La resistenza architettonica al cambiamento climatico nel contesto mediterraneo: dispositivi progettuali e azioni fondative.

Abstract

To formalize and compose the study of climate in architecture, particularly from a perspective of resilience, starting from the project's unique ability to respond to climatic variations is the aim of this intervention. Specifically, this intervention is oriented towards discovering - from a compositional standpoint - which design devices withstand climatic variations in the Mediterranean regions and therefore, in relation to the foundational actions of the discipline, which devices to prioritize and adopt to resist the climate. Starting from the Enlightenment, it can be observed how the waves of the Mediterranean have exerted a significant influence on the development of modern architecture, often determining changes in architectural boundaries through conscious initiatives aimed at redefining and reorienting predominant styles, discourses, and practices. Following the ideas of Fernand Braudel, distinct periods of Mediterranean modernity can be identified throughout the 20th century, ranging from Modernism practices in the post-war period to the spread of vernacular architecture and the advent of CIAM. The in-depth study of this architectural season has provided a different perspective for understanding contemporary architectural design. Indeed, unlike the 20th century, where the climate was not characterized by sudden and profound dynamism of terrestrial atmospheric conditions, today we primarily talk about climate change, to highlight the dynamic and evolving aspect of atmospheric variations on Earth. The main reason for using the term climate change in this intervention lies in the awareness that human activity is causing a significant increase in global temperatures and a series of negative consequences, such as sea-level rise, ocean acidification, extreme weather events, and loss of biodiversity. These changes result from greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities, such as fossil fuel use, industry, intensive agriculture, and deforestation. The use of the term climate change underscores the idea that climate is not static or immutable, but rather a complex system subject to fluctuations and alterations over time. Data from the study of climate change in the European continent are characterized by a marked increase in climatic variables in the Mediterranean region. This recognition implies the need to adopt concrete measures to address the negative effects of climate change and promote global environmental sustainability. Resistance is defined here as a stoic immobility of intrinsic strength, to be used against adversities that destabilize a system to make it regress. Resistance is an action with its own time, which adheres to it and, simultaneously, distances itself from it; more precisely, it is that relationship with time that adheres to it through a phase shift and an anachronism. From this concise definition, it is possible to understand the intrinsic relationship between architectural resistance and climate change. Such a broad theme that today extends to different disciplinary fields must be addressed through an investigation involving the foundational actions of the project itself, those practical actions that define its essence and allow its understanding. For this reason, the proposed intervention discusses the updating of resistant design devices - in the Mediterranean climate context - in relation to the foundational actions of the architectural discipline.