from object to relationship

• In architecture, the object itself has no intrinsic meaning other than as its shape might be a natural sign. i.e. A straight wall next to a curved one evokes an aesthetic response through the contrast or tension of their relationship
• Syntax in architecture presumably mediates between the intended meaning of the conceptual structure and its possible distortions (through a lack of understanding)
• Syntax distinguishes between the physical relationships of real space and the implied relationships of conceptual space
• Syntax in Terragni's work is evident through his use of the transformational method - pictorial ambiguity (conceptual ambiguity) broken down into two definition of spaces:
• subtractive spaces
• additive spaces
• Frontality (Casa del Fascio) and Oblique (Casa Giuliani-Frigerio)
• When viewed from pure elevation, the facade appears to be planar and the depth of spaces is lost
• Movement around the corners of the building thus reveal the layering of additive and subtractive spaces and it at the corners that Terragni reveals datum points as a means of reference in reading and understanding the space

Casa del Fascio

Casa Giuliani-Frigerio

One of the frames I got from this reading, was the communication of the plan and the internal spaces on the facade of the buildings. Viewed from the outside, there is opportunity for assumptions and interpretations (or mis-interpretations) to be made.