Louis Kahn's Writings Collected in New Italian Volume

Marco Falsetti has edited 'Louis I. Kahn – Pensieri sull’architettura. Scritti 1931-1974', a collection of the architect's writings, many previously unpublished in Italy, published by Giulio Einaudi Editore in 2023. The volume spans from 1931 to 1974, gathering texts from architectural journals, conferences, and student meetings. It reveals Kahn's design philosophy, exploring concepts of Form, Order, and Awareness, and includes personal memories such as his childhood love for drawing and the accident that disfigured him. Particularly significant are his reflections on institutions born from the New Deal and the need for a 'civic armor' to support population development, influenced by his 1950-1951 Mediterranean journey. His approach to Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa and his stay at the American Academy in Rome marked a new phase in his career. Kahn wrote: 'I am definitively realizing that the architecture of Italy will remain the source of inspiration for future works.' Federica Visconti simultaneously published 'Lo spazio al centro in Kahn' in Naples, focusing on central-plan buildings like the unbuilt Hurva Synagogue (1968) in Jerusalem and the National Assembly of Sher-e-Banglanagar (1962-83) in Dhaka. The book includes essential sketches that announce a suspended world in history, closing an era and opening another that expresses the value of the past. Paolo Portoghesi noted that Kahn's work shows faith in institutions and the ability to respond to contemporary needs.