Joseph Rykwert - Gregotti Associati - 1995

Gregotti Associati
Written by Joseph Rykwert

The volume "Gregotti Associati" (1995), curated by the celebrated architectural historian Joseph Rykwert and published by Rizzoli, is one of the most important critical monographs dedicated to the activity of the Milan-based studio Gregotti Associati, founded in 1974 by Vittorio Gregotti. The book is not a simple catalog, but a true critical and visual balance sheet centered on the fundamental concept of the Gregotti school: architecture as a modification of the context and of urban design.

Structure and Main Contents

The critical essay by Joseph Rykwert: One of the greatest architectural historians analyzes the studio’s philosophy. It highlights how the studio’s collective work (organized almost like a Renaissance workshop) managed to fuse rigorous theory with large-scale constructive practice.

The scale of the project: The book documents how the studio moved seamlessly between opposite scales: from industrial design (handles, objects, editorial graphics) up to large plans of territorial and urban planning.

The key projects analyzed: The text gives wide space to the major works realized up to the mid-1990s, such as universities (including Palermo and Calabria), residential neighborhoods projects and important European cultural centers (such as the famous Belém Cultural Center in Lisbon of 1992).

The visual apparatus: As a volume published by Rizzoli Libri Illustrati, it is characterized by a rich selection of autographic theoretical sketches, technical drawings, isometric plans and author photographs in both black-and-white and color.

The critical value of the work

The central point of the book is to demonstrate how for Vittorio Gregotti a building is never an isolated abstraction. Architecture must enter into a “vibration” with the surrounding environment, using history, geography and territory as materials for construction. The volume documents the collective effort of the studio’s historic partners (such as Pierluigi Cerri, Augusto Cagnardi and others) in translating this philosophy into hundreds of concrete projects around the world.

The volume is presented in overall good condition. Cover with moderate signs of wear along the edge. Softcover still well bound. Inner pages clean, with no underlining, folds or stains. A good collectible/consultation copy.

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