Politecnico di Milano Student Tommaso Viti Proposes 'Affordances' as Key to Architectural Longevity
Tommaso Viti, a student at Politecnico di Milano, presented a thesis entitled 'The affordances of typologically simple architecture and their consequences.' He contends that a building's lifespan is more dependent on its flexibility than on the durability of its materials. Viti describes 'affordances' as the potential actions a space encourages, highlighting that structures with limited affordances risk becoming outdated, unlike those that can be repurposed. His study features Kunsthal Thy, a 1429 barn in Denmark turned art gallery, and a brick barn in Svejstrup converted into a shared living space. Viti critiques the 'form follows function' ideology, promoting a humble approach to design, as seen in Studio Bua's barn renovation in Iceland, and he proposes a four-step design methodology.
Key facts
- Tommaso Viti is a student at Politecnico di Milano.
- His thesis is titled 'The affordances of typologically simple architecture and their consequences.'
- Viti adapts the concept of 'affordances' from psychology and design theory.
- Kunsthal Thy is a barn in Thy, Denmark, with wood from 1429, converted into an art gallery.
- gruppe-aja converted a brick barn in Svejstrup, Denmark, into a communal home for four families.
- Viti criticizes the 'form follows function' principle coined by Louis Sullivan.
- He cites Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry as examples of ego-driven architecture.
- Studio Bua converted a barn in Iceland, leaving a ruin as is and building around it.
- Jack Self is mentioned as a clear voice on architects dropping their ego.
- TN16 is a Copenhagen studio operating from an 1825 stable, using reclaimed materials.
- Viti's approach is summarized in four steps: read, decide, work with existing materials, and keep affordances reactivatable.
Entities
Artists
- Tommaso Viti
- Louis Sullivan
- Zaha Hadid
- Frank Gehry
- Jack Self
- Anna Lazzaron
Institutions
- Politecnico di Milano
- Kunsthal Thy
- gruppe-aja
- Studio Bua
- TN16
- Guggenheim Museum
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Thy
- Denmark
- Svejstrup
- Iceland
- Copenhagen
- Bilbao
- Spain