Architects Clash Over Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Plans in Central Italy

Following the devastating earthquake of August 24 in central Italy, a heated debate has erupted among architects and urban planners about reconstruction strategies. Vittorio Gregotti, writing in L'Unità, advised Renzo Piano—whom he called his best successful student—not to impose his architectural personality too strongly, but to follow historical and geographical traces. Gregotti opposed changing sites or making radical alternatives, citing L'Aquila's experience. Meanwhile, the Order of Architects of Rome and Province launched an appeal for members to submit projects for the devastated towns, which architect Eugenio Cipollone publicly condemned on Facebook as meaningless and harmful. Cipollone argued that post-earthquake reconstruction is a complex organic process requiring multiple professional skills, and that the Order's initiative encourages generic and banal debate, reducing architecture to a primary salvific role. He dissociated himself from what he called an ill-considered proposal driven by oversized egos and personalism, urging colleagues to spare the affected territories and the reconstruction commissioner from its outcomes.