Anti-fragile architecture: under what conditions is an architectural project anti-fragile?

The aim of this paper is to investigate how architecture can bring to the fore other less known properties related to the concept of antifragility. A common opinion in architecture, since Vitruvius, is that antifragility mainly concerns the firmitas, that is the physical solidity of buildings. Later, it became clear that the other two Vitruvian properties, utilitas and venustas, are also essential qualities of antifragility. Together with the first, they allow buildings to have a significant role over time, both from the point of view of their social utility (which is independent from the transitory ‘function’) and of their capacity for representation and cultural identification. For example, the Parthenon, the most famous building in history, was a temple, a basilica, a church, a mosque, a weapon’s depot, a residence, a monument; it has been modified, semi-destroyed, rebuilt, bombed, and then rebuilt anew. Its symbolic and aesthetic values are timeless, its architectural language has spread all over the world, from Palladian residences to the radiator of the world’s most famous luxury cars. In this paper we will delve into the role of antifragility in architecture through the concepts of constructive issues, utility, flexibility and versatility, and durability and beauty.