Concept

In Architecture, "Concept" refers to the germinal idea from which the project arises. Etymologically it derives from the past participle of the Latin verb concipere. Its evolution from Latin to English does not only represent the moment of conception of the idea, but also the tool with which to shape the project over time. This research want to demonstrate that there have been defined approaches, sometimes to the point of being schematized, of architectural invention. In the last three decades this word has been so overused that it is often meaningless. At the same time it is impossible to identify all the possible design approaches.

However, it is possible to analyze the relevant texts and documents that try to structure a defined design approach. Among the authors of these texts we find architects such as Herzog & De Meuron and Koolhaas, and theorists such as Aaron Betsky and Jacques Lucan. Until the mid-twentieth century, the Beaux Art school had developed the "Partii". From the post-war period onwards, there was a rapid succession of keywords: "cluster", "typology" and "diagram" are just some of these. The rapid succession of "concepts" leads to the oblivion of the term previously in vogue. The purpose of this research is to identify in the history and theory of architecture, all those terms that before the word "concept" have played a primary role in the production and theorization of architectural design. Concepts and Projects is a research that I have been carrying out since 2013 which has currently resulted in a publication, Tents of Stone, at the International Symposium on Conceptual Design Of Structures and in some lessons. For more information and texts about the concepts, do not hesitate to write to me.