Design Driven Research

The European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) advocates stronger links between theoretical and practice-based research and, therefore, between academia and the profession for the establishment of an expanded arena of architectural research1. In the anthropomorphic framework in which we are placed, there is no doubt that the architectural theme influences us, particularly in the way that surrounds us in everything we see and experience, from the spatial scale to the object scale. Starting from this assumption, it is evident the responsibility of the architect. Therefore, who “produces” what surrounds us, and even more, who is devoted to the academy, to research, to describe and study the quality of form, to provide the practitioner guideline and authoritative criteria to ensure the quality of the built environment. Unfortunately, looking at the built panorama, it is not always a given that architectural practice is inspired by the quality of design theorized by progress from research. Nevertheless, it is difficult when it comes to technological and sustainable development and almost impossible when it comes to quality of form and design. This is even more evident when we look at the different scales of design: a skyscraper in a metropolis will have a much greater chance of meeting the criteria of technological innovation and sustainability and expressing formal research in its composition than a more traditional building type in a smaller city, even more so in the suburbs or inner abandoned areas. This is generally because important buildings such as skyscrapers have visibility and condense considerable economic and political interests as opposed to smaller architectural heritage. In the Italian scenario, due to a neglected sensitivity to architectural research and innovation, most of the built panorama, even what could prove to be incubators of interest, need help attracting attention and finding a relevant role in academic research. The opportunity to do applied research thanks to NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) funds by involving partners outside the academy (administrations, third-sector entities, associations) opens the possibility of focusing attention even on the disconnected and fragmented heritage on which we hardly dwell. This possibility has the quality of making research action more democratic and original. For this reason, I decided to decline as a simple programmatic manifesto these short pages to understand how it is possible to conduct academic research focusing on the minor heritage by letting architectural drawings that are significant, in my opinion in this sense create the red thread among the writings. As a visual expression of this manifesto, the houses in Piazzetta Fontana in Ravecchia by studio Canevascini Corecco are an inspiring example of producing quality architecture in the setting of minor architectural heritage.