale del Reale. PhD UID Summer School 2025
The UID Summer School 2025, themed Il Disegno Virtuale del Reale, was conceived as a high-level educational and research experience dedicated to exploring the relationships between representation, technology, and critical interpretation of the built heritage, between symbolism and iconography. [read more]
UID2025. èkphrasis. Descriptions in the Space of Representation. 46° International Conference of Representation Disciplines Teachers
From September 11 to 13, 2025, the 46th International Conference of Representation Disciplines Teachers, organized by the Unione Italiana per il Disegno (UID), took place in Rome at Sapienza Università di Roma and Roma Tre University. The event was coordinated in close collaboration by faculty members from the Representation departments of the two universities, as well as from the telematic Università San Raffaele Roma, and was held under the patronage of the Institute for Advanced Studies on Heritage. [read more]
APEGA 2025 Pensamiento Grafico entre Docencia, Representación e investigación
From October 2nd to 4th 2025, the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura y Edificación (ETSAE) of the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT) hosted the Congreso Internacional de Expresión Gráfica Aplicada a la Edificación APEGA 2025 [1]. The biennial event has reached its XVII edition. The conference theme, Pensamiento Grafico/Graphic Thinking, refers to the process that evolves from conceptual synthesis to the representation of reality. [read more]
From July 1st to 4th 2025, the Alghero’s Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning of the University of Sassari hosted a series of scientific events of considerable relevance for the Drawing community. [read more]
Nexus 2025. Relations Between Architecture and Mathematics
The international conference Nexus 2025: Relationships Between Architecture and Mathematics convened from June 3-6, 2025, in the historic city of Andrea Palladio, Vicenza, Italy. [read more]
Some Preparatory Studies for the Imperial Theatre at E42
The Parameters of the Figure: Drawing as a Diagram of Figural Forces
The drawings preserved in the Moretti-Magnifico Archive reveal an approach to architectural design based both on the evocation of mythical buildings and on the calculation of precise functional parameters. The three preparatory sketches for the Imperial Theatre at E42, made by Luigi Moretti in 1937 and published here, are merely rough drafts of a solution later discarded: private notes, rapid and fragmentary, yet revealing of Moretti’s method, which uses drawing as a diagram of forces to record the interweaving of structural, spatial, and perceptual tensions within which the project develops. [read more]