PhD in Architecture. History and Project | Politecnico di Torino
…a meeting with
Alvar Aaltissimo
15 thoughts on “…a meeting with”
Valentina
Alvar Aaltissimo frees architecture from the straitjacket that restricts exploration of ideas, making good humor architecture. Being sarcastic and hyperbolic in his designs and concepts. Is a shameless interpretation of the course architecture is taking. Merging fantasy with technical language, it transmits a simplify complexity in a clever and entertaining way.
The stadium, it’s a fictional design, a joke, and yet so far it has a bit of trueness on how things are being done nowadays. How we implement this check list of elements that makes a good project (technology, nature, mix of uses and shops) without a critical support or conscious purpose.
The field of architecture can be considered serious and rigid. Alver Aaltissimo plays with the rules, satires and good humor. The result is a page that can act not only as a critique of architecture and what we can find in today’s society but also as a way of provoking creativity and reflective thinking about what should be the real concerns when designing. Throughout numerous satires and imaginative designs, Alver Aaltissimo succeeds in reaching, in addition to architects, also the general public.
I already knew the work of Aaltissimo, through his instagram page, but I had never dwelled much on his actual work. Thanks to this meeting I was able to expand my knowledge about the character and his works. I believe that his way of doing architecture is functional to raise a critical thought about what architecture represents, his methodology has a simple and universal language and I believe this method can be used, with excellent results, to bring the general public closer to the architectural debate.
Aalvar Aaltissimo architecture’s lecture was an interesting view of the architecture. With the changing of today’s society’s changing conditions, the typical architecture also change in a sarcastic way in that direction. Especially, San Siro stadium’s planning concept proposals were a hilarious project but at the same time it makes you think if it could be. All of the projects were thought-provoking and funny as a sarcastic reflection of the impact community condition changes on architecture from that perspective.
It is always said that one of the best ways of criticism is using the language of humor and sarcasm. Until this lecture, I have not seen the combination of this language with the rigid and serious field of Architecture. In my opinion, the projects of Alvar Altissimo and the point of view of him is one of the successful examples of this combination.
The lecture by Alvar Aaltissimo gave an alternative (ironic and sarcastic) commentary on architectural practice through visual tools, sometimes supplemented by short text. In the book ‘Case milanesissime’ he chose to use often formal and rigid architectural language in an unusual way – to comment on contemporary housing question, which is a crucial social issue and not strictly architectural. I found this way of visual commentary and criticism quite fresh compared to the ‘status quo’ I previously encountered in my university career.
I believe that the meeting with Alvar Aaltissimo was not accidental. His irreverent vision of architecture, complemented by full-fledged satirical projects, helps to better understand how sometimes this subject can be excessively pretentious towards those who study it and love it. What makes its communication effective is in fact the use of the meme format, which nowadays represents not only viral and humorous content, but also an effective dissemination tool that is based on recognizable behavioral systems that can be transmitted by imitation. During his presentation, any architecture lover may have been influenced by what he wanted to express through his deliberate, but above all designed, ad-hoc provocations on public projects, touching on the ups and downs of a deep relationship between us architects and our passion.
Architecture can be perceived as serious , although we cannot do without architecture in our daily life. there have certainly been architects throughout history who have injected humor and playfulness into their work. Alver Aaltissimo makes people more aware of architecture through whimsical designs
Aaltissimo’s lecture opened my eyes to an entirely different way of thinking; it demonstrated to me that architecture is more than its rigid framework and that it can also be a joke.
I was also shown in this lecture the importance of how our lifestyles affect our environment and the way we affect it. For instance, the Case Milanesissime case study forced me to reflect deeply on this problem which was presented sarcastically to us.
In our popular consciousness, the architectural field, and by extension the figure of the architect, have cultivated an image of rigidity, where uncompromising ideologies and manifestos are espoused and egos are fed. This aura, perpetuated in popular culture, is turned on its head through the ‘work’ of Alvar Aaltissimo. His satire holds a mirror to the face of architecture, highlighting some of the overlooked absurdities of our field, particularly when it comes to practice. His satire exposes the fact that architects take their field and work perhaps too seriously, maybe ascribing to ourselves more power or influence than we really possess. By injecting the current discourse with this notion of playfulness and self-deprecation, we are empowered to look at our profession in a more self-aware, critical manner which I found refreshing. Also, the consistent production of such ‘work’, addressing topics/projects of relevance within the current architectural conversation (the San Siro project) enables such satire to play a role in current architectural discourse.
This class led me to think about the criticism of architecture and about the perception that as a student I am still forming about it. As mentioned in the class corresponding to Alvar Aaltissimo, there is a difference between how architecture is seen by an architect and how it is seen by someone who is not, how the problems that occur in society are expressed and how they can be solved with the development of an architectural project, the relationship of what is done with what is proposed by society and the imaginaries that they are held on the construction of a city reaching repetition. Another aspect that I was able to identify in the class is how the form can change the use of architecture and Change the paradigm of things with imagination.
The lecture is very interesting, it introduces and interprets some of Alvar Aaltissimo’s ideas and works. What we tend to think of as architecture is standard and serious, but Alvar Aaltissimo’s works reinterpret and satirize architecture, he breaks the stereotype of dull architecture and makes it lively, and importantly, such works can at the same time inspire people to think about architecture from a different perspective, which is very inspiring.
Aalvar Aaltissimo’s lecture on architecture provided a fascinating perspective on the subject. His clever architectural style and humor showed how architecture can sometimes be too fancy. He used memes effectively to share ideas and entertain, making people think. His talk could inspire any architecture fan, revealing the deep bond between architects and their passion.
Alvar Aaltissimo’s approach to architecture is characterized by his use of humor, sarcasm, and satire. Through his imaginative designs and satirical projects, he challenges the traditional and rigid nature of the matter. By merging fantasy with technical language, Aaltissimo simplifies complexity and provokes reflective thinking about the real concerns in architecture. His work not only appeals to architects but also reaches the general public, effectively bridging the gap between the two. Aaltissimo’s use of humor and satire brings attention to the issues and impact of architecture in society, while his universal language makes architectural debates more accessible to a wider audience. His fresh and unconventional perspective inspires people to think about architecture from different angles and fosters a more critical and self-aware approach to the profession.
Alval Aaltisimo’s approach is very particular, never in my life have I heard someone talk about architecture with so much humor or sarcasm, I think it is a very liberating vision that allows the architect to hate architecture from how absurd it can be and at the same time love it for the same reason, without a doubt this lecture was a breath of fresh air and a great way to start this series of lectures.
Alvar Aaltissimo frees architecture from the straitjacket that restricts exploration of ideas, making good humor architecture. Being sarcastic and hyperbolic in his designs and concepts. Is a shameless interpretation of the course architecture is taking. Merging fantasy with technical language, it transmits a simplify complexity in a clever and entertaining way.
The stadium, it’s a fictional design, a joke, and yet so far it has a bit of trueness on how things are being done nowadays. How we implement this check list of elements that makes a good project (technology, nature, mix of uses and shops) without a critical support or conscious purpose.
The field of architecture can be considered serious and rigid. Alver Aaltissimo plays with the rules, satires and good humor. The result is a page that can act not only as a critique of architecture and what we can find in today’s society but also as a way of provoking creativity and reflective thinking about what should be the real concerns when designing. Throughout numerous satires and imaginative designs, Alver Aaltissimo succeeds in reaching, in addition to architects, also the general public.
I already knew the work of Aaltissimo, through his instagram page, but I had never dwelled much on his actual work. Thanks to this meeting I was able to expand my knowledge about the character and his works. I believe that his way of doing architecture is functional to raise a critical thought about what architecture represents, his methodology has a simple and universal language and I believe this method can be used, with excellent results, to bring the general public closer to the architectural debate.
Aalvar Aaltissimo architecture’s lecture was an interesting view of the architecture. With the changing of today’s society’s changing conditions, the typical architecture also change in a sarcastic way in that direction. Especially, San Siro stadium’s planning concept proposals were a hilarious project but at the same time it makes you think if it could be. All of the projects were thought-provoking and funny as a sarcastic reflection of the impact community condition changes on architecture from that perspective.
It is always said that one of the best ways of criticism is using the language of humor and sarcasm. Until this lecture, I have not seen the combination of this language with the rigid and serious field of Architecture. In my opinion, the projects of Alvar Altissimo and the point of view of him is one of the successful examples of this combination.
The lecture by Alvar Aaltissimo gave an alternative (ironic and sarcastic) commentary on architectural practice through visual tools, sometimes supplemented by short text. In the book ‘Case milanesissime’ he chose to use often formal and rigid architectural language in an unusual way – to comment on contemporary housing question, which is a crucial social issue and not strictly architectural. I found this way of visual commentary and criticism quite fresh compared to the ‘status quo’ I previously encountered in my university career.
I believe that the meeting with Alvar Aaltissimo was not accidental. His irreverent vision of architecture, complemented by full-fledged satirical projects, helps to better understand how sometimes this subject can be excessively pretentious towards those who study it and love it. What makes its communication effective is in fact the use of the meme format, which nowadays represents not only viral and humorous content, but also an effective dissemination tool that is based on recognizable behavioral systems that can be transmitted by imitation. During his presentation, any architecture lover may have been influenced by what he wanted to express through his deliberate, but above all designed, ad-hoc provocations on public projects, touching on the ups and downs of a deep relationship between us architects and our passion.
Architecture can be perceived as serious , although we cannot do without architecture in our daily life. there have certainly been architects throughout history who have injected humor and playfulness into their work. Alver Aaltissimo makes people more aware of architecture through whimsical designs
Aaltissimo’s lecture opened my eyes to an entirely different way of thinking; it demonstrated to me that architecture is more than its rigid framework and that it can also be a joke.
I was also shown in this lecture the importance of how our lifestyles affect our environment and the way we affect it. For instance, the Case Milanesissime case study forced me to reflect deeply on this problem which was presented sarcastically to us.
In our popular consciousness, the architectural field, and by extension the figure of the architect, have cultivated an image of rigidity, where uncompromising ideologies and manifestos are espoused and egos are fed. This aura, perpetuated in popular culture, is turned on its head through the ‘work’ of Alvar Aaltissimo. His satire holds a mirror to the face of architecture, highlighting some of the overlooked absurdities of our field, particularly when it comes to practice. His satire exposes the fact that architects take their field and work perhaps too seriously, maybe ascribing to ourselves more power or influence than we really possess. By injecting the current discourse with this notion of playfulness and self-deprecation, we are empowered to look at our profession in a more self-aware, critical manner which I found refreshing. Also, the consistent production of such ‘work’, addressing topics/projects of relevance within the current architectural conversation (the San Siro project) enables such satire to play a role in current architectural discourse.
This class led me to think about the criticism of architecture and about the perception that as a student I am still forming about it. As mentioned in the class corresponding to Alvar Aaltissimo, there is a difference between how architecture is seen by an architect and how it is seen by someone who is not, how the problems that occur in society are expressed and how they can be solved with the development of an architectural project, the relationship of what is done with what is proposed by society and the imaginaries that they are held on the construction of a city reaching repetition. Another aspect that I was able to identify in the class is how the form can change the use of architecture and Change the paradigm of things with imagination.
The lecture is very interesting, it introduces and interprets some of Alvar Aaltissimo’s ideas and works. What we tend to think of as architecture is standard and serious, but Alvar Aaltissimo’s works reinterpret and satirize architecture, he breaks the stereotype of dull architecture and makes it lively, and importantly, such works can at the same time inspire people to think about architecture from a different perspective, which is very inspiring.
Aalvar Aaltissimo’s lecture on architecture provided a fascinating perspective on the subject. His clever architectural style and humor showed how architecture can sometimes be too fancy. He used memes effectively to share ideas and entertain, making people think. His talk could inspire any architecture fan, revealing the deep bond between architects and their passion.
Alvar Aaltissimo’s approach to architecture is characterized by his use of humor, sarcasm, and satire. Through his imaginative designs and satirical projects, he challenges the traditional and rigid nature of the matter. By merging fantasy with technical language, Aaltissimo simplifies complexity and provokes reflective thinking about the real concerns in architecture. His work not only appeals to architects but also reaches the general public, effectively bridging the gap between the two. Aaltissimo’s use of humor and satire brings attention to the issues and impact of architecture in society, while his universal language makes architectural debates more accessible to a wider audience. His fresh and unconventional perspective inspires people to think about architecture from different angles and fosters a more critical and self-aware approach to the profession.
Alval Aaltisimo’s approach is very particular, never in my life have I heard someone talk about architecture with so much humor or sarcasm, I think it is a very liberating vision that allows the architect to hate architecture from how absurd it can be and at the same time love it for the same reason, without a doubt this lecture was a breath of fresh air and a great way to start this series of lectures.