Overview

This editorial offers a thoughtful reflection on the meaning of celebrating an anniversary, questioning the value of a mere recurrence if not accompanied by critical reflection. Citing Adorno, it states that nothing holds value simply because it once did, but to forget history and memory is to deny the existence of knowledge. In the case of the magazine Area, founded in 1990, the milestone of 30 years becomes a living testimony to an era marked by profound changes in the ways we live, design, and communicate. With over 180 issues, Area has spanned two centuries, documenting the architectural debate with consistency and independence from the logic of current trends. Since 1996, when it shifted from a quarterly to a bimonthly publication, the magazine has moved its focus from object design to domestic and inhabitable space, establishing itself as a hybrid product between book and magazine. In doing so, it anticipated the decline of print as a vehicle for news, favouring slower and deeper thematic research. In a landscape dominated by historic titles such as Casabella and Domus, Area has distinguished itself through its aim to guide thought rather than simply document it, drawing inspiration from the tradition of author-directors of the past. As a tool for both personal and collective research, the magazine intertwines architecture, design, visual, and graphic arts to explore contemporary living. Using synecdoche, Area has built its own editorial and cultural identity, evident in its editorials-true intellectual autobiographies. AUTHOR: Marco Casamonti is an architect, full professor of architectural design at the Faculty of Architecture in Genoa, and director of the international architecture magazine Area. In 1988, he founded the studio Archea (with Laura Andreini and Giovanni Polazzi), which in 2001, with the contribution of Silvia Fabi, became Archea Associati. Through this practice, he engages in design and research in architecture and industrial design, serving as art director for some of the leading manufacturers of architectural components. He has been Director of the Doctoral School and is currently a member of the Faculty Board of the same PhD program. Over the years, he has taught at the newly established Faculty of Architecture in Parma, and has been invited as a visiting professor at some of the most important foreign universities: Barcelona, Graz, Mendrisio, Zurich, São Paulo, Beijing, and Vancouver. Alongside his work as a designer and educator, he has also pursued critical reflection and in-depth studies on architecture, publishing essays and writings. In 1993, he began collaborating with the international architecture magazine Area, of which he has been Editor-in-Chief since 1995 to the present day. SELLING POINTS: . Celebrating 30 years of independent architectural insight, Area offers a unique blend of critical thought, in-depth thematic research, and interdisciplinary exploration of contemporary living 18 colour illustrations

Full Product Details

Author:   Marco Casamonti
Publisher:   Forma Edizioni
Imprint:   Forma Edizioni
ISBN:  

9788855211772

ISBN 10:   8855211773
Pages:   376
Publication Date:   24 September 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Continuity in the architectural experience. Thirty years of area Game on! Reflections Modernity and tradition In favor of the public project Back to the (town) plan Betraying the tradition Focus on construction Building onto buildings Architecture and nature Against high-tech Continuity and interference. Architecture as a permanent memory Designing for the city Sections Architecture for teaching / to teach architecture North-south; geographic differences and cultural identity Area 40: the new generation Expressionism end of the century Turning over a new leaf Contamination/ evocations/identity Less is light Modernity and traditional materials The tectonics of decoration Architecture of empty spaces Architecture in movement What we learned from Roberto Gabetti 1925–2000 Architecture after genoa Residential buildings Architecture-archaeology. Argument in favor of a groundless, anti-historical conflict The construction of a wish Contemporary retrospective: Rafael Moneo Architectures for work To demolish is to lose Competition: a necessary but insufficient condition Eisenman, history, Italy The stadium, its permanence and variations Italian hopefuls: 800 mentions in the last five years Venice biennale: nothing but window dressing The great Chinese frenzy: or, how to destroy the culture and identity of a country Highways, railways, dams, viaducts, ports, power lines: the landscape and the great grid The lesson of Arata Isozaki The urban measure Geographical scenarios The architecture of holiness Color as the foundation of the contemporary project A tower is not a skyscraper Gate: or the architecture of interruption Technology makes everything possible, but is everything legitimate? Jean Nouvel’s future The example of Barcelona Transforming existing buildings: to save land, reduce traffic and pollution, make the city a better place to live Monuments or anti-urban icons? Villas Steven Holl architects Moscow, another story Localism versus globalization? The question of size 18 years in 100 issues Paris Extra ordinary. Contract at its best Introverted architecture Artificial landscapes Building simply as simple opposition to building Thank you Glenn Murcutt Mexico City: what it’s like to live in a metropolis with 25 million inhabitants Architecture is art Around food: all the design that centers on food Expo 2010 shanghai “better city, better life” Architecture of the infinite space The beauty of building is not the same as the search for beauty Benedetta’s impetuous dance – an issue on Italian excellences: embt, timeless time, ailati São Paulo: the difference between city and metropolis The beauty of concrete The need for relaxation Nature as tradition Wineries: from parts of buildings to portions The collective dwelling: yesterday, today, tomorrow Going against the current Architecture for industry Sustainable way Eyes which do not see... Liners New geometries Cino Zucchi: from the mit to the polytechnic and back Hamburg, reflections of water and architecture Identity of the landscape: less aesthetic more ethics Colour, or what unites – and reveals – the distance between warmth and odour Re-thinking the informal city Planning along the street Architectural typology vs. Behavioural typology Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas: the power of imagination Exhibiting, displaying, conveying information in the internet age From the Apennines to the Andes The value of the client Grafts, a central issue in the contemporary debate Fundamentals for architecture Chinese identities On moscow: a necessary preface The world is under construction The time of ease and living The façade: role and autonomy of the front Singapore: fifty years of solitude Architecture for all The architecture of places of worship and the search for essential holiness Reflections on the earthquake disaster A part worth the whole Havana: from restauration to renewal Small structures Public nature The landscape of living How to listen to architecture Architecture versus wine Living in a complex system Architecture: the art of stimulating perceptive skills The urban dimension or the extraordinary beauty of the ordinary Past, present and future in Italian architecture Recreational office spaces Architecture as an art of hospitality Italian visions Chicago, the phoenix of america The value of sports facilities in times of emergency After lockdown we will start moving around again... But how? The project between water and land 100 years of tirana The home in the year of the pandemic The house of education Leaning against the mountains The immortality of stone Cultural identity and design Miracle in Milan Every architecture is an interior Art for art’s sake Design/food / food/design Tall buildings or low buildings, that is the question Temporary architecture, freedom architecture The yachting life Industrial reuse Perception and color Architecture beyond genders and generations The place to sell Supernatural Pattern: more than decoration, a precise project strategy Water A new east-ethical dimension Architecture for the art of hospitality Healthcare Regeneration by law Transparency The kitchen as the essence of the home In-out versus in-between The fifth façade Stone and ceramics, the dialogue of materials Campus Concern about the pre-existing environment makes more sense than ever Toward a mindful eclecticism The praise of idleness Monomateriality, synonymous with elegance

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Author Information

Marco Casamonti is an architect, full professor of architectural design at the Faculty of Architecture in Genoa, and director of the international architecture magazine Area. In 1988, he founded the studio Archea (with Laura Andreini and Giovanni Polazzi), which in 2001, with the contribution of Silvia Fabi, became Archea Associati. Through this practice, he engages in design and research in architecture and industrial design, serving as art director for some of the leading manufacturers of architectural components. He has been Director of the Doctoral School and is currently a member of the Faculty Board of the same PhD program. Over the years, he has taught at the newly established Faculty of Architecture in Parma, and has been invited as a visiting professor at some of the most important foreign universities: Barcelona, Graz, Mendrisio, Zurich, São Paulo, Beijing, and Vancouver. Alongside his work as a designer and educator, he has also pursued critical reflection and in-depth studies on architecture, publishing essays and writings. In 1993, he began collaborating with the international architecture magazine Area, of which he has been Editor-in-Chief since 1995 to the present day.

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