Imparare dagli spazi

Since our birth we spend all our life learning through the daily experience and this long life learning continuously modify the way we value reality. Architectural spaces can strongly affect our personal and social behavior and it is our responsibility as architects to remem- ber that our choices do not affect reality only on a figurative level but to a much deeper one causing significant social modification. On the other hand comfort conditions are not only related to physical parameters because the acceptance of a set of conditions (both ther- mal, lighting and acoustic) strongly depends on the value we assign to the situation and space in which we live and perform activities. An additional element to consider is that historically the control of comfort in the Mediterranean regions was not only obtained using appropriate technological solutions (e.g. insulation, thermal mass, jealousy), but mainly through the use of multiple spaces that acted as climatic mitigators like: porches, patios, gallerias and similar. In these spaces it is possible to experience different environmental conditions and through them we can adapt the climate both inside the private sheltered spaces as well as producing pleasant protected public or semi–public spaces where it is possible to socialize and to spend a lot of time. There are invisible qualities that define the deepest value of architecture and these qualities should become the main objective of our design proposal. Architecture can be a good teacher for people if we are open to consider limit and potentialities of the discipline, but it can easily become a bad master if we underestimate the its potential effect on user’s behavior.