Abstract

The concept, the declinations and the implications of the possible ideas of the future, in the field of architecture both in its practical and speculative parts, have long been a fruitful subject of debate and interpretation for the architect, whether designer or intellectual. These issues have often represented an important portion for the theoretical construction of the discipline. In addition to being directly involved by means of the object shaped by the project (through its possible prefigurations) and observed throughout the theoretical lens of the writings, the interpretation and instrumental use of the idea of the future are unavoidable aspects in the practice of architecture, be it written or built. How consciously are these aspects, practiced and investigated by the individuality and sensitivity of the architect?Starting from the categories (four possible ‘positions’ of the architectural project with respect to the future) proposed in the book Teoria del progetto architettonico by Armando and Durbiano, the contribution attempts a survey-through words rather than drawn projects- of four extracts expressing the partial points of view of four architects, and their mutual correspondences and differences. The aspects and the topics touched by the extracts have guided their very identification, thereby providing a direct testimony, at the same time choral and autonomous. What emerges is a panorama that although partial, provides a complex horizon capable of involving both individual positions as well as social tendencies.